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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Essex Book Festival - ECPv4.0.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Essex Book Festival
X-ORIGINAL-URL:http://35.176.91.154
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Essex Book Festival
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260528T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260528T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090004
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T095001
UID:11236-1779994800-1779998400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Launch Event
DESCRIPTION:Launch Event: Jonathan Wilson in conversation with Simon Kuper\nThe Power and the Glory / World Cup Fever\nThursday 28 May\, 7.00pm\nColchester United JobServe Community Stadium\, United Way\, Colchester\, CO4 5UP\nAhead of the FIFA World Cup 2026\, we are thrilled to be launching this year’s Essex Book Festival at Colchester Community Stadium with two masters of football writing.\n\nAuthor\, sports journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Wilson’s The Power and the Glory is the definitive history of the World Cup\, for the first time exploring the tournament’s socio-political impact across the globe as well as the goals and scandals that keep us all gripped.\n\nAward-winning columnist and podcaster Simon Kuper is among the vanishingly small number of writers who have attended every World Cup since 1990. In World Cup Fever he shares what he has learned about the ‘Beautiful Game’ from nine consecutive World Cups.\n\nJoin us for a highly entertaining and illuminating discussion about the most watched sporting event on the planet.\n\nThe event will be hosted by Ben Fryer - presenter\, journalist and producer at BBC Radio Essex.\n\nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get books signed by the authors.\n📚 Our bookseller will have copies of the books available to purchase on the night.\n🍺 There will be a selection of soft and alcoholic refreshments available to buy from the bar.\n🚗 The venue has ample free parking on site. Please register your car number plate using the tablets at the reception desk.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nJonathan Wilson\n[caption id="attachment_11237" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Jonathan Wilson © Alil Haydar Yesilyurt[/caption]\n\n \n\nJonathan Wilson is the editor of the Blizzard and a freelance writer for the Guardian\, World Soccer and Sports Illustrated. He is the author of twelve books\, including Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics\, Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe\, Angels with Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina\, The Barcelona Legacy\, The Names Heard Long Ago and Two Brothers.\n\n \nThe Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup\nby Jonathan Wilson\n\n\nThe definitive history of the World Cup\, for the first time exploring the tournament’s socio-political impact across the globe as well as the goals and scandals that keep us all gripped.\n\nThe football World Cup is the most watched sporting event on the planet. It has become a global obsession and has been running for almost a century. Yet there is no comprehensive history of the tournament: based on fresh interviews and meticulously researched this book will change that.\n\nBy 1930\, football had outgrown the Olympic Games. A new competition\, run by Fifa\, would take international football to the next level. After a shambolic start to the first cup in Uruguay - an incomplete stadium\, shoddy refereeing and physios accidentally injuring players - the thrilling final saw Uruguay take on Argentina\, beating them 4-2.\n\nFrom those chaotic beginnings grew the modern World Cup\, a cultural phenomenon that draws the world together like nothing else.\n\nThere has never been a comprehensive history of the World Cup that has considered not only the matches and goals\, the players and coaches\, the tales of scandal and genius\, the haggling and skulduggery of the bidding process\, but has also placed the tournaments within a socio-political framework. The story of the World Cup is also the story of the world; this book tells its definitive history.\n‘Meticulously researched and well-organised - an informative account of how the World Cup became the global event it is today.’\n- Jamie Carragher\n\n‘Jonathan Wilson is a master at telling football’s greatest ever stories...Breathtaking. Wilson’s eye for detail and his elegant writing brings the World Cup to life like no other book on the topic I have ever read’\n- Elis James\n\n‘A history of the World Cup that is also a four yearly temperature check on the history of the entire world. Epic in scope\, awesomely rich in detail\, and compulsively entertaining.’\n- Tom Holland\n\n‘An outstanding book by a truly outstanding writer’\n- Duncan Hamilton\n\n‘So much of what we know of football’s history we know thanks to Wilson...the game is lucky to have him’\n- Simon Kuper\n \n\nOrder a hardback copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\nPre-order a paperback copy of the book from bookshop.org - released on 7 May 2026\n\n \nSimon Kuper\n[caption id="attachment_11239" align="alignnone" width="225"] Photo of Simon Kuper © Leila Kuper[/caption]\n\n\n\nSimon Kuper is a British author and journalist for the Financial Times. Kuper was born in Uganda of South African parents in 1969\, and moved to the Netherlands as a child. He studied History and German at Oxford University\, and attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar. He has written for the Observer\, The Times and the Guardian\, and also writes regularly for Dutch newspapers. He lives in Paris with his family.