ReaderBank returns to the Edinburgh International Book Festival with a stellar line up of events for August 2025.
In August 2025, ReaderBank returns to the Edinburgh International Book Festival with a new format. Instead of our usual pop-up, this year you’ll be able to join us for a series of scheduled workshops and panel discussions facilitated by the ReaderBank team. We’d love to see you there, whether you’re a long-time community member, or simply curious about what we’ve been up to.
ReaderBank: Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health
Wednesday 13th August 2025 | 17:30 – 18:30 | Venue B | Free – Ticketed
Come join the ReaderBank team as they update you on the findings so far, what they tell us about the science of the imagination, and how reading unlocks new frontiers for mental health, psychological therapy, and neurodiversity. We also have an exciting and limited opportunity to get involved in a new project which will be launched during the session (and will allow you to take a piece of ReaderBank home with you).
Book tickets for this free event.
Ben Alderson-Day & Adam Zeman: The Science of Imagination
Thursday 14th August 2025 | 12:00 – 13:00 | Spiegeltent
Come watch our very own Professor Ben Alderson-Day (ReaderBank lead; author of Presence: the Strange Science of the Unseen Other) in discussion with neuroscientist Adam Zeman (author of The Shape of Things Unseen), as they unpack the latest scientific discoveries relating to the brain’s creative powers, from the phenomenon of ‘aphantasia’ to what happens in our minds as we imagine.
Book tickets for this paid event.
Jenny Kleeman & Ben Alderson-Day: Mental Health in the Digital Age
Friday 15 August 2025 | 14:45 – 15:45 | Spiegeltent
Ben joins journalist Jenny Kleeman in this conversation about our mental health and the use of digital technologies, like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI), in their treatment. In this shifting landscape, what moral considerations and safeguards are needed to embed these treatments in the mainstream?
Online @ ReaderBank.org
New modules launching Monday 11th August 2025
Finally, if you can’t visit us in person but don’t want to miss out, we’ll be launching a new series of ReaderBank modules over at ReaderBank.org including our annual survey on the theme of this year’s book festival ‘Repair’. We’re also introducing ‘In It Together’, which poses the question of how we connect with the characters of a story, and ‘In Two Minds’, which juggles the dilemma which arises when we have mixed emotions about a book or a story.
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