Podcasts about bradford literature festival

Recorded live at the Bradford Literature Festival three poets join Giles Fraser to consider the relationship between poetry and the divine.Some of our most feted poets, from Rumi to John Donne, Tagore to William Blake – have found that poetry opens up a space to explore the divine. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare praised the poet's eye, glancing ‘from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven' as ‘imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown'.In front of a live audience, a fascinating panel of contemporary poets and wordsmiths join Giles to discuss whether poetry can help bridge the gap between the physical and metaphysical worlds. Camille Ralphs, Testament and Kate Fox consider how their forebears have used words to try and climb spiritual ascents. Reading some of their own work, they'll also share their own relationships between art and faith.Producer: Rebecca Maxted Assistant Producers: James Leesley and Ruth Purser Editor: Tim Pemberton

For the greater part of a century, conversations and narratives about global justice and free speech have been dominated by the West. From seminal works of history to newspapers of record to media networks to politics to public discourse, Western voices have often been louder than the rest. And while the West has long claimed to act in the name of democracy, equality and freedom, some wonder whether it always lives up to its own ideals. Can the world rely on Western media, politics and public rhetoric to promote global justice, or is it simply furthering its own interests? At the tenth Bradford Literature Festival, speakers Fatima Bhutto, Steve Clemons and Konstantin Kisin came together alongside an onstage audience of students and recent graduates for a lively town hall exploring how this narrative control plays out on the world stage. This Doha Debates town hall was moderated by journalist Remona Aly and produced in partnership with Bradford Literature Festival. It was filmed at University of Bradford in Bradford, England on July 6, 2024.

Thursday saw an extraordinary US debate between presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump; what happened and what comes next? International journalist Isabel Hilton joins Georgina Godwin to discuss the fallout of the event and the global reaction, the comparatively uneventful debate in the UK, Bradford Literature Festival and the latest news from China. Plus: Monocle's senior news editor, Chris Cermak, speaks to the debate director of Braver Angels, Jessie Mannisto, about its debate watch party and how they are fighting political polarisation. 

The founder of the Bradford Literature Festival talks to the RSA's CEO about how cultural activity can build stronger communities and drive economic growth.Syima discusses her background, the creation in 2014 of the Bradford Literature Festival as an eclectic and inclusive cultural event, and developments over the following nine years.She also talks about the Festival's focus on younger people and the BLF's impact on local regeneration and outlines the future for it as this major cultural event prepares for its tenth anniversary and beyond.

In this episode, we explore what the world will look like in 2030. Professor Paul Rogers discusses how the 21st century is already shaping up to be arguably the most tumultuous in human history, and we're not even a quarter of the way through it.Recorded live at the 2023 Bradford Literature Festival, this episode looks at global issues including climate change, political instability, and economic inequality, as well as the role that technology and innovation can play in creating a brighter future.

In the realm of popular culture, representations of ancient Greeks and Romans abound in the West and Western adjacent societies. Classics, primarily focused on the study of Greeks and Romans, serve as Western history's foundational narrative. However, this narrative tends to create a timeline that excludes Muslim contributions and unintentionally supports the colonial-racial agenda of the West. In this intriguing episode of Radio ReOrient, Dr Marchella Ward from the Open University and Abdoolkarim Vakil from King's College, London, engage in a discussion that explores the notable similarities and differences between two academic domains: Critical Ancient World Studies and Critical Muslim Studies. This episode serves as an anticipatory introduction to the forthcoming publication titled "The Case for Forgetting Classics," edited by Mathura Umachandran and Dr Marchella Ward. Within this volume, numerous scholars come together with a shared commitment to decolonize the study of ancient Greeks and Romans. Recorded during the Bradford Literature Festival, this conversation provides a platform for reflecting on how the discourse of ancient Greco-Romans has shaped Western perceptions of history, epistemology, and identity, underwriting the exclusion of Muslimness.

It's another round of Very Novel — and Ryan and Callum are snapping into the spines of some fresh book chat.   This week, we revel in the joy of a thriving independent bookshop scene, and contemplate the pitfalls of online reading challenges and book tracking. We pay our respects to Martin Amis — a dude we know virtually nothing about — while the Bradford Literature Festival is washing its hands clean of their AI artwork controversy. And did Ryan finish the 'Count of Monte Cristo?' Did Callum finish 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow?' You can only go and find out today.

