Events and Meetings
The following meetings are planned for the 2023 to 2024 season. All are planned to be at Macclesfield Library as usual. All meetings start at 7.30 pm.
Meetings are usually open to both members and non-members; however non-members pay a £5 fee. 18s and under are normally admitted without charge.
For some of the talks that have already taken place you can click on the title for a summary.
Thursday, 14th September 2023
How the King of the Witches Dusted the Books: Alex Sanders at the John Rylands
In 1962 Alex Sanders took a job as a Book Duster at Manchester's illustrious John Rylands Library, with remarkable consequences. Based on eye-witness accounts, Grevel Lindop describes a key moment in the history of modern paganism.
Tuesday, 17th October 2023
What is a Language?
Gabriel Dupre is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at Keele University. His research involves leveraging contemporary work in the linguistic and cognitive sciences towards progress on traditional questions in the philosophy of mind, language and science.
The AGM will follow the talk and discussion
Thursday, 16th November 2023
Bradshaw's and an Early Railway Journey
Join local historian Robert Mee for a look at the history of Bradshaw's Timetable and Guide, the traveller's prerequisite during the 19th and 20th centuries. Robert will then take us on a mystery tour using the railway timetable of 1922. Have your tickets ready for a whirlwind history tour!
Tuesday, 16th January 2024
Open-source Drug discovery for SARS-CoV2 and Future Pandemics
Ed Griffen last spoke to us in early 2021 about the co-operative hunt for finding a drug treatment for Coronaviruses. Now he's back to give an update. Ed is a co-founder of MedChemica, a Big Data company that specialises in large-scale knowledge abstraction for the life sciences.
Thursday, 15th February 2024
Scrabbling for Words
Mark Nyman became the first British World Scrabble Champion in 1993 and has won the UK Championship four times. He became the Champion of Champions on TV's Countdown and went on to be the show's producer. Mark is the author of the book Scrabble Secrets (Harpur Collins).
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Creating Change through the Arts
Anna Francis is interested in the role of artists, arts organisations and communities in the development of places. She is Associate Professor of Fine Art and Social Practice at Staffordshire University, and a Director at AirSpace Gallery and The Portland Inn Project.
Thursday, 18th April 2024
How to Die Like a Romantic Poet
Madeleine Callaghan is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Romantic Literature at Sheffield University. She has written extensively on the Romantic Poets.
Tuesday, 14th May 2024
Are you a Metaphysical Animal?
Rachel Wiseman has a particular interest in the work of the "Wartime Quartet" of women philosophers: G. E. M. Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgely and Iris Murdoch. With Clare MacCumhaill (Durham University) she authored the recent book Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life. Rachel is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Liverpool University.