The Free University of Glastonbury is launched

28th May 2009

The Festival has launched a literary strand for the first time this year. Called The Free University of Glastonbury it will feature some of the country’s smartest thinkers and most talented authors discussing an extraordinarily eclectic range of subjects from maths to music, nature to non-conformism. The talks will take place every afternoon in the tropical splendour of HMS Sweet Charity in the Park area.

The programme is being run by Mathew Clayton, former publisher of Cassell Illustrated who said, "The Free University will be enlightening and entertaining. A place that celebrates writers but is more than just people reading extracts from their last book. It is about people sharing the ideas, interests and inspirations that lie behind their work".

Friday
12noon University opened by Michael Eavis
1pm Alex Bellos – The Tyranny of Ten
2pm Gavin Pretor-Pinney – On Fire
3pm John Niven – Kill your Friends
4pm Caught by the River

Saturday
1pm Joe Fletcher
2pm Robin Turner and Paul Moody – Moon Under the Water
3pm Will Hodgkinson – Ballad of Britain
4pm Jay Griffiths in conversation with Dan Kieran

Sunday
2pm Ben Moor – More trees to climb
3pm Matthew De Abaitua – A portrait of the artist as a blithering idiot
4pm Tom Hodgkinson – Anarchy in the Middle Ages

Click here to visit the Park’s area of the website for more info.