Your boys are back with a fresh take at what's going on in the world of books. This week, a storm in a teacup involving Bradford Literature Festival and Midjourney has us anticipating the wider implications of AI in literature, we ponder the point of displaying fake books in your gaff, and what the hell are revered writers like Neil Gaiman getting up to in their spare time? (Spoiler: it's writing other things, mostly). We also check in on our latest reads — Callum's got a new fantasy series on the go and Ryan's embracing the slog with The Count of Monte Cristo.

Art is often seen as a medium for self-expression, a place for artists and creatives to share their personal experiences, and so offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchange. Yet, as we live in increasingly multi-cultural societies, artistic influences and sources are becoming more various and plural – so the urgent question is how do we navigate celebrating other cultures without crossing the line of cultural appropriation? What is the definition of ‘high culture' in the UK – and is it changing? And how do we ensure artistic work is celebrated and valued equally, regardless of its cultural origins?This event brings together speakers from across the Arts to discuss how to make space for cultural exchange in artistic expression, along with the nuances, challenges and rewards this may bring. Our discussion will explore a variety of art forms, from visual pieces to music and literature.This panel features Soheila Sokhanvari, Iranian-born artist; Dr Gus Casely Hayford OBE, inaugural Director of V&A East; Syima Aslam, Founder of the Bradford Literature Festival; Freddie Opoku Addaie, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dance Umbrella Festival and Roger Wilson,  Director of Operations of Black Lives in Music (BLIM). This event was moderated by Waqas Ahmed, Executive Director of the Khalili Foundation and Curator of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 20 March 2023. 

The traditional Sufi devotional music known as Qawwali had its origins in the 13th Century, now the ensemble known as The Orchestral Qawwali Project are breathing new life into this ancient art. We caught up with them at the Bradford Literature Festival. And we journey to another part of the country to find out how music and spirituality go hand in hand at Glastonbury. From baptisms to wedding blessings to providing safe spaces, Reverend Chris North, Chair of the Church at Glastonbury reveals what it is like to minister to festival-goers. We continue our series of conversations to mark Pride month with Richard Kirker, a Founder Member of Lesbian and Gay Christians and Saima Razzaq, a Lesbian and Muslim, who is part of Birmingham Pride. As the US Supreme Court overturns Roe V Wade, Emily finds out what the ruling means for Shawn Carney, CEO and Founder of 40 Days For Life and Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. At the heart of many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities there is a deep religious conviction, it's something that Theologian Dr Steven Horne, himself of Romany heritage, explores in his new book ‘Gypsies and Jesus'. Later this week Hong Kong will see a new Government sworn in and the former colony will also mark twenty-five years since the handover to China. Author and Foreign Correspondent, Michael Sheridan, examines what another Catholic leader in the form of John Lee will mean for Hong Kong and what the next twenty-five years may look like for Hong Kong's faith communities. Producers: Jill Collins and Katharine Longworth Editor: Tim Pemberton Picture credit: Gaelle Berri

On tonight's Front Row, we take a look at the cultural responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the BBC's Culture Editor, Katie Razzall. Clio Barnard's latest film, Ali &Ava, is a love story between two care-worn middle-aged people, set in Bradford. Syima Aslam, co-founder and Director of the Bradford Literature Festival, and Lisa Holdsworth, Chair of the Writer's Guild of Great Britain, review. Cherry Jezebel is the title of a new play which opens at the Liverpool Everyman next week. At its heart are three drag queens with funny one-liners faster and sharper than a Federer forehand. But it's also a play about ageing, family, and intimacy. The playwright Jonathan Larkin joins Front Row to discuss his new work. With the launch on BBC Three of Nicole Lecky's new drama Mood, critics Imriel Morgan and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw discuss the depiction of social media in TV dramas. Presenter: Nick Ahad Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Five years after the British public voted to leave the European Union, the UK is still shaking off the Brexit turmoil. But are we closer to knowing what life outside the EU means for everyday lives inside the UK? In this episode of PR Unmasked, moderated by Penny Richards (Managing Director of the Aspen Initiative UK), Muddassar Ahmed discusses the aftermath of the Brexit referendum and how to navigate the tumultuous political arena marked by social and cultural divisions. We are also joined by Peter Ricketts (Former British Diplomat, Member of the House of Lords & Author of ‘Hard Choices: What Britain Does Next'), and Ella Whelan (Freelance Journalist, Columnist for spiked & Author of ‘What Women Want: Fun, Freedom and an End to Feminism'). This discussion was organised by the Bradford Literature Festival, an annual celebration of the written and spoken word to promote literature, arts, and culture.

