“Nothing beats the joy of being truly seen.”

We are hugely proud to have played a tiny part in this story…

In an exclusive article with Thread Books, Florence Ọlájídé writes about her experience following the release of her book, Coconut:

“I spent the four months from March to July 2020 in lockdown, scurrying away at my computer, determined to make the most of the opportunity that the enforced captivity provided. My goal: to finish the memoir I started fifteen years earlier… I finished the book and Thread offered me a publishing deal. From that moment, my world changed in ways that I could not have foreseen.”

Florence describes the unique bonds created with people impacted by her book, including Sade Fadipe who hosted an event with Florence at Basildon Library in June 2022 as part of Essex Book Festival.

Read the full article, The Farmed, at thread-books.com

The post The Farmed by Florence Ọlájídé appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

For example, how can we reasonably choose between Victoria Shepherd talking about her fabulous debut book A History of Delusions: The Glass King, A Substitute Husband, and A Walking Corpse at Maldon Library, and The Guardian’s hilariously funny, outrageously acerbic political satirist John Crace taking Westminster to task in his latest book A Farewell To Calm: How To Survive The New Normal? An ongoing dilemma in Festival HQ.

The same applies for Maggie Gee who will be talking about her book The Red Children at Brentwood Library at exactly the same time that writer Nick Higham will be sharing insights into his fascinating book The Mercenary River – a tale of greed, complacency, high finance and low politics – at Grays Library, and Sunday Times Bestseller Anna Whitehouse of ‘Mother Pukka’ fame talking about her explosive debut novel: Underbelly at Anglia Ruskin University. Don’t know about you but we’re down to drawing straws this end…

See you very soon!

Greenwood Words – Burnham-on-Crouch

We’re really excited to be heading to Burnham-on-Crouch on 2nd June for our bumper one-day event Greenwood Words: part of our Jubilee celebrations, including performances by leading East Anglian storytellers Glenys Newton and Marion Campion who will be channelling King Canute, Neptune and The Green Man amongst others, a host of free family arts and crafts workshops all focusing on The Natural World, plus a plethora of pop-up writing desks dotted around town waiting to be scribbled at.

One thing not to be missed is William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul.

Come along to this unique event to hear William, publisher, philanthropist and founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry speak about how poetry has been such an obvious source of inspiration and comfort during the pandemic, and beyond that, his ‘live prescriptions’ and poem suggestions for the audience, their friends and loved ones.

In the words of Stephen Fry:

“Here is balm for the soul, fire for the belly, an arm around the lonely shoulder, a matchless compound of hug, tonic and kiss.”

Stephen Fry

Find out more about The Poetry Pharmacy

The Human Library – Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover
Mercury Theatre – 11th June

What is The Human Library? Just like a real library, visitors to The Human Library can borrow a book from a range of titles. The difference is that the books are People, and reading is a Conversation. Books in our Human Library come from all walks of life, and each has a different story to tell.

Come along, connect with people you wouldn’t normally meet, and help us celebrate positive differences in our community.

Find out more about The Human Library

The post Less than 4 weeks to go… appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

The festival will be running from 1-30th June in 40 venues across Essex involving over 200 artists and writers.

We are launching the festival at the wonderful refurbished Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich on 1st June where we will be welcoming award-winning poet Blake Morrison and our favourite East Anglian Ceilidh band The Hosepipe Band to perform Shingle Street & Other East Anglian Poems.

Other highlights include Radio 4’s Today Programme presenter Justin Webb, who will be talking about his memoir The Gift of a Radio: My Childhood and Other Train Wrecks at Hylands House as part of our special one-day The Pleasure Garden event on 19th June.

Patrick Gale will be chatting at Chelmsford Library, likewise Maggie Gee at Brentwood Library. We have the Guardian columnist John Crace providing insights into the state of affairs at Westminster, while award-winning stand-up comic Rosie Wilby will be guiding us through her hilarious book The Break Up Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak in the excellent company of writer Syd Moore at Anglia Ruskin University. You don’t want to miss this.

In fact you don’t want to miss anything this June. You particularly don’t want to miss us launching into Space with the Essex Steamettes, a group of young female coders (9-19 years) based in South Essex who will be running free coding workshops at Hyland House, and the Midnight Robber, the giant skeleton puppet which will be let loose at our Criminally Good Day hosted at High House Production Park, Purfleet-on-Thames on 11th June. Fun is the order of the month.

Get ready to start booking your tickets on 5th April, and in the meantime see below for a few early events which you can already book…

Essex Writers House

Thanks to the blood, sweat and brilliance of our partner, Metal, Chalkwell Hall has once again metamorphosed into the Pop-Up-Writers House, this time for the whole month of April.

If you are a budding writer, or are simply seeking the inspiration and space to get started on that long overdue novel, the Essex Writers House is made for you.

To find out what’s on the menu go to essexwritershouse.com

See you there!

In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex

Another one with a bit of a ‘head start’ on the rest of the festival programme is our special series: In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex.

We will be putting our best foot forward on 21st May with architect Emma Twine who will be taking walkers on a tour of the iconic Bata Estate, starting at East Tilbury Library and ending on Tilbury Marshes.

To be swiftly followed by a walk through Epping Forest on 28th May with poet Robert Hamberger. Robert will be retracing the steps of ‘Peasant Poet’ John Clare, an inmate at High Beach Asylum for several years before finally escaping and walking home to his family in Cambridgeshire.

Other Radical Walks include travel writer and walking aficionado Peter Aylmer who will be leading people on a tour of Harlow’s Sculpture Trail and more, followed by artist Elsa James who will teaming up with writer Syd Moore for a fascinating walk in the footsteps of the Witchfinder General and others.

We have limited spaces for these events so get in quick to avoid disappointment. Tickets are on sale now at essexbookfestival.org.uk

Stand Up For Diversity

Date and time: Thursday 14th April, 7.00pm

Venue: Metal at Chalkwell Hall, Chalkwell Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS0 8NB

Tickets: Free, booking advised

All are invited to an evening of three-minute mini-talks, short soap-box shout-outs that put a spotlight on diversity, writing, words and storytelling.

Hosted in partnership by Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Essex Book Festival, for this event we have teamed up with Metal and their Essex Writers House.

The event will bring together people who want 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.

Free, food and refreshments provided.

Booking essential – let us know you’re coming by registering here at Eventbrite.

In partnership with EA Festival

We’re proud to announce our continuing partnership with EA Festival this year. One of the highlights of Essex Book Festival is our co-produced event with Maggi Hambling and James Cahill on 12th June.

EA Festival is a multidisciplinary festival taking place over the weekend of 11/12 June at Hedingham Castle.
Their line-up includes Paul McKenna, Luke Wright, Bessie Turner, Hugh Johnson and many others.

Visit eafestival.com to see their full programme.

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