The Psychologist makes its first festival appearance
Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and author Fiona Neill to appear in a session hosted by our editor.
19 May 2015
The Psychologist will be making an appearance at a major UK festival this summer. 'The Psychologist and Wellcome Trust presents…' slot at the Latitude Festival pairs psychologist Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore with author Fiona Neill, for a discussion in the Literary Arena titled 'Being Young Never Gets Old – Teenagers Debunked'.
Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, is an internationally renowned expert on the teenage brain. Fiona Neill is a Times columnist whose new novel, The Good Girl, is described as 'a compelling portrait of a modern family dealing with a rocky marriage, a troublesome elderly parent and two teenagers exploring their sexuality'. The story focuses on the potentially alarming repercussions of cyberbullying and teen sex in the digital age. Our editor Dr Jon Sutton, who will host the discussion, conducted his PhD in the field of bullying.
The Latitude Festival, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year, draws a crowd of around 40,000 to Henham Park in Suffolk for three days of music, comedy and the arts. Dr Jon Sutton said: 'As a regular punter at Latitude for many years I have watched with interest as the amount of psychology-related content they put on has grown. I made contact to see if they would be interested in a partnership, and I am really thrilled with the idea Tania Harrison and I have come up with.
'A live event like this is a new venture for The Psychologist, so I am nervous but extremely excited at the prospect of reaching out to a large and new audience in an innovative way. Professor Blakemore is consistently fascinating; she knows the author; and I may have some vague input based on my past academic life! So the stars are aligned for an interesting session. And of course, that's just one tiny part of a huge weekend with hundreds of acts across numerous stages.'
The festival takes place 16–19 July – visit their website for full line-up, information and tickets.
See also a report on Professor Blakemore's keynote talk at the Society's Annual Conference, plus our editor's review of Fiona Neill's novel.
- The Psychologist is the monthly publication of the British Psychological Society. You can join the Society, or sign up as an Affiliate or E-subscriber from just £12.
