Gibunco Gibraltar International Literary Festival 2023

He has lectured at the Royal College of Defence Studies, London; the UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham; the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr, Hamburg; the US Military Academy, West Point; the US Naval Academy, Annapolis; and the National Defense University, Washington, DC. Subject to two attempts to cancel him because of his even-handed views of the British Empire, he has been at the forefront of the battle for free speech in British universities and became chairman of the board of the Free Speech Union in early 2020. In 2021 he was appointed C.B.E. for his“services to higher education”.

Biography: A judge on the much-loved TV series The Great British Sewing Bee, Queen of Fashion Esme Young’s passion for sewing and designing was born when she found refuge in her sketchbooks as a child after discovering she was partially deaf.

Moving to London as a teenager her life progressed from living in a squat and studying at Central St Martins to launching Swanky Modes, a cult shop and clothing line with three likeminded women. She went on to design outfits for films including Trainspotting, Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach, has altered a dress for Cher and watched the Notting Hill Carnival with David Bowie.

She has now moved onto the small screen herself as a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee working with presenters Claudia Winkelman, Joe Lycett and Sara Pascoe. As well as designing and judging, Esme also works as a senior lecturer teaching fashion at Central Saint Martins.

More speakers are to be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets will go on sale on 1st October 2023 on Buytickets.gi and via the Box Office at the Garrison Library.

Book Title: Horrible Histories: The Worst in the World

Biography: Martin Brown is best known for being the illustrator of the phenomenally successful Horrible Histories series, now celebrating its 30th anniversary year with, Horrible Histories: The Worst in the World. Selling more than 35 million copies, the series has been adapted to become award- winning stage and TV shows, exhibitions, games and a movie. However, Martin is also the writer and illustrator of Lesser Spotted Animals and Lesser Spotted Animals 2 - fun non-fiction books about some of the world’s more unfamiliar wildlife. And Martin’s second Nell and the Cave Bear book, The Journey Home, came out in March.

Martin was born in Melbourne, Australia, but has lived in England for nearly 40 years. He lives with his with family in a sleepy rural village in Dorset. A great believer in ‘drawing is for everyone’, Martin inspires children (and their parents) to pick up a pencil and have a go.