BBC Free Thinking Festival: A Festival of Ideas

Free Thinking 07, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Merseyside's unique festival of ideas launches in Liverpool this Friday (November 9). With events at Fact and BBC Radio Merseyside, Free Thinking brings you face-to-face with today's leading artists, scientists and other thinkers. Over the weekend, you can join them and many others considering ideas through interviews, debates, talks, poetry and performances. The Reader is hosting 'Book at Breakfast' on Saturday and Sunday (still a few tickets left for Sunday, so book now if you want to come) and Ian McMillan, new regular contributor to The Reader, will record The Verb live on Friday evening.

With freedom as a major theme at this year's festival, there are events that tackle issues of freedom in education, the ownership of our own freedom, prisons and society, the changing perspectives of childhood and concepts of equality. The full list of events can be found here and even if you are unable to attend, there are opportunities for everyone to tackle the issues raised. Most of the events over the weekend will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Merseyside, as well as being available to listen for up to a week on the Free Thinking website; there are polls and comments awaiting your responses and the chance to write haiku on any debate or theme from this year's festival (also, don't forget to vote for Jane as part of the People's Choice debate!).

Posted by Jen Tomkins