Affirming humanity: food, culture and social justice. Kirsty Wark in conversation with Jackie Kay CBE, Andi Oliver and Dr Jessica B. Harris

Friday, July 31 2026, 3pm - 4pm, at City Halls, 100 Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NQ

 

Part of PLACE AT THE TABLE: food, drink and Scotland’s identity

A festival from the Oxford Cultural Collective, Glasgow Life and The University of Glasgow

£8.22 per ticket (includes booking fee) – follow link to book

 

Kirsty Wark will be joined by three extraordinary women, to consider how chefs, artists and activists can harness the power of food to reclaim history, connect generations and mobilise for social justice.

Kirsty Wark is one of the UK’s most prominent and respected political and cultural broadcasters. The longest serving anchor of the BBC’s political debate show Newsnight, she has interviewed numerous world leaders including Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Barack Obama.

Jackie Kay CBE, former Makar of Scotland, is a much-loved poet, playwright and novelist, known for Other Lovers, Trumpet and Red Dust Road. She was previously Chancellor of Salford University, where she holds a Professorship in Creative Writing.

Andi Oliver, one of the UK’s most prominent television presenters, is also a chef and author, who specialises in the food of her Caribbean heritage. She is best known as presenter of the BBC’s Great British Menu.

Dr Jessica B. Harris, is the leading authority on the food of the African Diaspora. The author of 17 books, including High on the Hog, which inspired the Netflix series of the same name, she is a James Beard Lifetime Achievement winner.