A paid-up member of Javaad and Tanya's Bradford Legends' Club, Samaaya Afzal is an activist, a founding member of the Labour Muslim Network and was formerly a community engagement manager at the Muslim Council of Britain. In this final episode of the first series of The Colour of Our Politics, Samaaya joins Javaad and Tanya to discuss growing up as a Muslim woman in England, the politics of Islamaphobia and the similarities between the racist tropes which Black, Brown, Muslim and other racialised women face. And, the inaugural series of The Colour of Our Politics comes full circle, with Tanya, Javaad and Samaya also looking back on the 20th anniversary on the Bradford uprisings to discuss what has – and hasn't – changed in their hometown. Samayya's article on the continued arrogance of white liberal feminism which is referenced in the episode can be read here: https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/on-the-continued-arrogance-of-white-liberal-feminism-44016 Let us know what you think of the podcast and share the episode using the #colourofourpolitics The Colour of Our Politics is supported by Bradford Literature Festival and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford.

The pianist Mitsuko Uchida returns to the Wigmore Hall in London next week where she’ll be marking five decades since she first performed there. She discusses her love for the Schubert Impromptus that she’ll be playing, and how she’s enjoyed exploring new compositions during lockdown. Earlier this week Bolton found itself at the epicentre of the pandemic in England. Bolton is among the areas hardest hit by the Indian variant of the virus - although today the numbers appear to be levelling out and vaccination efforts have been ramped up. At the same time The Bolton Octagon is welcoming back audiences, opening with a new play called See You At the Octagon based on the stories of people in the town during the lockdown. We talk to Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham. Our Friday review this week is the new Channel 5 drama, Anne Boleyn. Tanya Motie and Anna Whitelock discuss its diverse casting, as well as whether it is an accurate portrayal of Anne herself. Form in poetry, like clogs on feet, is fashionable again. A new Radio 4 series, On Form is investigating the way poets now are writing modern work using venerable poetic structures - the sonnet, the villanelle and the ghazal. The poet Aviva Dautch and Syima Aslam, director of the Bradford Literature Festival, explain what the ghazal is, why it is so attractive and how it can be a vehicle for the discussion of philosophical, political and religious ideas. Presenter: Kirsty Lang Producer: Sarah Johnson

Chardine is an award-winning cultural producer, Black feminist, Labour party activist and writer (Sold Out: How Black Feminism Lost Its Soul). A committed trade unionist, she is vice-chair of the Musician's Union Equalities Committee and an elected member of the London Regional Committee. In a wide-ranging conversation that moves from Sheffield to Syria, Bradford to Washington DC, the trio explore class, racism and the Labour party, from Tony Blair's Cool Britannia to today; Afro-Pessimism; and reflections on using the term BAME. New episodes of The Colour of Our Politics will be released every two weeks throughout April and May. For more information about The Colour of Our Politics, please visit: www.javaadalipoor.co.uk/the-colour-of-our-politics/ Let us know what you think of the podcast and share the episode using the #colourofourpolitics The Colour of Our Politics is supported by Bradford Literature Festival and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford.

Alongside their work in theatre and broadcast, Javaad and Tanya have been part of anti-racist politics all of their lives. Both grew up in Bradford in the 1990s, the birthplace of the Asian Youth Movement, where stories about the kids who stopped racists rioting every Friday night became the stuff of legend. Today, one of their shared frustrations about the current anti-racism conversation is the focus on a US-centric narrative when there are so many incredible, epic stories about people and communities who stood up against British imperialism and racism here in England reaching back across three centuries. To kick off this brand new podcast series, Javaad and Tanya will throw the spotlight on Bradford, focusing on the youth movements that radically changed this country in the 70s and 80s, to reveal how they continue to impact our lives today. New episodes of The Colour of Our Politics will be released every two weeks throughout April and May. For more information about The Colour of Our Politics, please visit: www.javaadalipoor.co.uk/the-colour-of-our-politics/ Let us know what you think of the podcast and share the episode using the #colourofourpolitics The Colour of Our Politics is supported by Bradford Literature Festival and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford.

In this up close episode of the Blood Brothers podcast, Dilly and Aki Hussain catch up with journalist and author Hussein Kesvani. #BloodBrothersPodcast​ #HusseinKesvani​ Hussein explains the challenges of pursuing a career in journalism, and his different encounters with Muslims which inspired him to write his book, 'Follow Me, Akhi'. Hussein also describes the crisis in faith he experienced in his late teens that briefly led to him becoming an atheist. Topics of discussion also include Muslim journalists seeking careers in the mainstream and non-Muslim media, the UK's countering-violent extremism (CVE) apparatus, and deciding to withdraw from the Bradford Literature Festival in July this year.

Juleus Ghunta is a Chevening Scholar, children's writer, and an advocate in Jamaica's adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) movement. He holds an MA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, UK, and a BA in Media from UWI, Mona. His poems and essays on ACEs have appeared in 30 journals across 15 countries. In 2020, he received a CATAPULT Caribbean Creative Online grant to further his work on ACEs. He was awarded the Catherine James Poetry Prize by Interviewing the Caribbean (IC) in 2017, and was shortlisted for the Small Axe Poetry Prize in 2015 and 2016. His picture book Tata and the Big Bad Bull was published by CaribbeanReads (CR) in May 2018 and launched in June 2018 at Bradford Literature Festival, UK. His second book, Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows is forthcoming from CR. He is the co-editor of the December 2019 and March 2020 issues of IC Journal (UWI Press), which are focused on Caribbean children's and young adult literature.

Poet Daljit Nagra and crime writer Val McDermid discuss capturing different forms of speech, a sense of place, and politics - in a conversation organised with the Royal Society of Literature and Durham Book Festival, and hosted by presenter Shahidha Bari. Plus, how the medieval fable of Reynard the Fox has lessons for us all today. As a new translation and retelling by Anne Louise Avery is published, she joins Shahidha to discuss the book with Noreen Masud - a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker from Durham University. Based on William Caxton's translation of the medieval Flemish folk tale, this is the story of a wily fox - a subversive, dashing, and anarchic character - summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion. But is he the character you want to emulate, or does Bruin the Bear offer us a better template? Reynard the Fox, a new version with illustrations, is published by the Bodleian Library, and is translated and retold by Anne Louise Avery. Daljit Nagra is the author of British Museum; Ramayana - A Retelling; Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!!; and, Look We Have Coming to Dover. Val McDermid is the author of several crime fiction series: Lindsay Gordon; Kate Brannigan; DCI Karen Pirie; and, beginning in 1995, the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, which was televised as Wire in the Blood. Her latest book - a Karen Pirie thriller - was published in August 2020 and is called Still Life. Details of events for Durham Book Festival https://durhambookfestival.com/ One of the events features Durham academic Emily Thomas talking about travel and philosophy - you can hear her in a Free Thinking episode called Maths and philosophy puzzles https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fws2 Crime writer Ian Rankin compared notes on writing about place with Bangladeshi born British author Tahmima Anam in an RSL conversation linked to the Bradford Literature Festival https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000khk6 You can find more book talk on the website of the Royal Society of Literature https://rsliterature.org/ There are more book interviews on the Free Thinking playlist Prose and Poetry https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p047v6vh This includes: Anne Fine with Romesh Gunesekara; Irenosen Okojie with Nadifa Mohamed; and Paul Mendez with Francesca Wade. Producer: Emma Wallace

The new Australian TV thriller series The Secrets She Keeps. Felicity Ward reviews the BBC One drama about two women due to give birth on the same day, but whose pregnancies are not quite what they seem. Former culture minister Ed Vaizey considers the government's approach to the current challenges facing the performing arts. Director and writer Fyzal Boulifa on his debut feature film, Lynn + Lucy – a tragic tale of two childhood friends and young mothers on an Essex housing estate, and the judgements and unhappiness of a claustrophobic, working-class community. And as Bradford Literature Festival is about to host its annual mushaira - a traditional celebration of Urdu poetry, and a beloved part of North Indian, Pakistani, and Deccan culture for over three centuries - we talk to Urdu poets Ghazal Ansari and Atif Tauqeer who will be taking part, but online this year. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Jerome Weatherald Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

