- 31 May -30 June 2024
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Essex Book Festival Launch: Billy Bragg
We are delighted to welcome singer, songwriter and activist Billy Bragg to launch Essex Book Festival 2018. Against a backdrop of Cold War politics, rock and roll riots and a newly assertive working-class youth, Billy charts the history, impact and legacy of Britain's original pop movement, and how Skiffle changed the world. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Ancient Wonderings: James Canton
James Canton travels the length of Britain in a quest to discover the wonders of our natural history that occupied ancient minds, seeking the remnants left by our ancestors and weaving a beautiful tale of discovery along the way. Read more
- For Writers
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
Novel Writing for Beginners: Harriet Paige
Harriet Paige, whose debut novel 'Man with a Seagull on his Head' was shortlisted for The Guardian's Not the Booker Award, guides you through the process of crafting your first novel, with practical tips on creating characters, scene setting, structuring the plot and submitting your manuscript to agents and publishers. Read more
- Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Strange Sight: Syd Moore
The second in the Essex Witch Museum Mysteries follows the La Fleur restaurant, which has a slew of unusual phenomena. Bonnet-clad apparitions pass through walls, blood leaks from ceilings and rats besiege the dining room. Will Rosie Strange be able to solve the mystery? Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Dorothy L Sayers Lecture: Tony Medawar
The Golden Age is experiencing a resurgence with many great titles and some not-so-great ones back in print. Tony Medawar, writer and fan, takes us on an entertaining sight-seeing tour of the genre, encompassing giants like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Read more
- Discussion
- SOLD OUT!
Witches, WAGs and Wide Boys
A fascinating, interactive day of discussion examines the role of place, gender and class in the Essex stereotype and what it is to 'be' Essex. The event brings together various people academics and authors, including Essex Book Festival writer-in-residence Syd Moore and Festival Director Ros Green. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
What’s Next? Jim Al-Khalili
Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE is a physicist, author and broadcaster, and host of Radio 4’s The Life Scientific. In What’s Next? he brings together the writings of eighteen top scientists and experts who explore what’s in store for the human race. Read more
- Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
The Keeper of Lost Things: Ruth Hogan
Aging author Anthony Peardew has spent his life collecting misplaced items. When he dies his assistant Laura is left to fulfill his final wish of reuniting the objects with their rightful owners. An enchanting debut novel from self-confessed ‘magpie’ Ruth Hogan about loss, second chances and endless possibilities. Read more
- SOLD OUT!
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Christy Lefteri will speak about her experiences in refugee camps and the simple steps we can all take to encourage hope for those who need it most. Read more
- Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
The Forgotten Wife
Emma Robinson is the author of five novels about motherhood and friendship and writes the humorous blog Motherhood For Slackers. Emma will share her own journey to publication as well as reading from her latest novel The Forgotten Wife – a heart-breaking family drama with a stunning twist. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Threads of Life – A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
An eloquent history of the language of sewing over centuries and across continents. Clare Hunter's Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we all have to tell our story. Read more
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
- Young Essex
Printing and Illustration Workshop – Manifesto For Essex
Join resident artist Tom Armstrong and Lee Thomas for a children’s printing and illustration extravaganza as part of our Manifesto For Essex activities and hosted in partnership with Colchester’s Extinction Rebellion. Ages 11-16. Read more
- For Writers
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
Wild Writing Workshop
Join James Canton for a workshop which delves into the nature that exists in the cracks between our human constructs, in the wilds just a few feet from our doors. Work with words, reframe your view of how you see the wild, and become mindful of the living landscapes that exist around us. Read more
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
- Young Essex
Printing and Illustration Workshop – Manifesto For Essex
Join resident artist Tom Armstrong and Lee Thomas for a children’s printing and illustration extravaganza as part of our Manifesto For Essex activities and hosted in partnership with Colchester’s Extinction Rebellion. Ages 5 and up. Read more
- Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Bone China
Join award-winning author, Laura Purcell, to hear about her latest spine-tinglingly eerie book, Bone China. It’s a Daphne du Maurier-esque chilling tale set on the mysterious Cornish coast. Menacing and macabre…you may want to bring somebody to hold your hand. Read more
- CANCELLED
- SOLD OUT!
Dorothy L Sayers Society Lecture: The Female of the Species: Key Women Crime Writers from Sayers and Highsmith to the Present
This event has been cancelled. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. If you have a ticket for this event the Box Office will be in touch about next steps. Read more
- For Writers
- Online
- SOLD OUT!
