https://www.theyardhampshire.co.uk/events/p/the-making-of-the-middle-east-with-barnaby-rogerson-thursday-25th-april-700-830pm

Part a retrospective of her life and part a brilliant distillation of all she has learned in her life and career working in the wellbeing arena, Liz Earle MBE will be in conversation with Rebecca Fletcher, discussing how to take charge of your health – physical, mental and emotional – to ensure you future proof your health and happiness. Sharing the latest information about the gut-brain axis, nutri-genomics and the best types of exercise and diets, Liz is passionate about showing us all how to live longer and better.

In her debut novel, The Porcelain Maker, local author Sarah Freethy brings readers an unforgettable tale of art, love, loss and betrayal. When Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist, meet at a party in 1929 Germany, their attraction is instant. In love with each other and the art they create, their talent transports them to the dazzling lights of Berlin. But Germany is on the brink of terrible change, and their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of Nazism. When Max is sent to a concentration camp, it is only his talent at making the exquisite porcelain figures so beloved by the Nazis that stands between him and certain death. When she learns of his fate, Bettina is determined to rescue him whatever the cost. Now, a lifetime later, Bettina’s daughter, Clara, sets out to uncover the truth about her identity. As she weaves together the fabric of her past, she discovers the terrible secret her mother wanted hidden forever. Described by the Sunday Times as ‘An absorbing study of love and art’, Sarah will be in conversation with Rebecca Fletcher.

Frank Gardner is the BBC’s full-time Security Correspondent, reporting for television and radio on issues of domestic and international security. A fluent Arabist, with a degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies, he was previously the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent. In June 2004, while reporting in Riyadh, Frank and his cameraman, Simon Cumbers, were ambushed by Islamist gunmen. Simon was killed outright, Frank was shot multiple times and left for dead. Against all expectations, he survived and, in 2006, published his acclaimed and bestselling memoir, Blood and Sand. Gardener’s unique insights into the worlds of espionage and counter-terrorism have inspired him to write a series of bestselling thrillers, Crisis, Ultimatum and Outbreak. He will be speaking about his life, his broadcasting career, his writing and will offer insights into current world issues drawing on his years of reporting on the world’s conflicts.

In conversation with Rebecca Fletcher, author and podcaster Louise Boyce will entertain you with her stories of the highs and lows of parenting. In her debut book Mama Still Got It which became a Sunday Times bestseller, Louise gives a hilarious account of raising kids through the school year including being late for pick up, the dreaded class WhatsApp groups and the unmatched agony of parents’ races on Sports Day.

Ching-He Huang is a chef and a television presenter who set up her own food and drink business when she was 21. She will talk about her early food influences which come from the traditional cooking styles of her farming community grandparents who lived out in the countryside of southern Taiwan. She will also introduce to her latest cookery book “Wok for Less” in which she describes creative ways to make meat, fish and seafood go further, alongside inventive veg packed dishes that will satisfy even the most committed carnivore.

Exploring art in fiction, Rebecca Fletcher talks to art critic and author Chloë Ashby and award-winning debut author, Emily Howes. Emily's novel, The Painter's Daughters tells the relatively unknown story of Peggy and Molly Gainsborough, the painter's daughters, and explores sisterhood, control and individuality as well as the melancholy which marked their lives together. Second Self, Chloë's second novel, speaks of love, art and those monumental, impossible life decisions - can hidden truths be found under layers of overpaint? The three will discuss how art has inspired Emily and Chloë's storytelling and what it's like to unearth stories hidden beneath paint.

Join Rebecca Fletcher and Daisy Buchanan, award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster, as they discuss writing unconventional love stories and explore sisterhood and self esteem in Daisy's latest novel Limelight.

Fame, fashion and managing expectations - join resident host Rebecca Fletcher as she talks to The Yard's guests, Minnie Driver and Natalie Lewis, about writing life, navigating fame and fashion and sharing stories of a world shrouded in smoke and mirrors.

Dame Jane Glover will be joining The Yard's host Rebecca Fletcher to explore her hugely successful career as a conductor and her latest book, Mozart in Italy - Coming of Age in the Land of Opera, in which Jane chronicles Mozart's formative trips to Italy and the profound effect they had on his astounding musical career. Evocative and beautifully written, Mozart in Italy is a compelling account not only of Mozart's early career but it brings the world of early 18th century classical music vividly to life.

Chatting to Julia Bradbury about her latest book, Walk Yourself Happy, part self-help and part-memoir, this is the ultimate guide to walking yourself happy physically and mentally.

Join million copy and bestselling romcom queen Beth O'Leary and debut novelist Kara Gnodde as they chat to Yard host Rebecca Fletcher about their latest novels, The Wake-Up Call and The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything, the art of writing uplifting love stories and why it is we fall in love with romantic comedy.