\n\n \nWorld Cup Fever: A Footballing Journey in Nine Tournaments\nby Simon Kuper\n\n\n \n\nThe football World Cup is the biggest sporting competition on Earth - a chance every four years for the greatest players to win international glory\, and a month-long media spectacle that's watched by an audience of billions.\n\nBut the tournament has changed beyond recognition since the inaugural event in Montevideo\, Uruguay\, in July 1930. What was once a semi-professional meeting beset by haphazard play has evolved to become a game of multinational buyouts\, dubious ethics and questionable aims - and the new era of football has much to tell us about the globalised world.\n\nSimon Kuper is among the vanishingly small number of writers who have attended every World Cup since 1990. The World at My Feet is his journey to find the heart of football\, through the nine tournaments he's experienced first-hand - from watching matches in half-empty stands during Italia 90\, a tournament that at times felt like a village fete\, to witnessing the French triumph at home in 1998\, South Africa's national dream in 2010 and the troubling legacy of Qatar 2022.\n\nTold on the pitch and in the stands\, and in the pubs\, front rooms and on the streets\, this is the story of how football has changed the world.\n\nOrder a hardback copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n    \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/launch-event/
LOCATION:United Way\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 5UP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:LAUNCH EVENT,Sport
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Jonathan-Wilson-and-Simon-Kuper-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260529T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260529T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090007
LAST-MODIFIED:20260501T140721
UID:11244-1780081200-1780084800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Bonfire of the Insanities
DESCRIPTION:John Crace\nThe Bonfire of the Insanities\nFriday 29 May\, 7.00pm\nAnglia Ruskin University\, Chelmsford\nBest-selling author and beloved parliamentary sketch writer John Crace returns to the festival for his latest serving of satire. Selected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column\, The Bonfire of the Insanities\, lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.\n\nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n📚 Our bookseller will have copies of the book available to purchase on the night.\n🚗 The venue has ample free parking on site. Parking instructions will be sent out to ticket-holders a few days before the event.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nJohn Crace\n\n\nJohn Crace is the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer and the author of several books\, including Taking the Lead: A Dog at Number 10\, Depraved New World\, Decline and Fail\, and I\, Maybot.\n\n@johnjcrace\n@mrjohncrace.bsky.social\n\n \n\n \nThe Bonfire of the Insanities\nby John Crace\n\n\nAfter fourteen years of Tory rule\, John Crace has seen it all: a bucket-load of sleaze and scandals\, myriad questionable policy decisions\, and an ever-revolving door of impressive* candidates trying to get themselves to the top of a sinking ship.\n\nWith a bumpy start\, Keir Starmer\, Rachel Reeves and the Labour Party have taken the reins while Kemi Badenoch and the Tories slink off to regroup in opposition. Many proclaim that the United Kingdom's political landscape has changed - but are those fabled sunlit uplands finally in view?\n\nSelected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column\, The Bonfire of the Insanities lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.\n\n(*terms and conditions apply)\n\n \n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-bonfire-of-the-insanities/
LOCATION:Bishop Hall Lane\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1SQ
CATEGORIES:Political Satire
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/John-Crace-Bonfires-of-the-Insanities-1200-x-800.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T104500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260518T110227
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T112029
UID:11887-1780137900-1780156800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Oi Chelmsford! Family Day at Museum of Chelmsford
DESCRIPTION:Oi Chelmsford!\nSaturday 30 May\nMuseum of Chelmsford\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\nJoin us for a family day of author events and creative workshops at the Museum of Chelmsford set against the fabulous backdrop of the exhibition Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read - celebration of the work and life of Essex-born multi-award-winning children’s author\, Kes Gray.\n\nAll event tickets include free entry to the Museum of Chelmsford.\n\nMuseum of Chelmsford Members can use still use their 10% off discount benefit when booking online. All members will have received a promocode in a recent email\, but if you haven’t received this\, contact them direct on museums@chelmsford.gov.uk or by calling 01245 605700.