Human Condition

In this episode, the Takhayyul Project welcomes Adnan Khan, an acclaimed Canadian writer, editor, photographer, and visual storyteller. We discuss Adnan's recent work chronicling how the global trade in plastic waste has exploited some of the most vulnerable communities, such as refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Istanbul, and of the importance in bringing empathy and depth to similar stories that often go untold.

Date of episode recording: 2025-11-09T00:00:00Z
Duration: 39.18
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın.
Guests: Adnan Khan
Producer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın; edited by Alexander Pymm

Transcription link: https://www.takhayyulproject.com/s/Imagining-Turkey-w_-Adnan-Khan.docx

Imagining Wastelands: Turkey's Waste and Recycling Policy at the Periphery with Adnan Khan

LeandroMoura - SON7  [Original Mix]

A bold and authentic reimagining of The Winter’s Tale full of tragedy, triumph, and forbidden romance—perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Kathleen Glasgow, and Sarah Dessen.

Pia and her brother, Max, live on an isolated farm in rural Maine, and it’s the only life they remember. Their father says the only way for them to stay protected is to stay on the farm. Pia doesn’t question it. Pia’s entire world turns upside down when her father breaks his leg, and she must be the one to venture into town to make farm deliveries. And then she sees him. Felix, a boy who is both a stranger and somehow familiar, makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself, her past, and her family. But no matter how she feels about Felix, she must always obey her father, above all else.

But Pia’s feelings are too big to ignore, and the more she engages with Felix, the more she begins to see that there’s promise for her beyond the isolated world to which she’s grown accustomed. And the more she dreams about a better life, the more she wonders if her father is telling the truth about their family’s past. Pia knows her father and his friend Anthony are hiding something, and soon Pia must reckon with the damage her father is doing to their community and the damage he has done to their own lives.

Winter White is an astonishingly told and searingly authentic reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Kathleen Glasgow, and Sarah Dessen.

Winter White by Annie Cardi Read by Khristine Hvam

THE SMALLEST SPARK CAN GROW INTO A FIRE.
When Prince Joseph broke off his engagement to Brigitte, her life was shattered—but meeting Yuri helped her start putting it together again. The two may have started off as rivals, yet the more she learns about him, the more she’s come to appreciate him…Unfortunately, Joseph is ready to turn everything upside down again, suddenly attempting to reinstate their engagement. Brigitte is far from eager to go back, but her relationship with Yuri is getting complicated. Not only that, but it seems her weak, no-name spirit might be something else entirely…!

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love, Vol. 2 by Harunadon, Read by Katharine Chin

Lira, a Polish girl who lost her parents during the Great War, now lives in a mansion with an immortal being known only as the Count. After witnessing the tragedies occurring across Europe along with Joerg, a German soldier who serves as her guard, she resolves to use the Count's powers in a desperate bid to protect her homeland. Meanwhile, Joerg must make a choice of his own, with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance. Conflict after conflict, humanity's history and deeds are filled with an endearing foolishness.

Lila and the Winds of War by Sayuri Ueda Read by Ray Greenley

*NOW A NETFLIX SERIES*

In this spine-tingling next book of the Lockwood & Co series, the ghost-hunting gang take on terrifying new challenges.

As a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. There is a new spirit of openness in the team now that Lockwood has shared some of his childhood secrets, and Lucy is feeling more and more as if her true home is at Portland Row. It comes as a great shock, then, when Lockwood and George introduce her to an annoyingly perky and hyper-efficient new assistant, Holly Munro.

Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.’s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. Can the team get past their personal issues to save the day on all fronts, or will bad feelings attract yet more trouble?

Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

Praise for The Screaming Staircase

“This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you’ll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your ‘need to read’ list!” — Rick Riordan

“A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they’d rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies.” — Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal

“Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments).” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Whispering Skull

“An occult portal and its spectral guardian nearly cut short the careers of three rising young ghost hunters in this madcap sequel to The Screaming Staircase (2013). For all their internecine squabbling, the three protagonists make a redoubtable team-and their supporting cast, led by the sneering titular skull in a jar, adds color and complications aplenty. Rousing adventures for young tomb robbers and delves into realms better left to the dead.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Stroud writes with a fine ear for dialog, a wry sense of humor, and a knack for describing haunted places. Creating tension that ebbs and flows, he slowly builds the dramatic narrative to a resounding crescendo, and he makes the quieter scenes that follow just as compelling.” — Booklist (starred review)

Lockwood & Co.: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud Read by Emily Bevan

OVER 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD OF THE BESTSELLNG SERIES!

In this second installment in the witty, thrilling New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus trilogy, the adventures of a boy and his not-so-tame djinni continue. Perfect for fans of Artemis Fowl and Amari and the Night Brothers. 

Young apprentice magician Nathaniel is working his way up the ranks of the government, when crisis hits in the form of a seemingly invulnerable clay golem making random attacks on London. Nathaniel and the all-powerful, totally irreverent djinni, Bartimaeus, must travel to Prague to discover the source of the golem’s power.
 
In the ensuing chaos, readers will chase a dancing skeleton across London’s skyline, encounter the horror of the dreaded Night Police, witness a daring kidnapping, and enter the Machiavellian world of the magician’s government. Eventually, Nathaniel and Bartimaeus have to go head to head with the fearsome golem before the surprise identity of his master is finally revealed.
 
This extraordinary, funny, pitch-perfect thriller from the author of the Lockwood & Co. series will dazzle the myriad fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy and is on the fast track to becoming a classic.

★ “A must-purchase for all fantasy collections.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Read the entire Bartimaeus Sequence series:
The Amulet of Samarkand
The Golem’s Eye
Ptolemy’s Gate
The Ring of Solomon
 
For another thrilling adventure from Jonathan Stroud, don’t miss the Lockwood & Co series.

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud read by Simon Jones

Despite mine closures and talk of phasing out, global coal usage is at an all-time high, with countries like the UK still importing coal for key industries. Dr Andrew Seaton, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in History, joins Professor Philip Schofield to discuss how coal never truly disappeared but evolved in form and influence. From Britain's re-importation of coal to global surges in consumption, Dr Seaton challenges the idea of a clean energy transition, and uncovers coal’s deep ties to industry, health, inequality, and the climate.


Date of episode recording: 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Dr Andrew Seaton
Producer:  Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL)

Transcription link: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/ucylaem_ucl_ac_uk/ESY-yPbC7wJAsD5EGLcfFSoB3Ozb3iq-QB5bhEQBTX3q6g?e=JdZ8Yq

Season 3, Episode 1 - The End of Coal, featuring Dr Andrew Seaton

*NOW A NETFLIX SERIES*

In this spine-tingling next book of the Lockwood & Co series, the ghost-hunting gang take on terrifying new challenges.

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn’t made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood’s investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George’s curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood’s annoyance. Bickerstaff’s coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.

Praise for The Screaming Staircase:

“This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you’ll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your ‘need to read’ list!” — Rick Riordan

“A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they’d rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies.” — Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal

“Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments).” — Publishers Weekly

“A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.” — Kirkus Reviews

Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud Read by Katie Lyons

Baptised in a torrent of renegade frequency, Persona Non Gratis exploded out of West London at the beginning of the 90’s. As the first wave of electronic hardware booted the doors of possibility off the hinges, he and his partner formed Persons Unknown, one of the most influential live acts at the genesis of the rave scene. As warehouses and festivals throbbed to a euphoric new groove, Persons Unknown pushed the envelope of live, improvised performance, blazing a trail into the mesmerising new world of jamming hardware.

Triggering wave after wave of sonic electricity at Spiral Tribe and Bedlam parties, Persona Non Gratis played a key role in Spiral Tribe’s musical development and influenced a whole new generation of musicians as he burned memory after memory into the cold steel of post industrial London
.
Raw, volatile and shot through with the timeless warmth of pure soul, Person Non Gratis is bang on the case to this day, throwing up tune after tune and liveset after liveset from his West London bunker. A true pioneer, a true original and a true innovator - keep it locked....

Human Condition

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