Justine Picardie on Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life

Justine Picardie has spent over twenty years exploring the truth about the mystery that was Coco Chanel. Join Justine and The Yard's host Rebecca Fletcher as they discuss the world of Coco Chanel and her profound influence as an extraordinary creative, to mark the stunning new edition of Justine's international bestseller, Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life which includes major new research and recently discovered portraits. From the inventor of the Little Black Dress (LBD), the bob haircut, trousers for women, contemporary chic, a globally bestselling perfume and founder of the most successful fashion brand of all time, Coco was also an enigma, fashioning the myth of her own life with the same attention to detail as her couture. Chanel is synonymous with elegance and beauty – yet what lay beneath the surface is far darker.

Women have always gardened, but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil. Join Alice and Yard host Rebecca Fletcher as they explore lost histories, connections and stories of soil, sisterhood and survival.

Alice Vincent is a journalist and the author of three books, including Rootbound: Rewilding a Life, which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize and named as one of the books of 2020 by the Financial Times and the Independent. A self-taught gardener, Alice is a columnist for The Guardian, Gardens Illustrated and writes for titles including Vogue and the New Statesman. She has been documenting her gardening online since 2015 and has since launched a newsletter and podcast, Why Women Grow which has featured guests such as Sarah Raven, Margaret Howell and Paula Sutton.

Join Rebecca Fletcher as she welcomes international bestselling and award-winning author and Founder of Women's Prize for Fiction and Non Fiction, Kate Mosse, to The Yard to discuss her latest novel, The Ghost Ship, out on 6th July.

Exclusive early copies of The Ghost Ship will be available to purchase on the night and Kate will be signing books at the end of the evening.

Join us for 'Wine Time' at The Yard with author, drinks & wine expert and presenter, Helen McGinn (@knackeredmother) and Kat Farmer (@doesmybumlook40), fashion stylist, presenter and bestselling author. Helen and Kat will guide guests through a wine tasting, served alongside a selection of perfectly paired snacks to go with each glass. If you've watched one of Helen and Kat's regular Wine Times on Instagram, you'll know just how much fun will be in store - these two are the perfect pairing for any wine. Looking for the perfect summer evening with friends? Our exclusive The Yard x Wine Time evening is one not to be missed.

Bestselling authors Lorraine Candy and Christie Watson will be exploring messy magnificent midlife and how to embrace this transformational stage of life with host Rebecca Fletcher. Presenting midlife as something to look forward to rather than dread, Postcards from Midlife podcast co-host, Lorraine, encourages others to embrace life, laugh and feel less alone in her new book, What's Wrong with Me?, and Christie, Professor of Medical Humanities at UEA and NHS nurse for over twenty years shares her memoir Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Friends, Sex & Love, reframing the search for meaning in midlife and being a single woman in your 40s.

Joanne Harris OBE will be joining Yard host, Rebecca Fletcher, for an exclusive launch of her latest novel, Broken Light - out on 11th May. Partly inspired by Stephen King's Carrie and written alongside the rise of the #MeToo movement and the murder of Sarah Everhard, Joanne will be discussing her writing life alongside the novel's themes of women's age, rage as well as friendship, healing and forgiveness; of how self-knowledge builds self-worth, and how invisibility is not a sign of irrelevance, but a superpower.

Join Rebecca Fletcher as she chats to Dr Rupy Aujla, NHS doctor and Sunday Times bestselling author (Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1, Eat to Beat Illness, The Doctor’s Kitchen) about supercharging our health, optimising our wellbeing and his latest book, COOKS, a new way to look at healthy eating every day, celebrating ingredients from different cultures and creating dishes big on flavour and low on effort. Described as the ‘medical Jamie Oliver’, Dr Rupy is one of the most influential medical doctors in the UK and best known for his mission to reverse the tidal wave of preventable lifestyle disease, one plate of delicious food at a time. His pioneering approach blends the joy of cooking with the science of food as medicine.

When Sir David Attenborough commented on the 50th anniversary of the iconic 1956 First Overland expedition as 'a journey that I don't think could be made again today', it became an irresistible challenge for award-winning documentary filmmaker, adventurer and historian, Alex Bescoby. Sixty years on and battling rough roads, breakdowns in hostile environments and a constantly leaky roof, Alex set off to recreate the 13,000 mile journey from Singapore to London in the original 'Oxford' Land Rover. Join Rebecca Fletcher as she chats to Alex about his epic recreation of the original trip, now a major documentary series on All 4, channelling Tim Slessor's unstoppable spirit and discovering a world changed for the better - and worse - since the first expedition.