The Conversation is a series of weekly conversations exploring the biggest topics of the day from global conflict to the climate crisis with Britain’s leading thinkers, scientists, philosophers, historians, war correspondents and writers.
Running from 14th January to 22nd April 2025, The Conversation features talks with bestselling writers including Hanif Kureishi, Ahdaf Soueif, Paul Lynch and Robert Macfarlane; acclaimed historians Tom Holland, Bettany Hughes, Marion Turner and Helen Castor; theatre director Nicholas Hytner, war correspondents Lindsey Hilsum, Fergal Keane and Åsne Seierstad; as well as scientists and philosophers David Spiegelhalter, Maggie Aderin-Pocock,Roman Krznaric, Gaia Vince and Monica Feria-Tinta.
Running from 14th January to 22nd April 2025, The Conversation features talks with bestselling writers including Hanif Kureishi, Ahdaf Soueif, Paul Lynch and Robert Macfarlane; acclaimed historians Tom Holland, Bettany Hughes, Marion Turner and Helen Castor; theatre director Nicholas Hytner, war correspondents Lindsey Hilsum, Fergal Keane and Åsne Seierstad; as well as scientists and philosophers David Spiegelhalter, Maggie Aderin-Pocock,Roman Krznaric, Gaia Vince and Monica Feria-Tinta.
Addressing some of the biggest political, social and environmental challenges of our time, The Conversation will explore conflict and empathy, inequality and power, climate crisis and wonder through storytelling and action. The first half of the evening is an hour-long interview with a leading thinker, followed by a second hour where the guest speaker joins the audience around tables to keep the conversation going.
The Conversation, programmed by Peter Florence takes place at St Martin-in-the-Fields every Tuesday. The Conversation 2025 will feature talks with 15 of the UK’s brightest minds, and each conversation will be hosted by Peter Florence, alongside Claire Armitstead, formerly Associate Editor at The Guardian, journalist and campaigner Caitlin McNamara and Georgina Godwin of Monocle.
Ahead of the first Conversation we caught up with Peter Florence to learn more.
What can you tell me about The Conversation?
The series explores big things - war, injustice, leadership, climate - all the troubles of the world, but also the wonders - with great writers. And the USP is that the format celebrates the audience as well as the guests. There’s an hour-long interview, and then another hour where the audience take the conversation on in the Crypt bar - like a live book-club. It’s informal and inclusive and great fun.
Where did the inspiration for the project come from?
St Martin in the Fields as an amazing tradition of social justice campaigning. It’s where Amnesty, Liberty, Shelter and the Pride Movement started. We wanted to build on the work that so many talks and books promoters in London do, andpush two things - the idea that events can be focused on issues as well as new book publications, and the feeling that after any kind of gig people really like talking about what they’ve just seen with friends and with strangers. SMITF is a great music venue, the home of a fascinating Autumn Lecture series, and it’s a dynamic and radical church. It carries its own inspiration in the building too!
There's a great diverse set of guests lined up but how do you approach selecting the guests that will feature?
You start with a fantasy guest list of writers who are already engaged with the subjects that are landing in the news cycle: Crazy strong-men leaders, climate catastrophe, ruinous warfare, injustice and you dream of who you’d most like to light up those alarming things with a compelling dose of humanity and insight. I want to hear Tom holland exploring what the Caesars tell us about Trump and Putin. I want to what truths the great Egyptian novelist and founder of the Palestinian Litfest, Ahdaf Soueif can tell us about Gaza. I want to talk about the land and the rivers with the environmental superhero Robert Macfarlane. And I want to know from Lindsey Hilsum how poets and war reporters tell different stories on front lines from Ukraine to Syria to the Congo and from Asne Seierstad what the Taliban resurgence means for women in Afghanistan. You start with that fantasy list, and then you hope to get lucky. Amazingly, everyone said yes.
How do/will you prepare for one of the conversations?
Read, read, read - books, interviews, essays; listen to podcasts, talk to colleagues, try and find out what the guests are most comfortable with and then where they don’t normally go. You have the amazing privilege of people who know things and can articulate their curiosity. You want to try and max your time with them and make the interviews novel for them.
Where did your career begin and when did you know this was for you?
I fell into the world of books and talks from theatre and college. I guess we mash up showbusiness and the kind of conversation you have about literature at university. I think we are storytelling animals. I guess I’ve spent decades bouncing from story to story, trying to work out how to imagine the world and all its wonders.
You've had a fantastic career to date but how do you reflect on your career up to now?
I’ve been blessed working with a golden age of writers and publishers and musicians, trying things out, learning from mistakes, getting a sense of perspective and of the many spectrums we all live in. I guess the reflections on my career are the same as everyone else’s: What have I learned? What can I change? What should I be doing now? Human behaviour with all its glories and atrocities seems pretty consistentacross time and place. For me, I find my mind turning more and more to the thing we’ve not seen before - the imminence of man-made climate catastrophe. How to tell that story and nudge the narrative seems like a priority. That’s why we started the European Festivals Forest project in 2021. But everything connects: History, science, food, culture, nature. I’ve spent the last 40 years reading and talking about love and death, conflict and harmony and the whole shebang, and I feel I’m almost ready to start now… and the Conversation is a big part of that.
What is the best piece of advice that you've been given?
I guess there are two great mantras:
1. Change your mind.
2. Work with people you admire.
What is the best piece of advice that you've been given?
I guess there are two great mantras:
1. Change your mind.
2. Work with people you admire.
How does everything you've learnt over your career help when you're in conversation with other literary figures?
Everything I’ve ever learned can be simplified to: Listen more carefully.
Do you have a target audience in mind for The Conversation or would you like it to attract all?
The thing I meant to say about The Conversation is that it’s great FUN. Come on along. Everyone is welcome. Everyone.
Where can readers see The Conversation?
The interviews will all be streamed live on the St Martin in the Fields website for anyone who can’t make it to the venue. The live events will all be held right on Trafalgar Square, every Tuesday from 14 January. https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/the-conversation/
The Conversation at St Martin-in-the-Fields runs from 14th January until 6th May – Tickets £15, or watch online for £10 www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/the-conversation
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