Wednesday 15 June:

Book Worlds – a six-week project exploring the inner world of books culminates today led by House of Illustration. A story or a book is a place to escape into, to get lost or absorbed in. This project has supported young people to create a diorama (3D scene) of a favourite book inside a book-shaped box with a hinged door as a cover. Exploring different illustration techniques, participants have had the chance to create a fabulous creative outcome of which they can feel proud.

6.45pm:  Illiberal Democracy – the future of freedom at Free Word Centre

Europe, bastion of hope for more than a million refugees last year. What brought them? A hunger for safety and security? Dreams of freedom? The draw of liberal democracy with its ideals of free expression, equal opportunity and persecution for none? Join major cultural figures from Hungary and Poland to discuss the idea of Europe as not just a place, but a set of values that are rapidly unravelling. This event will feature philosopher Agnes Heller (Hungary); novelist Elif Shafak (Turkey), who has written on Europe for Free Word and writes for the Guardian on the political situation in Turkey; and poet Adam Zagajewski (Poland), author of ‘A defence of ardour’. This event will be livestreamed. Click here to tune in to the YouTube livestream, which will begin at 6.45pm (BST) on Wednesday 15 June 2016.