This is a sponsored article on behalf of the British Academy.
The programme for the British Academy Summer Showcase 2025 has been announced — and it's a corker.
This free festival of ideas runs 20-21 June and offers a chance to delve into the riveting humanities and social sciences research shaping how we understand the world today. Expect interactive exhibits, creative workshops, thought-provoking talks, and discussions with acclaimed authors.
It all kicks off with a chilled-out Friday Late on 20 June. The evening's headlined by award-winning British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak, in conversation with broadcaster Ritula Shah. Learn about her approach to sensitive topics such as conflict, gender equality, and the climate crisis; and get the inside scoop on her latest novel, There Are Rivers In The Sky, a millennia-spanning work that takes readers from Ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary London.
Other highlights on 20 June include feminist zine-making, a screening of a creative response to The Thief of Baghdad, and short talks covering everything from the value of interactive theatre to the ethics of bringing extinct species back to life.
Saturday 21 June is the Summer Showcase's family-friendly day, so feel free to bring the kids along. This time the headliner is linguist and British Academy Book Prize winner Ross Perlin. He'll be discussing the importance of linguistic diversity, and how we can preserve it here in the UK. Other talks explore the social and economic impact of global population shifts, the study of laughter, and the significance throughout history of the humble cowrie shell.
You can also get stuck into a wide range of workshops. Write poetry inspired by the birds of St James's Park, compare your skills to those of a bumblebee, and step into a sensory room where you'll explore how sensory preferences and stimulation affect mood and well-being.
Remember those interactive exhibits we mentioned? They're running all festival long, with highlights including a history of fancy dress (where you'll have the chance to don a costume yourself) and an immersive journey of food, migration and memory — beginning with London's first Chinatown in Limehouse. We're also intrigued by the exhibit on pandemic care throughout time, as well a whistle-stop tour of an iconic Birmingham bus route.
The British Academy is located close to The Mall and St James's Park — handy, if you fancy making a day/evening out of it in central London. See the full programme and book your free Summer Showcase tickets here.