Crime writer Ian Rankin talks with Tahmima Anam in a conversation organised in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and the Bradford Literature Festival. Plus New Generation Thinker Xine Yao looks at the depiction of East Asian figures in science fiction films and writing. Shahidha Bari presents. Ian Rankin's latest Inspector Rebus novel A Song For the Dark Times comes out in October. His cat-and-mouse espionage thriller Westwind was republished last September. Tahmima Anam's first novel debut novel, A Golden Age, was inspired by her grandparents' experiences of war in Bangladesh. It was followed in 2011 by The Good Muslim and the final book in the Bangladesh trilogy The Bones of Grace. You can hear her discuss this in more detail in this Free Thinking conversation with Alain de Botton and AL Kennedy exploring writing about love https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078xlft Ian Rankin can be found in the Free Thinking archives discussing Muriel Spark's novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09qdpj5 Bradford Literature Festival has a series of digital events running this year https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/ You can find more conversations about literature including several past Free Thinking episodes on the Royal Literature Society website https://rsliterature.org/ Xine Yao is one of the 2020 New Generation Thinkers on the scheme run by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council which selects academics to turn their research into radio. The book mentioned in the discussion is called Severance by Ling Ma. You can find a longer discussion about Fu Manchu in this Free Thinking programme called Neel Mukherjee, Images of China https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jjnlx Producer: Robyn Read Technical Producer: Craig Smith

In this up-close episode of the Blood Brothers podcast, Dilly and Aki Hussain catch up with journalist and author Hussein Kesvani. #BloodBrothers #BloodBrothersPodcast #HusseinKesvani Hussein explains the challenges of pursuing a career in journalism, and his different encounters with Muslims which inspired him to write his book, 'Follow Me, Akhi'. Hussein also describes the crisis in faith he experienced in his late teens that briefly led to him becoming an atheist. Topics of discussion also include Muslim journalists seeking careers in the mainstream and non-Muslim media, the UK's countering-violent extremism (CVE) apparatus, and deciding to withdraw from the Bradford Literature Festival in July this year. Buy 'Follow Me, Akhi' via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Follow-Me-Ak... OR https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/... Please support us: Patreon.com/themadmamluks or via PayPal themadmamluks.com/donate Support our sponsors! ============== www.halfourdeen.com Half our Deen is the private Muslim Matrimonial website. www.MyWassiyah.com Receive an exclusive discount by using the link below to sign up with MyWassiyah.com http://6mywassiyah.refr.cc/themadmamluks ============== E-mail us your feedback and questions at: info@themadmamluks.com Follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook @TheMadMamluks Follow SIM on Twitter: @ImranMuneerTMM

In this episode we look at the tricky art of judging literary prizes, one of the world’s most culturally diverse literary festivals - the Bradford Literature Festival, the recent phenomenon of Escape Rooms, and a novel use in prisons for the humble hula.

Preti Taneja talks to the winner of the 2019 Dylan Thomas Prize, Guy Gunaratne, Egyptian graphic novelist Deena Mohamed, poet and broadcaster, Michael Rosen, Iranian-American author Dina Nayeri and Somali-British poet Momtaza Mehri. Guy Gunaratne's first novel In Our Mad and Furious City imagines events over 48 hours on a London council estate evoking the voices of different residents. It was the winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Jhalak Prize as well as the Authors Club Best First Novel Award in 2019. Deena Mohamed is in the UK to take part in the Bradford Literature Festival https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/ which runs until July 7th and the Shubbak Festival which runs until July 14th https://www.shubbak.co.uk/ You can find our more about her https://deenadraws.art/about Michael Rosen is a writer, broadcaster and Professor of children's literature at Goldsmith's, University of London. https://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/ Dina Nayeri's books are The Ungrateful Refugee and A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea. Momtaza Mehri has been young people's laureate for London, a former winner of the Out-Spoken Page poetry prize. Her poetry chapbook is called sugah. lump. prayer. You can find Preti Taneja talking to Arundhati Roy and a debate about books in translation here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b5hk01 A Free Thinking programme playlist looking at ideas of Belonging, Home, Borders and National Identity is here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03mb66k Producer: Zahid Warley

