Great Art Explained with James Payne

Send us Fan MailIn this special conversation, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi explores the relationship between the material and spiritual dimensions of existence, drawing on the rich wisdom of the Islamic tradition. Reflecting on faith, mortality, the soul and the search for meaning, the discussion invites audiences to consider life not as an isolated journey, but as part of a larger spiritual reality that extends beyond the visible world. www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk

Send us Fan MailJoin Fawad Kalsi, CEO of Penny Appeal Canada, for a candid and thought-provoking exploration of faith, addiction, healing and the growing conversation around psychedelics.  Drawing on his own extraordinary journey from imam to opioid addict and back again, Kalsi reflects on the role psychedelics played in his recovery and how those experiences intersected with questions of spirituality, consciousness and belief.  Exploring mental health, Islamic perspectives on altered states and the search for meaning in moments of crisis, this deeply personal conversation invites audiences into an open discussion about suffering, transformation and the complex relationship between faith, healing and human experience. 

Send us Fan MailBradley Riches joins John Harris for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation exploring life across the neurodiverse spectrum.  Riches is an autistic actor, author and advocate, best known for Heartstopper, Celebrity Big Brother and Emmerdale. Harris is a writer and broadcaster whose recent work reflects on parenting his autistic son and the role music has played in their lives. Drawing on their own experiences, the discussion will reflect on growing up autistic, parenting autistic children and the evolving understanding of neurodiversity in families, schools and society. From diagnosis and education to masking, identity and belonging, the panel will explore the challenges and breakthroughs that can shape the journey towards self-understanding.  Honest, insightful and hopeful, this event considers how greater awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity can transform not only individual lives, but the communities around us, too. www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk

Send us Fan MailAcross much of the democratic world, debates around free speech, protest, surveillance, citizenship and state power are becoming increasingly common.  Bringing together cultural commentator Myriam Francois, former First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf, and former South African ambassador and anti-apartheid activist Ebrahim Rasool, this major conversation explores the tensions emerging at the heart of modern liberal democracies.  From securitisation and Islamophobia to selective freedoms and the shrinking space for dissent, the discussion asks whether democratic societies are becoming more fearful, more restrictive and more imbalanced in the way rights and freedoms are experienced, and who ultimately gets to feel truly free. 

Send us Fan MailFor more than six decades, acclaimed photographer Peter Sanders has documented some of the defining cultural, spiritual and social movements of our time.From the creative energy and optimism of the 1960s to encounters with faith communities and sacred traditions across the world, his photographs offer a unique visual record of a changing age.In this special retrospective, Sanders reflects on a lifetime spent observing humanity’s search for meaning, identity and belonging. Through extraordinary images and personal stories, the event explores the people, places and moments that have shaped his remarkable journey behind the camera.

Send us Fan MailJoin artist, curator and YouTube creator James Payne for a captivating, illustrated talk exploring the stories behind some of the world’s most famous artworks. Best known for his series Great Art Explained, Payne brought masterpieces to life through compelling storytelling and sharp insight. In this special event, he will guide audiences through the remarkable lives of the artists, the drama behind the paintings and the fascinating details that make these works so enduring. Expect an entertaining and illuminating journey into the human stories behind great art.

Send us Fan MailJeremy Corbyn and Professor Paul Rogers discuss the Gaza Tribunal and the growing debate around accountability, international law and the humanitarian consequences of conflict in Gaza.  The conversation will reflect on the role of public testimony, political activism and legal scrutiny in shaping international awareness and response.  Whilst exploring wider questions around justice, diplomacy and the responsibilities of the international community in moments of humanitarian crisis.

Send us Fan MailSaeed Khan, Meshael Al-Mannai and Hassan Abdein explore how the modern Middle East was shaped through empire and partition; the discussion considers how borders, external intervention and competing visions of political identity continue to shape the region today.  Examining the legacy of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, mandate systems, nationalism and post-colonial state formation, this panel offers historical context for many of the conflicts, alliances and tensions that continue to define the contemporary Middle East.

Send us Fan MailPrue Leith has never been one to hold back. At 85, she’s not about to start.The Great British Bake Off presenter, Great British Menu judge, restaurateur, cookery school founder and national treasure joins us for a chat about her Sunday Times bestselling memoir Being Old and Learning to Love It, a frank, funny and thoroughly entertaining reckoning with life in her eighties. From love and loss to assisted dying, fashion, fame and finding joy, nothing is off limits.Warm, wise and wickedly honest, this is an afternoon in the company of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life and isn’t finished yet.

Send us Fan MailOusama Iyad Alshurafa offers a way of reading life itself, treating the dunya as something encrypted that can be decoded once you find the right key. His central insight is that this world is built on perception: it constantly tests whether a person trusts what they see in front of them or what God has revealed beneath the surface.  Most people, he argues, live captive to appearances, believing that money solves the problem, that medicine brings the cure, that other people hold the answers, when, in reality, these are only means, lifeless without their Source. Drawing on Quranic teaching and the stories of the prophets, Alshurafa shows how to reorder one’s inner life so that the heart turns first to God in every moment of need, hardship or fear, while still taking the practical steps the world requires.  The result is a grounded philosophy for managing life: set the compass of the heart before acting, look beyond the means without abandoning them and recognise that the difficulties we face are often invitations to return rather than punishments. Lived this way, he suggests, belief steadies, actions improve and the conditions of one’s life begin to fall into place.www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk