Bodies: 2

Following on from the success of Bodies (2023), Bodies: 2 showcases the significance of the medical humanities to our thinking about health and healthcare. Our distinguished speakers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, and all have changed and challenged perceptions within their fields.

This year's speakers include:

Joanna Cannon (The Trouble With Sheep and Goats, Three Things About Elsie, , A Tidy Ending)

Rachel Clarke (Dear Life, Breathtaking - now a major TV Drama, )

Nathan Filer (The Shock of the Fall, , Co-Director of the Research Centre for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Creativity)

Kat Lyons (Bristol City Poet)

Henry Marsh (Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, Admissions, , pioneer of awake craniotomy techniques and neurosurgery in Ukraine)

Matt Morgan (Critical: Stories from the Front Line of Intensive Care Medicine, )

Anthony Warner (The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating, The Truth About Fat, ),

Benji Waterhouse ().

The day is aimed at the general public, health professionals and all of us who have been, or will be, patients.

The event is divided into two parts: a day and an evening. It takes place in the Wills Memorial Building, in both the Reception Room and the Great Hall.

The day will run from 10:00 to 17:15 and will consist of a series of talks and panel discussions from the speakers, and poems from Bristol City Poet, Kat Lyons.

Joanna Cannon will be in conversation on dementia. Nathan Filer will discuss mental health. Matt Morgan will be talking about how understanding animals may save human lives, and Andy Flack (Centre of Environmental Humanities) will be asking him how that relationship might further our concerns about the environment. Anthony Warner will talk about ways to feeds ourselves well, without harming the world. Benji Waterhouse will reflect on a psychiatrist's life.

There will also be exhibits from local artists, and showcases of some current medical humanities research projects. Lunch and pastries are provided by iconic Bristol eateries, Farro and Little Bagel Co. (Lunch choices are listed below in the FAQ.) Books will be available for purchase by courtesy of Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft.

After a short break, the evening will run from 18:30 to 20:00. Rachel Clarke and Henry Marsh will be the speakers. Rachel will be discussing her latest novel, . This is about one of the most marvellous developments in medical history, organ donation - thanks to which events of great grief to one family may also be a lifesaving gift for another. Henry will be speaking about hospital architecture, and its relationship to healing, under the title - 'Why Are Hospitals So Horrible?'

Tickets may be brought for the whole event, or the day or evening separately.

This event is supported by: Medicine360.co.uk; The Department of English, University of Bristol; Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol; Royal College of General Practitioners.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wills Memorial Building, Reception Room, Queens Road, Bristol, United Kingdom