Book talks and courses are always in preparation. This post was updated in late June 2025.
This page highlights upcoming talks and courses. Some – but not all – are based around my book Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties. One is a writing course I’m giving in Greece. I’ve also put in links to one or two media appearances.
15 July: University of Miami
I’ll be speaking to a group of students from the University of Miami in London on 15 July about “How to survive a diplomatic crisis and other lessons”. I always enjoy contact with students, and am looking forward to this. Unfortunately this talk is not open to members of the public.
London Diplomacy Ball, March 2025
6-13 September: “How to write and publish a novel”
From 6-13 September I shall be delivering a writing course entitled “How to write and publish a novel” in the picturesque village of Sigri, in Lesbos. Full details here.
Have you ever tried writing something? Many people dream of crafting a novel or a memoir. But what are the basic building blocks of writing? What are the pitfalls? How do you get started? How do you keep going? I’ll aim to answer all these questions and more.
Readers interested in this course should contact the organisers via this link, quoting code “LT10”, for a 10% discount on the Sigri course between now and end-June. Or contact me direct.
A beach near Sigri
26 September: Cambridge Alumni Festival
I’m proud to be talking to the Cambridge Alumni Festival at 14.00 on Friday, 26 September about “How to learn from diplomatic tradecraft, and other Lessons in Diplomacy”. The talk will be based on Chapter 8 of the book. A link to the 2025 Alumni Festival programme is here. They’ve given me a bigger room this year, which is encouraging. Last year sold out.
The programme entry for the Festival
6 October: talk at the Reform Club
I’ll be giving a talk at the Reform Club, as part of a seminar on Russia’s war on Ukraine, on 6 October. More details to follow.
10 October: talk in Manchester
On 10 October I’ll be giving a talk at the Manchester Grammar School to the Old Mancunians’ Luncheon Club, based on my book “Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties”. More details to follow.
Talks in Austria and Germany
I will be giving three talks in Austria in the week of 27 October. On 27 October I will be talking at the rather splendid Museum of Military History in Vienna. On 28 October I shall speak at House of Scotland in Vienna. And on 29 October I will be speaking to the Rotary Süd Club, also in Vienna. More details to follow.
In Germany, I’ll be speaking at the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft in Bonn on 3 November, and in Düsseldorf on 4 November. Looking forward to both.
What to do next: talks
If you’d like to invite me to come and talk to an audience, whether at a university, a book group or a corporate event, do get in touch.
Cheltenham Literature Festival, October 2024
I have a dozen highly entertaining talks that have gone down well with audiences from the Cheltenham Literary Festival to SOAS, the Lewes Speakers’ Festival, the London Diplomacy Ball and the Highgate Society. Titles include How to survive a crisis, How to drink wine and know things, How to learn from diplomatic tradecraft and How to make diplomacy reflect our changing world. You can contact me via this website (see “contact me”) or via LinkedIn.
What to do next: books
If you’d like to read my books, you can find about all of them at this link.
