From the geopolitics and culture of Greenland to gender and social justice, discover the talks on at St Martin-in-the-Fields this spring
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Want to widen your knowledge of the world? Look no further than The Conversation’s 2026 Spring Series, held in St-Martin-in-the-Fields this spring. The series explores social justice and how we imagine the world with curiosity, knowledge and wisdom – a humane intelligence that values insight and understanding over news and information.
Interviews take place live and online. They last an hour, followed by a 30-minute public Q&A, then a book-signing and informal conversation.
Check out the schedule of events below. For more information, head to The Conversation’s website…
27 January – Britain’s leading living novelist Ian McEwan will discuss the moral consequences of global climate catastrophe, a theme in his new speculative fiction novel What We Can Know, set in a future England devastated by the aftermath of AI-led nuclear wars between world powers, that leads to climate devastation.
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3 February – Winner of the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2023, professor of sociology at the University of Manchester and Formerly Editor at Large at The Guardian Gary Younge, one of Britain’s leading experts on race in America, will discuss his new book, Pigeonholed, a powerful reflection on race, racism and creativity in the UK today. In the first of several conversations marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence, the writer and journalist analyses the state of the union and the question of race in USA 2026.
24 February – Adam Price The Danish creator and writer of political drama Borgen joins us to talk about the mineral wealth, geopolitics and culture of Greenland, the setting for his multi-award-winning Netflix drama Borgen – Power and Glory. Adam is also the writer and producer of the Netflix sensation Ragnarok, Ride Upon the Storm and Anna Pihl. As a chef, he co-presents with his brother James the TV food show Spise med Price. He talks to Peter Florence.
10 March – Multi-award-winning investigative journalist and co-founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr analyses the opaque and unaccountable Silicon Valley companies that are accelerating the global axis of autocracy in the How to Survive The Broligarchy Substack.
24 March – The #1 Sunday Times bestselling and Baillie Gifford prize-winning author of The Five, The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold is a renowned social historian whose expertise lies in revealing stories of previously unknown women in history. Hallie will talk about re-balancing the narratives about gender and social justice in 19th- and 20th-century London and her new book Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen.
7 April – Does orange juice help ward off colds? How does age, sleep and stress affect our immune health system? Is anything we’re sold as healthy actually true? What can we do to live a happier and healthier life? The world-renowned immunologist Daniel M Davis sorts the facts from the fictions in his book Self-Defence: A Myth-busting Guide to Immune Health. Davis is Head of Life Sciences and Professor of Immunology at Imperial College, London.
21 April – Mya-Rose Craig known as BirdGirl shares her incredible journey as an activist, environmentalist, and keen birdwatcher. She also speaks passionately about founding her charity, Black2Nature, and her work to make the environmental sector more inclusive and representative for everyone. Mya-Rose’s story shows how personal passion can drive real change, and how young voices are shaping the future of green careers. Her 2023 Book BirdGirl was winner of a Somerset Maugham Award.
28 April – New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and Professor of Religious History at Duke University, American Kate Bowler will talk about her new book Joyful Anyway (out April 2026) and about her experience battling stage IV cancer and how her outlook on pretty much everything she thought she knew about life was turned upside down.
26 May – Iconic LGBTQ+ author Armistead Maupin will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his legendary book Tales of the City the first book (and later a TV series) that addressed homophobia and transphobia with wit and compassion, helping to dismantle barriers and bring the LGBTQ+ experience into mainstream dialogue. The character of Anna Madrigal, the transgender landlady, was an early trans icon in popular fiction.
The series provided millions of mainstream readers their first exposure to gay and straight characters coexisting as equals, dealing with universal themes of love, loneliness, and friendship. Named as one of the BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring Novels, a PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick and Britain’s favourite gay/lesbian novel from The Big Gay Read. Following on from the talk, The Conversation will also host a unique supper with the author and a signed copy of Maupin’s memoir Logical Family.
