Seed Talks Reviews 

Despite admitting at the start of the show that she was ill, Dr Joan Passey was an absolute star - so funny and ludicrously knowledgeable. To speak so fluently and intelligently even through some big questions in the Q&A, bringing in different texts from across eras, was astounding. Another great seed talk from this astonishing presenter, who is simply too good to be limited to lecture halls. TV show next please!

Really interesting talk! dr. Joan was so knowledgeable, funny, and delivered information in a gripping and entertaining way. This was my first seedtalks zoom session and I'll definitely be looking at joining others.

This was an excellent talk by an expert in her field. It was engaging, informative, at times humourous and full of extremely interesting historical facts.

I've just completed Prof. Diane Purkiss’ short course on the history of witchcraft, and I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone interested in witches—particularly those keen to explore the subject across the UK, Europe, and North America.

Prof Purkiss delivers a remarkably wide-ranging historical and archaeological tour that spans from the ancient world to the present day. What struck me most was how she balances breadth with depth; the details are absolutely fascinating, whether you're examining the trials in England and Scotland or encountering surprising revisionist perspectives on Salem. The course doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable or the complicated, and that's precisely what makes it so worthwhile.

One of the highlights for me was the thoughtful coverage of male witches—a dimension of the subject that often gets overlooked. Prof Purkiss handles this with nuance and rich evidence. I was also genuinely enlightened by her exploration of the connections between witchcraft accusations, queerness, and how the peoples in this period dealt with gender roles. The way she frames witches as figures of "otherness" in their historical context opened up new ways of thinking about these trials.

The course is also wonderfully accessible in format: having a live session in my time zone as I’m not currently in the UK, meant I could enjoy it as a lovely Sunday evening treat, adding to the overall experience.

Whether you're a casual enthusiast or a serious student of history, this course is absolutely worth your time.

Great lecture. Time flew! Really knowledgeable hosts and unique topics covered frequently! Will be attending more!

Witty, informative, entertaining! Loved it, and I want part 2!

I love Seed Talks ,having attended a number of them over the past couple of years . Always interesting and thought provoking ,this talk was no exception . A brilliant evening with a funny ,interesting and engaging speaker .I'm already looking forward to whatever surprises Seed Talk are planning for us next .

Wonderful evening with a warm atmosphere and charged buzz of anticipation, plus pint in hand and fascinating talk delivered with passion.
Really enjoyable experience.

Diane was a brilliant speaker. She had endless knowledge that followed a coherent and humorous flow, which both made me feel entertained and interested all throughout. I did not want the talk to end.

This was an engaging, interactive and absolutely fascinating talk. Brilliant and very experienced speaker, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk.

Such a wonderfully interesting topic, delivered excellently. Venue was really nice too

It was the first time I'd been to a theatre talk like this - and I found it enthralling. The talk was about the history or mermaids and other water spirits - a fascinating topic brilliantly explained by speaker Natalie Lawrence, with great images on screen throughout and so many thoughtful ideas, theories and nuggets of information thrown our way. I think the audience loved it

This was just the best talk - thought provoking, full of information and insight but also great fun.
It was well advertised, easy to book on and at a good venue. I really enjoyed it and will be looking out for more by Billie Gavurin and other seed talks

Was a fascinating and informative talk and really enjoyed it. And enjoyed talking about it afterwards as thought provoking.
Thanks

I attended The Art History of Studio Ghibli and it was ENTHRALLING. Helen McCarthy was an incredibly knowledgeable speaker. She brought minutely detailed and amazingly deep knowledge to the room, driven by a passion for her subject evident in everything she said. She was warm and friendly and answered questions after too. Fantastic all round.

These talks are just thing we need to keep my mind curious and sharp, but in the softest way possible. Everyone was so spirited! After leaving education years ago, this was a fun way to get back into absorbing new info. Such a great way to learn and connect.

Really engaging talk from a subject matter expert whose passion for the topic never strays into the realms of unclear or over-ambitious thinking. The parallels with art history and the study of the Studio Ghibli realm is magnificent and absorbing.

This was a fascinating talk by an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining speaker. A great balance between academic content and folklore delivered with humour and passion.

The lecturer was really passionate and explained all the topics really well, was super easy to follow and learned quite a bit!

I'm a speaker for Seed Talks, and what they do best for me is to deliver the most amazing audiences - people who are interested, engaged and ready to have a good time in good company while learning something new. Does't matter if they find new knowledge or a new angle on something they already know - Seed Talks brings out the explorer in people.