The Gibraltar Tourist Board has announced Rob Henderson and Paul Pettitt as featured speakers for this year’s Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival. Scheduled to run from November 11 to 17, the Literary Festival will host a variety of speakers, including these two notable figures.
Rob Henderson, a self-made author recognized by the New York Times, will present his debut book, ‘Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class,’ a national bestseller in the United States. Henderson’s early life was marked by his experiences in foster homes in Los Angeles and Red Bluff, California. He enlisted in the US Air Force at 17 and subsequently earned a BS in psychology from Yale University, followed by a PhD from the University of Cambridge after receiving the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. His writings have been featured in prominent publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Boston Globe, and he has been a guest on numerous popular podcasts including ‘Honestly with Bari Weiss,’ ‘The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast,’ and ‘Modern Wisdom.’ Henderson’s Substack newsletter boasts a weekly readership of over 60,000 subscribers.
Paul Pettitt, a distinguished Palaeolithic archaeologist with over 25 years of experience, will also be presenting at the festival. His talk, illustrated with PowerPoint presentations, will draw from his extensive research and his book, ‘Homo Sapiens Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins.’ Pettitt will explore the Ice Age existence of Homo sapiens ancestors and provide a comprehensive overview of human biological and behavioral evolution. A Professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Durham University in the UK, Pettitt holds degrees from Birmingham, London, and Cambridge universities. His PhD research at Cambridge focused on Neanderthal behavior in Southwest France. Before joining Durham University, he held various academic positions, including Senior Archaeologist at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Palaeolithic Archaeology at Sheffield University. Pettitt’s research delves into the behavior of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens in Europe, with a particular interest in mortuary practices and the emergence of art. He is currently excavating a campsite of Upper Palaeolithic mammoth hunters in Moldova and investigating the visual psychology behind Palaeolithic art.
The Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival promises to be a captivating event, featuring a diverse range of speakers and topics. The inclusion of Rob Henderson and Paul Pettitt adds significant weight to the festival’s program, ensuring a stimulating and thought-provoking experience for attendees.