Chelmsford Science Festival
October 2024, Anglia Ruskin University
We were delighted to take part in Chelmsford Science Festival again this year. We held eco-printing and traditional ink-making drop-in workshops with Zoe Martin and Selena Chandler as part of the free Family Science Days at ARU Chelmsford. Thank you to all who visited us there!
Essex Book Festival 2024
31st May to 30th June 2024
This year we have been celebrating 25 years of Essex Book Festival and it has been full of joy and surprises. So many highlights to choose from including our launch day at University of Essex with a spectacular community procession of Beach of Dreams silk pennants on to campus; Festival patron, University Chancellor and best-selling author Sarah Perry talking about her highly anticipated new book, Enlightenment; our Listen Up Day at Colchester Samaritans with the Human Library and fascinating author event with Olumide Popoola; creating connections at the very special Essex Writers House with Metal at Chalkwell Hall; loving our local libraries with inspiring authors Bridget Collins, A.K. Blakemore, Louise Doughty, Alan Johnson, Syd Moore and Vaseem Khan; laughing out loud with Helen Lederer; discovering a stunning new venue with Rebecca Smith at Chelmsford Cathedral; appreciating all things ornithology with Mark Cocker, Andrew Millham and Joanna Glen at Hylands House; gaining a new insight into our past at our History Books Day at Layer Marney Tower and enjoying all things crime-writing at our Criminally Good Day in Harwich.
Get a flavour of this year’s festival by taking a look at the photo album.
Stand Up For Diversity: Essex Writers House
June 2024
An evening of 5 x five-minute mini-talks and short soap-box shout-outs that put a spotlight on diversity, writing, words and storytelling.
Hosted in partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project, for this event we teamed up with Metal and Essex Writers House in Southend-on-Sea, bringing together people to champion and celebrate diversity in the arts and in our communities, share the work they do with others, and collectively celebrate strong diverse voices.
Guest speakers:
TriggerBliss: multi-creative, and our compere for the evening
Emma Gibbs De Oliveira: writer, artist and founder of BrazilArte
S Reeson: Neurodivergent poet
Ian Treherne: blind photographer
Lu Williams: artist and founder of Grrrl Zine
Simone Yasmin: writer and spoken word artist
Human Library – unJudge Someone
June 2024, Colchester Samaritans
We were delighted to partner with Colchester Samaritans and Essex Cultural Diversity Project for this very special day of events under the banner Listen Up! This included our Human Library event.
Just like in a real library, a visitor to the Human Library can borrow a book from a range of titles. The difference is that books are PEOPLE, and reading is a CONVERSATION.
Essex Book Festival 2023
1st June – 1st July 2023
Over 100 events took place in over 40 venues across Essex. Jam-packed with author talks and conversations, writing workshops and writers’ slam, photography and art exhibitions, poetry and performances, eco-crafts and mud kitchen, plus so much more. Take a look at the photos from events you attended or see what you missed.
Human Library – unJudge Someone
Saturday 1st July 2023, Chelmsford Library
In partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Essex Libraries
Just like in a real library, a visitor to the Human Library can borrow a book from a range of titles. The difference is that books are People, and reading is a Conversation. Books at our Human Library came from all walks of life, and each had a different story to tell. It was a day of connecting with people we wouldn’t normally meet, and celebrating positive differences in our community.
“Wonderful, thought-provoking, intensely moving”
Visitor to the Human Library
Midsummer Madness 2023
Sunday 25th June 2023, Cressing Temple Barns
What a magical time we had at our Midsummer Madness Family Fun Day at Cressing Temple Barns. From legendary author and performance poet, John Agard and Ensonglopedia’s musical comedy The Puddle at the End of the World to a Mud Kitchen, Forest Skills workshop, Foraging Crafts, creative workshops, eco-crafts and a Comic Art Masterclass plus storytelling galore. Thank you to Nick Ilott for taking photos and capturing the wonder that was Midsummer Madness.
Stand Up for Diversity
Thursday 8th June 2023, Gibberd Gallery Harlow
In partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project
An evening of three-minute mini-talks and soap-box shout-outs to put a spotlight on diversity. For this event Essex Book Festival and Essex Cultural Diversity Project teamed up with Harlow Arts Trust in their 70th anniversary year, to bring people together and champion diversity on the theme of Our Community, Our Environment.
Essex Book Festival 2022
