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UK Book Launch

It’s still a couple of months until my book will be published in the UK (July 17th), but Biteback have decided on this beautiful design for the cover of the UK edition and the lovely people at the British Humanist Association have organised an event to launch the book with A.C. Grayling, Samira Ahmed, Robin Ince and Adam Rutherford all kindly giving up their time to speak. The launch event will take place at Conway Hall in London on 10th July and is open to the public. Tickets can be… Read more UK Book Launch

World Book Night

It’s Shakespeare’s Birthday today, a date which has been chosen by the organisers of World Book Night for “a celebration of reading and books which sees tens of thousands of passionate volunteers gift books in their communities to share their love of reading”. The project is not just about celebrating reading but about reaching out to those who “have never discovered the value or pleasure of reading”. The video below is one of a series of “Lessons from the Young Atheist’s Handbook” I intended to release around the time of… Read more World Book Night

Revision Videos

It’s the Easter holidays and I’m hoping my A-level students are using at least some of the time to revise. I’ve been sending them regular emails reminding them to study and including useful web links when I find them. I’ve recently come across a whole series of A-level Physics Revision Videos on YouTube as well as a single 15 minute video that claims to cover all the electricity in the AS syllabus for the AQA course. I’m impressed by the guys who made these videos – the videos are clear… Read more Revision Videos

The Use of Demonstrations in Science Teaching

A couple of weeks ago, I took part in a live recording of the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast which was also filmed for the Royal Institution’s Ri Channel. My friend and former teacher Dr Michael de Podesta has written a kind of review of the podcast which prompted me to put up this blog post in which I want to share some notes I made on doing science demonstrations as part of my work as a Nuffield Education Fellow last year: Demonstrations, like whole class practicals, are an “activity which… Read more The Use of Demonstrations in Science Teaching

Teaching Notes

My lovely friend (and award-winning teacher) Kylie Sturgess has kindly written some teaching notes for The Young Atheist’s Handbook, which you can download at the end of this post. In Kylie’s own words: As both a teacher and a writer, I’m often asked by friends and readers to recommend books that will help them learn more about atheism. People seem to be particularly keen on books that talk directly about the challenges that people growing up in religious communities face – especially if they are stories which question the traditions… Read more Teaching Notes

I cannot write

It’s been nearly six months since I finished my book and I haven’t really been able to write since. I’ve sat down many a time at my desk and found the tap that had flowed so gushingly last summer, blocked and barely dripping. I’ve spent the last couple of days surrounded by other writers and I have been inspired by them and their stories. I have felt driven to write, yet I find I cannot. I cannot write of Holly and Michael, kindred spirits I have encountered far from home,… Read more I cannot write

And so it begins…

A friend of mine I spoke to on the phone last night pointed out that this time next week, I will be a published author. My book will be in shops and people I’ve never met before will be able to read what is ultimately an incredibly personal story. A book that started out as a straightforward factual “handbook” for people new to atheism has, for what I now think are very good reasons, ended up as a personal narrative of how and why I came to reject the religion… Read more And so it begins…