Bristol events / healthcare
Bodies 2: a day of talks from bestselling authors ‘with a medical twist’
Following the success of the inaugural Bodies in 2023, Bodies: 2 is coming to the University of Bristol’s Wills Memorial Building on November 22, for a day of talks ‘with a medical twist’.
Aimed at those working in healthcare industries but also the general public and “all of us who have been, or will be, patients”, the event will be split into a daytime and an evening session, separated by a short break.
The programme offers a raft of bestselling authors and speakers from a range of backgrounds, all of whom have been selected due to the varied ways in which their work has “changed and challenged perceptions” within their respective fields.
is needed now More than ever
A selection of authors who will be appearing at Bodies: 2 – image: University of Bristol, Department of English & Medicine 360
Speakers include Nathan Filer (The Shock of the Fall, This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health; Co-Director of the Research Centre for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Creativity), Benji Waterhouse (You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here), and Anthony Warner (The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating, The Truth About Fat, Ending Hunger: The Quest to Feed the World Without Destroying It).
Former Bristol City Poet Kat Lyons returns, following her appearance at the inaugural event in 2023 – a day about which she enthused: “It was absolutely fascinating; just the breadth of discussion around grief, and the importance of pleasure, and desire, and the most incredible prosthetic limbs, and reframing the gaze of people with visible differences to give people more autonomy and control, and really in-depth discussions around grief and healing.
Kat Lyons – photo: Charley Williams Photography
“I was so impressed by the humanity, and just how deeply all these different medical professionals in the room care about making the world better.”
Also appearing in the daytime programme is Mike Scrase, Bristol-based author of the independent comic, Zip, and Melina Theo, who will be performing Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s globally renowned play about hope in the face of depression, Every Brilliant Thing.
In the evening, the speakers will be Henry Marsh, who is a pioneer of ‘awake craniotomy’ surgery in Ukraine, and Rachel Clarke, palliative care doctor and author of acclaimed books including Dear Life, The Story of a Heart, and her Covid-19 memoir, Breathtaking (now adapted into an ITV drama).
In a discussion about hospital architecture, Marsh will be asking ‘Why are Hospitals So Horrible?’, and Clarke will be talking about organ donation.
Complementing the talks will be artist exhibits and showcases from projects including the Good Grief Festival and Flourishing Spaces.
Bodies: 2 is at Wills Memorial Building on November 22, with the day running from 10am-5.15pm and the evening from 6.30-8pm. Tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk, and may be purchased for either or both sessions, with concessions for students, staff, NHS and OAP attendees.
All photos: University of Bristol Department of English & Medicine 360
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