Author Talk

Organised by the Bristol Humanists, we are pleased to support: 

Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, Zion Lights’ personal and powerful journey: from grassroots green activism to becoming one of the UK’s leading advocates for nuclear energy

In a time of climate crisis, energy poverty and growing demand for clean power, she examines why long-established environmentalists like herself once feared nuclear energy, why many have since come to embrace it, and she makes a compelling case for why nuclear energy must be part of the solution. Accessible, evidence-based, and deeply human, there is a challenge to common myths and an invitation for people to rethink what it really means to care for others and the planet alike. If you believe in a greener, fairer future, Energy is Life just might change your mind – and give you hope.
Zion Lights, a patron of Humanists UK, is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate who makes complex science clear and compelling. She explores energy, climate, and technology through the lens of human challenges, showing how curiosity and evidence can shape a better future. She will combine technical clarity with a sense of wonder, helping us to see the big questions and the choices that define our civilisation.
Further details: https://www.meetup.com/bristol-humanists/events/313940581/?isFirstPublish=true

In George Orwell’s 1984, a totalitarian party slogan is “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” Is this true today, in Russia and in the Middle East? Are historical narratives being manipulated to justify war? In this salon, we’ll dig into the deep histories behind the war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Your host, philosopher Julian Baggini is joined by journalist and writer James Rodgers, author of The Return of Russia, and Michael Scott-Baumann, author of Palestinians and Israelis: A Short History of Conflict. They’ll be looking at how historical narratives, mixing truth and fiction, shape foreign policy and even lead to war. They will also be looking at whether the laws-based international order is dead, if it was ever alive, what the morally right thing for countries such as our own is, and whether the idea of an ethical foreign policy has any reality. After a break for you to get a drink and gather your thoughts, the second half will be led by your questions and contributions.

BBC Celebrity Traitors faithful finalist, and BAFTA award-winning producer, writer, historian, Professor David Olusoga will be presenting his new history talk at St George's. We are delighted to host a book stall and signing at the event; full details and tickets on the St George's website. We look forward to seeing you there. 

David is the author or co-author of eight books including Black & British: A Forgotten History, The World’s War, Black & British A Short Essential History, The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism.

Recently also seen in BBC2's Empire documentaries, David continues to examine history in depth. Often bringing to light uncomfortable subjects and little-known facts. He uncovers how and why some events and some people are remembered and others forgotten. Taking examples from wars across the world, the British industrial revolution, and other pivotal moments in global history, he uncovers so much that has remained hidden and untaught.

David also writes and presents the long-running BBC history series A House Through Time. Presently he is filming a new series, due for broadcast in April 2026.

Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester, and a columnist for The Observer, David also writes for The Guardian, The New Statesman, The Voice and BBC History Magazine.
A recipient of both the British Academy’s President’s Medal and the Norton Medlicott Medal For Services to History, David is a Fellow of the British Academy, The Royal Society of Literature, The Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Historical Society.