Re-Writing the Archive – An Online Writing Workshop
Taking your inspiration from specific objects picked from Colchester Museum archives, you will work with bestselling novelist, Syd Moore, to devise a unique piece of creative writing during this online workshop. Read more
- Essex Writers House
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Radical Marshes – Wat Tyler Country
Tom King has an unsurpassed knowledge and passion for walking the Thames Estuary coastline. On this outing Tom takes us across the radical marshes into Wat Tyler country, leading us to where The Peasants Revolt began, through the lowlands and across the marshes to the White Lion Pub in Fobbing (which is thought to be haunted by previous occupants) for some respite. Meeting 11am Pitsea Station Length: up to 4/5 Hours Difficulty: Flat terrain but mixture of footing Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Witch Trail – Manningtree to Mistley
Syd Moore leads a guided walk from Manningtree to Mistley the setting for one of the biggest witch hysteria’s the county has ever seen, and which are mentioned in several of her books. The walk promises a discussion about witchfinder general and associates and their motivations, and a commemoration to some who the lost their lives. The walk brings the villages to life, where the participants are transformed back to the time of the witch trials. Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Outside
- SOLD OUT!
Ancient Oaks and the Roundheads
Trees operate at a different pace to humans. When the Honywood Oak was a mere sapling, the Magna Carta was signed, 400 years on Parliamentarian soldiers gathered beneath its boughs before marching to join the siege of Colchester in 1648. Join James Canton, author of The Oak Papers, under the book’s massive chief protagonist, the Honywood Oak, before exploring the fascinating grounds of Marks Hall Estate in Coggeshall. Tickets: Walk £8 / £5 Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
Writing the Wild Workshop
James Canton is a writer and lecturer who has written widely in creative non- fiction forms and taught on the MA in Wild Writing at the University of Essex since its inception in 2009, exploring the fascinating ties between the literature and landscape of East Anglia. Join James for a workshop which delves into the nature that exists in the cracks between our human constructs, in the wilds just a few feet from our doors. Tickets : £20 / £15… Read more
- Flash Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
The Story Hunters – Jaywick Martello Tower
In tandem with our Story Hunters Flash Fiction Competition we are hosting a series of four writing workshops in four of the designated Story Hunter sites: Jaywick Martello Tower, Cressing Temple Barns, Danbury Park, and Hadleigh County Park. Each writing workshop will include a guided tour followed by a 2 hour short fiction workshop Join novelist AK Blakemore, author of The Manningtree Witches, on a tour of Jaywick Martello Tower, followed by a 2-hour Writing the Place Workshop. Suitable 14+… Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
How Spies Think; Ten lessons in Intelligence
Recounting the lessons learned from a career at the very top of the espionage tree, former GCHQ director David Omand demonstrates how the techniques employed by spies can prove hugely beneficial when tackling crises in everyday life. Join David at Shenfield Library to learn the methodology used by the British intelligence agencies to reach judgements, establish the right level of confidence and act decisively. “An invaluable guide to avoiding self-deception and fake news” - Melanie Phillips, The Times Tickets: Box… Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Outside
- SOLD OUT!
No Matter How Many Skies Have Fallen: a rural community in time of war
Join writer Ken Worpole in a walk from Wivenhoe Station to Frating Hall Farm, the subject of his new book, No Matter How Many Skies Have Fallen. This tells the story of how a group of Christian socialists and pacifists took over the farm in 1942 and created a thriving community. The walk finishes at the farm, where some of those who grew up there will recall those heady days. Meet: Wivenhoe Station Length: 4 miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate… Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- SOLD OUT!
Destination St. Peters
Author of Excellent Essex, Gillian Darley’s walk offers a day’s immersion in the strange, remote Dengie peninsula, with a very compelling destination: the tiny 7th century church of St Peter-on-the-Wall which sits on the foundations of Othona Roman fort. Salt marshes, cockle beds, birds and ships combine to make up the landscape, but it’s the resonance of history that will make the day memorable. Meet : Tillingham - TBC Length : 8 Miles ( 4 miles each way) or 1.5… Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
- Outside
- SOLD OUT!
In John Clare’s Boots: The Poet in Epping Forest – In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex – SOLD OUT!
