Can Caesarean birth also be magical? Mystical? Awe-inspiring?
Join journalist and author Hannah Marsh as she presents her groundbreaking work Thread, a revisionist history that challenges our perceptions of Caesarean birth while knotting together medicine, mythology, and deeply personal experiences.
The words 'Caesarean Section,' are powerful. They conjure up strong emotions. For some, feelings of doubt, shame and judgement. For others a sense of safety, relief, validation and reassurance. But they are rarely spoken of in the ecstatic tones with which we celebrate so-called natural, or vaginal birth. They are rarely called beautiful or associated with an innate sense of feminine power.
In conversation with India Rakusen, Hannah will blend the medical with the mystical, charting the development of a now common procedure that was once a dance between life and death. With a journalist's tenacity and an eye for forgotten stories, she will weave together historical accounts, contemporary experiences, and her own journey following a traumatic C-section in 2017 that led to PTSD, and eventually, to healing through her research.
Join us for an eye-opening conversation about birth, medical misogyny, and reclaiming narratives around women's bodies. Through unflinching yet deeply empathetic discussion, Hannah will invite us to see Caesarean birth not as a "failure" but as part of a rich tapestry of human experience that deserves its own celebration.

The ‘stream and book’ package includes a unique ticket for the stream, and a copy of Thread (RRP £20) deliverable to any UK or international address.
The event will initially be broadcast on 19 June at 6.30pm UK time. It will be available to view up to two weeks after the event has ended and can be accessed Worldwide. If you live in a time zone that does not suit the initial broadcast time you can watch it at any point after the initial showing for two weeks.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].