The creation of an exciting new Lancaster International Lecture Series has been developed through a collaboration between Lancaster University and Litfest, Lancaster’s renowned literature festival.

The Series includes the Lancaster History Lecture, the Lancaster Environment Lecture and the Lancaster International Fiction Lecture. All lectures are free and delivered in person and/or live online and are made available on catch-up afterwards.

The collaboration has seen Dr Delphine Grass, from the University’s new School of Global Affairs, and Bill Swainson, from Litfest, work together to bring all the lectures under one ‘roof’.

In the past these individual lectures have provided a platform for leading voices from history, environment and literature as they focus on the pressing issues that shape our world.

These have featured renowned speakers, including International Booker Prize winners Geetanjali Shree and Georgi Gospodinov, bestselling historian Sathnam Sanghera, and prominent environmental thinkers George Monbiot and Caroline Lucas.

Professor Edward Simpson, the Executive Dean of Lancaster University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said: “The arts and humanities make the world richer – fuelling imagination, engaging curiosity and creating community. Through the partnership between Litfest and Lancaster University, the International Lecture Series brings fantastic speakers to Lancaster and draws the University and the city closer together."

Dr Delphine Grass, from the University’s new School of Global Affairs, added: “Our lecture series began with a simple premise: that important ideas should be available to everyone. We've built a forum where audiences in Lancaster and worldwide can engage directly with leading thinkers, opening up complex topics through accessible discussions that enrich community understanding and inspire new perspectives."

And Julie Bell, the Chair of Litfest, said: “This partnership allows us to offer a free platform for the discussion of some of the major issues of our time both live in person and live online, meaning that the lectures and the discussions afterwards engage at every level – locally, nationally and internationally.”

Coming up on May 15 conservationist and environmental campaigner Bella Lack will present the 2025 Lancaster Environment Lecture on campus at Lancaster University, livestreamed on Crowdcast. Tickets are free but need to be reserved by going to the Dukes Lancaster website and, for the livestream, you can book on Crowdcast.

Drawing on her book Children of the Anthropocene (‘urgent, thought-provoking and brilliantly written’ according to former President of Ireland and author of Climate JusticeMary Robinson), Bella Lack will discuss the lives of young people on the frontline of the environmental crisis all around the world.

Speaking with ‘visionary clarity and passion’ (award-winning author Dara McAnulty), she will focus on the path ahead, showing how the futures of young people hang in the balance as they face the harsh realities of climate change.

Earlier in the year, the 2025 Lancaster History Lecture took place on campus when acclaimed medieval and Tudor historian Dr Helen Castor discussed the limits of power in ‘The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV’ with Dr Sophie Thérèse Ambler from the University's Department of History in front of a packed audience of all ages.

All information about the Series is available on the new dedicated website here.