\n\n\n\n11.00am – 12.00pm\nKes Gray\nOi Chelmsford! Meet the Author\n[caption id="attachment_11466" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Kes Gray © Paul Starr[/caption]\n\nThe man himself\, author Kes Gray\, will be joining us for this family event as he talks about the influence of his Chelmsford childhood on the many stories he has written. Get ready for a delightfully quirky fun time with all the family.\n\nTickets: £6 includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford\nBook tickets: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n\n12.00 - 3.00pm\nThe Young Ones Eco-Workshops\n\n\nGet crafty and messy with our free\, hands-on drop-in eco-workshops. Have a go at some eco-printing using ink made from Essex oak galls. Write a Letter to the Future which will become part of a county-wide children's zine.\n\nDrop-in Workshops - come along any time between 12.00pm and 3.00pm to take part in the eco-workshops.\nTickets: Free\, booking essential. A ticket is needed to gain free entry to Museum of Chelmsford.\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nThese workshops are part of The Young Ones project which is supported by Essex County Council’s Cultural Development Project Fund\, to support the growth of cultural venues and organisations that bring culture to the heart of communities in Essex.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1.30pm – 3.00pm\nThe Art of Playfulness Writing Workshop - A writing workshop for aspiring children's authors \nSade Fadipe\n\n\nA writing workshop for aspiring children’s authors inspired by Kes Gray’s Oi Chelmsford! exhibition.\n\nCome along to a hands-on workshop that will inspire you to craft your own stories for children. Sade’s narrative and unusual journey into authorship is enough to motivate anyone with dreams of one day becoming published!\n\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged) includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford\nBook tickets: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n\n\n2.00pm – 4.00pm\nComic Art Masterclass\nKev F Sutherland\n[caption id="attachment_11470" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Kev F Sutherland at Essex Book Festival © Nick Ilott[/caption]\n\nKev F Sutherland writes and draws for Beano\, Doctor Who and Marvel comics\, and makes graphic novels adapted from Shakespeare. Now he’ll teach you how easy it is. Learn everything he knows\, so you could leave school and steal his job! For ages 7+\n\nTickets: £6 per child includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford\nBook tickets: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/oi-chelmsford/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/23.MIdsummer-16-PG-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090003
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T100834
UID:11464-1780138800-1780142400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Oi Chelmsford! Meet the Author
DESCRIPTION:Kes Gray\nOi Chelmsford! Meet the Author\nSaturday 30 May 2026\, 11.00am\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\nThe man himself\, author Kes Gray\, will be joining us for this family event as he talks about the influence of his Chelmsford childhood on the many stories he has written. Get ready for a delightfully quirky fun time with all the family.\n\nAll those aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.\n\nTickets: £6 includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford.\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\nMuseum of Chelmsford Members can use still use their 10% off discount benefit when booking online. All members will have received a promocode in a recent email\, but if you haven’t received this\, contact them direct on museums@chelmsford.gov.uk or by calling 01245 605700.\n\nThis event is part of Oi Chelmsford! - a family day of author events and creative workshops at the Museum of Chelmsford set against the fabulous backdrop of the exhibition Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read - a celebration of the work and life of Kes Gray.\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n☕  The Hive Cafe will be open and serving drinks and food.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site. chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/accessibility/\n🌐 Find out more about visiting the venue at chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/visit/museum-of-chelmsford/.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nKes Gray\n[caption id="attachment_11465" align="alignnone" width="234"] Photo of Kes Gray © Paul Starr[/caption]\n\nKes Gray was born and grew up in Chelmsford in the 1960s and ‘70s. He has published over 100 books\, including the popular Oi Frog! and The Trouble with Daisy series. Well-loved by young families for their humour and creativity\, his books are largely inspired by his memories of growing up in Chelmsford and feature regular references to places and people across the district.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/oi-chelmsford-meet-the-author/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kes-Gray-credit-Paul-Starr-Daisy-Coconuts-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090050
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T090510
UID:11506-1780138800-1780156800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Purfleet Poems in the Garden