Join the poet Robert Hamberger to follow in the footsteps of the ‘peasant poet' John Clare in Epping Forest Read more
- FREE
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT – Britain’s Living Seas
Marine biologist Hannah Rudd presents an alternative and sustainable future for the management of our seas. Discover the incredible diversity of life within our oceans and learn how we can all play a role in protecting and conserving it. Read more
- For Writers
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT – In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex and Writing Workshop – Boot Sale Harvest
Join author, poet and songwriter, Adrian May, for a stroll around Colchester Car Boot Sale and buy an unexpected item of your choice then use the object as inspiration for your writing at a workshop at Cuckoo Farm Studios. Read more
- In Conversation
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT – The Seaside
Journeying clockwise around England from Scarborough to Morecambe, The Seaside is Madeleine Bunting’s exploration of England’s great seaside resorts to understand their origins and their heyday, their ongoing influence, and their current struggle. Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- SOLD OUT!
In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex, Bradwell – Sold Out
Flat circular walk along the seawalls, footpaths and rural roads of Bradwell on Sea. Learn about the area’s history and changing landscape, from Roman occupation, through Saxon missionary activity, agriculture and land reclamation, and military activities, to the construction and operation of Bradwell A. Read more
- Radical Pilgrimage
- Discussion
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT – Saffron Coffee Morning (Literary Salon) – Part of Radical Pilgrimage: The Saffron Trail
Join artist, writer, wild-crafter and Radical Pilgrim Lora Aziz, Festival Director Ros Green and storyteller Glenys Newton for a morning of saffron-inspired coffee, cake and discussion. Read more
- FREE
- Midsummer Madness
- Performance
- SOLD OUT!
- Young Essex
SOLD OUT – The Puddle at the End of the World
Ensonglopedia’s brand new musical comedy. Weird weather! Extraordinary extinctions! Freaky flooding! Water we going to do?! Join Jamie and her Nanna on an exhilarating adventure to rebuild their lives and stop climate change. Read more
- Manifesto For Essex
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
SOLD OUT – Comic Art Masterclass for ages 7+
Comic Art Masterclass with Kev F Sutherland who writes and draws for Beano, Doctor Who and Marvel comics, and makes graphic novels adapted from Shakespeare. Learn everything he knows, so you could leave school and steal his job! Read more
- Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Sold Out! – Foxash
With an unsettling sense of place, Kate Worsley's latest book, Foxash, is a deeply original story of quiet and powerful menace, of the real hardships of rural life, and the myths and folklore that seep into ordinary lives – with surprising consequences. Read more
- For Writers
- FREE
- Partner Event
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT!! Writing Landscapes Workshop
Authors Samuel Fisher and Justin Hopper are hosting a writing workshop at Wivenhoe Library where participants will be invited to think of the places they cherish and find ways to translate those landscapes into words. Read more
- LAUNCH EVENT
- For Writers
- FREE
- SOLD OUT!
- Workshop
Beach of Dreams 25 Launch and Creative Writing Workshop
Come along and meet the Kinetika team, our flag-makers/bearers, and find out how you and/or an organisation you belong to, can get involved in the epic new nationwide Beach of Dreams 25 project. Then, take part in a special Beach of Dreams creative writing workshop led by Dr James Canton, and the Wild Writing team based in the Centre for Creative Writing at the University of Essex. Read more
- Historical Fiction
- SOLD OUT!
The Silence Factory – Sold Out
From Bridget Collins, author of breakout sensation, number 1 bestseller and bookseller favourite The Binding, comes an inventive, spellbinding blend of speculative and historical fiction. The Silence Factory is a story of complicity, desire and corruption - a novel to lose yourself in. Read more
- Restless Brilliance
- Guided Walk
- FREE
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Partner Event
- SOLD OUT!
A Walk in J.A. Baker Country – Sold Out
Join us for a walk through ‘Baker Country’ visiting sites listed in J.A. Baker’s diaries and identified in his seminal work The Peregrine (1967). Read more
- FREE
- Midsummer Madness
- Performance
- SOLD OUT!
- Young Essex
Fully Booked – Asha + The Troll
Asha + The Troll is a theatre performance for 5-8 year olds in which storytellers unfold a world of forests, friendship, puppetry, percussion, and… trolls! Follow Asha as she meets an unlikely friend and learns to love their differences. Read more
- History
- SOLD OUT!
Sold Out – Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials
This book explores the history of witchcraft and witch hunts through the stories of the victims, stories which have too often been overshadowed by those of the powerful men, such as King James VI and I and “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins, who hounded them. Marion Gibson will be in conversation with Syd Moore, author of The Essex Witch Museum Mysteries series. Read more