Amitav Ghosh on linking refugees, climate change, Venice & Bengali forests in his fiction. New Generation Thinker Islam Issa on Epstein's Lucifer sculpture. Rana Mitter presents. Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh weaves the ancient legend about the goddess of snakes, Manasa Devi into a journey between America, the Sundarbans and Venice. You can also find Amitav Ghosh talking to Free Thinking about the need for fiction to reflect climate change here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z7bnd The emotional epic that is Layla and Majnun is the subject of events at the Bradford Literature Festival https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/ which runs until July 7th and the Shubbak Festival which runs until July 14th https://www.shubbak.co.uk/ Film maker Soraya Syed and story-teller and producer Alia Alzougbi discuss the story's eternal attraction and ability to speak to contemporary issues. New Generation Thinkers is a scheme run by the BBC and the AHRC to select ten academics each year who can turn their research into radio. Islam Issa teaches at Birmingham City University. His books include Milton in the Arab-Muslim World. Free Thinking Landmarks on Paradise Lost https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08nf037 One Thousand and One Nights https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052gz7g Producer: Jacqueline Smith

Richard Curtis talks to John Wilson about The Beatles, the rom-com and time itself. He's written Yesterday, a musical fantasy comedy directed by Danny Boyle in which a musician, after an accident, finds himself in another world. Here he is the only person who remembers The Beatles, a fact he turns to his advantage. He takes the credit and becomes famous for writing and performing their songs. Himesh Patel stars as the singer and Lily James, Kate McKinnon, and Ed Sheeran also appear. Several writers and commentators have now withdrawn from the Bradford Literature Festival because of the funding of a pre-festival programme by Building a Stronger Britain Together, a Home Office counter extremism programme. Front Row hears from one of them, Hussein Kesvani, author of Follow Me, Akhi : the Online World of British Muslims, and discusses the reasons for the withdrawals. It's the summer solstice and Radio 4 has been celebrating with new poems throughout the day. In Front Row Mona Arshi reads her specially written midsummer song. She talks, too, about her new collection, Dear Big Gods, in which she explores both the intimacies of ordinariness and the collective experience of myth. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Julian May

A talk offered by Shaikh Kabir Helminski at the Bradford Literature Festival in Bradford, UK, in July 2018

Syima Aslam co-founded the Bradford Literature Festival in 2014, and in this episode we discuss what makes this festival special, the ways that a literature festival helps the city that hosts it, and what it means for her to run this successful, growing annual event. In particular, her passion for reading and stories shines through - and for her home city and how books, libraries and reading in general are essential for young people to succeed in life. It's inspiring how she's making "literature" accessible and attractive for more people.

Forty years after forming, two of the original members of the iconic New Romantic band Duran Duran, Roger and John Taylor, talk about their time in the music industry and reveal what inspires them to keep making music together. The annual Bradford Literature Festival is a relatively new addition to Britain's literary landscape, but its junior status hasn't stopped it getting coups such as this year enticing Kate Bush to pay tribute in a public art installation to Emily Brontë. Five years on from the launch of the festival, Syima Aslam, director and co-founder of the Bradford Literary Festival, and Bradford-born crime-fiction writer A.A. Dhand discuss its significance.The artist Brian Clarke has been pushing the boundaries of working with stained glass for the last five decades, commissioned by architects including Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Renzo Piano. In his studio he discusses the challenges of the art form, and his new exhibition Brian Clarke: The Art of Light at The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich. Today the sun is shining everywhere in the UK (though there is some cloud in Shetland). The poet Alison Brackenbury reflects on the way the warm sunny weather not only makes people happy but, since the English language began to be written, it has inspired poetry.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Julian May.

Rana Mitter rereads The Tale of Genji. Sometimes called the world's first novel it was written in the early years of the 11th century and has been credited to the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. This year's Bradford Literature Festival is focusing on the modern translation from Dennis Washburn, Professor at Dartmouth College (USA). Dennis Washburn joins Rana along with Jennifer Guest and Christopher Harding. Also in this programme, Brian Christian, co-author of new book 'Algorithms to Live By' on how maths helps us make decisions, and clinical psychologist Rasjid Skinner on Islamic approaches to psychology. Richard Bowring, Dennis Washburn, Juliet Winters Carpenter discuss The Tale of Genji at the Bradford Literature Festival on Saturday, 28th May 2016 | 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm Hadj Abdur Rasjid Skinner presents Islamic Approaches to Psychology at the Bradford Literature Festival on Saturday, 28th May 2016 | 10:30 am - 1:00 pm Brian Christian is the author of Algorithms to Live By and of The Most Human Human. Producer: Luke Mulhall

Jonathan chats Buried Treasures, Golf Memorabilia & Running Wild in Regents Park Theatre.