Gloria Steinem, London & Cambridge
From coining the term “reproductive freedom” to making contentious remarks about young female Bernie Sanders supporters earlier this month (she said they were only there to meet boys, something for which she subsequently apologised), writer and feminist luminary Gloria Steinem has always had something controversial to say. Now 81, though you’d never guess it, she’s making some UK appearances, including a London event that will see her interviewed by actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, before heading back Stateside. Straight-talking (sample quote: “the only alternative to being a feminist is being a masochist”) and possessed of an irresistibly dry sense of humour, Steinem will share insights from her recent memoir My Life On The Road, which spans everything from childhood trailer trips in the 1930s to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign trail. Lively discussion of the issues facing women today will follow, making these talks a must for both diehard Steinem fans and bright-eyed young activists.
Emmanuel Centre, SW1, Wed, Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge, Thu
CB
Assemble: Some Of Its Parts, London
When Assemble won last year’s Turner prize, it instigated much muttering in the art world. Yet the question as to whether the architecture collective – whose most high-profile project to date involved working with local residents to revitalise a rundown Liverpool housing terrace – should have been up for a contemporary art award in the first place was not the most interesting one (art has always been a broad church, after all). Better to ask, would a ragtag bunch of socially conscious individuals, without a multimillion-pound commission in sight, ever win the Stirling prize for architecture? Bringing them back into that trade for this talk is the Architecture Foundation, which has devised a format in which each of Assemble’s members will present a figure, building, object or artwork that has influenced them individually. It will be interesting to see where loyalties now lie.
Barbican Centre, EC2, Tue
OB
Inspired By… Ruth Hunt, Cardiff
This latest in a series of talks hosted by Cardiff University under the Inspired By… banner features local girl Ruth Hunt and is part of the university’s LGBT History Month events. Hunt became chief executive of Stonewall in 2014, having risen steadily through the ranks of the charity that promotes LGBT rights. She was voted the third most influential LGBT person in Britain in the Independent’s Rainbow List in 2015, having worked towards tackling homophobic bullying in schools and leading programmes aimed at improving the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. She’ll be discussing her career to date and her talk will be followed by a Q&A session. Hunt hasn’t shied away from controversy (her refusal to order a Stonewall boycott of the Dorchester Hotel, owned by the distinctly non-LGBT friendly Sultan of Brunei, is a case in point), so expect inspiration without platitudes.
Cardiff University, Mon
PH