DESCRIPTION:Purfleet Poems in the Garden with Rachel Morgan\nSaturday 30 May 2026\, 11.00am - 4.00pm\nJoin poet and gardener Rachel Morgan for a relaxed walk from Purfleet Station to the Kinetika Community Natural Dye Garden. Along the way\, we’ll pause to share poems inspired by the local area\, noticing the small details and everyday stories that shape this part of Thurrock.\n\nIn the garden\, discover the plants used to create natural dyes and spend time writing\, listening and reflecting together. The afternoon includes welcoming\, easy-to-join poetry activities\, open to everyone\, with space to explore ideas of place\, language and home at your own pace.\nMeeting point: Purfleet Station Car park. London Road\, RM19 1PP\nEnd point: Kinetika Natural Dye Garden Purfleet-on-Thames\, Purfleet RM19 1RX\n \n\nTickets: Free\, booking essential\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n \n\nAlso don’t miss the celebratory finale of T100 2026 - A Place at the Table: Celebrating Our Community – an afternoon of making\, performance\, food and conversation in the heart of Purfleet on Saturday 6 June.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/purfleet-poems-in-the-garden/
LOCATION:London Road\, Purfleet\, Essex\, RM16 1PL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Guided Walk,Partner Event,Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/RachelMorganHeadshot.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260518T111321
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T111321
UID:11891-1780142400-1780153200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Oi Chelmsford! Eco-Workshops
DESCRIPTION:Oi Chelmsford! Eco-Workshops\nSaturday 30 May\, 12.00pm - 3.00pm\nMuseum of Chelmsford\n \n\nGet crafty and messy with our free\, hands-on drop-in eco-workshops. Have a go at some eco-printing using ink made from Essex oak galls. Write a Letter to the Future which will become part of a county-wide children’s zine.\n\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\n\nDrop-in Workshops – come along any time between 12.00pm and 3.00pm to take part in the eco-workshops.\nTickets: Free\, booking essential. A ticket is needed to gain free entry to Museum of Chelmsford.\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nPart of Oi Chelmsford! - a family day of author events and creative workshops at the Museum of Chelmsford set against the fabulous backdrop of the exhibition Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read - a celebration of the work and life of Kes Gray.\n\nThese workshops are part of The Young Ones project which is supported by Essex County Council’s Cultural Development Project Fund\, to support the growth of cultural venues and organisations that bring culture to the heart of communities in Essex.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/oi-chelmsford-eco-workshops/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/23.MIdsummer-16-PG-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T133000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090026
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T101105
UID:11467-1780147800-1780153200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Art of Playfulness - A writing workshop for aspiring children's authors
DESCRIPTION:Sade Fadipe\nThe Art of Playfulness\nSaturday 30 May 2026\, 1.30pm - 3.00pm\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\n\nA writing workshop for aspiring children's authors inspired by Kes Gray's Oi Chelmsford! exhibition. \n\nCome along to a hands-on workshop that will inspire you to craft your own stories. Delivered by Sade Fadipe (author of prose\, poetry and playscripts) who was first inspired by the Quentin Blake's playful style\, during an Author visit to a school she taught at many years ago. Sade's narrative and unusual journey into authorship is enough to motivate anyone with dreams of one day becoming published!\n\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged) includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford\n\nMuseum of Chelmsford Members can use still use their 10% off discount benefit when booking online. All members will have received a promocode in a recent email\, but if you haven’t received this\, contact them direct on museums@chelmsford.gov.uk or by calling 01245 605700.\n\n \n\nThis event is part of Oi Chelmsford! - a family day of author events and creative workshops at the Museum of Chelmsford set against the fabulous backdrop of the exhibition Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read - a celebration of the work and life of Chelmsford-born bestselling children’s author\, Kes Gray.\n\nEvent Information\n☕  The Hive Cafe will be open and serving drinks and food.\n🚗 There is limited free parking at the venue.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site. Find out more at chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/accessibility/.\n📸 We will be taking photos at this event. If you do not want your photo taken please let a member of the team know on arrival.\n🌐 Find out more about visiting the venue at chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/visit/museum-of-chelmsford/.\n\n\n\n\nSade Fadipe\n\n\nSade’s memories of her early rural life in Rolvenden\, Kent\, with her English foster mother\, and of later accompanying her parents to live in Nigeria\, remain deeply rooted experiences that have shaped her understanding of culture and belonging. She holds a first degree in English Linguistics\, a postgraduate qualification in Primary Education\, and a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing.\n\nHer interest in writing was sparked in 1996 when guest author Sir Quentin Blake visited a school where she was teaching. Her debut book\, A Fun ABC (Cassava Republic Press\, 2016)\, followed by the US edition\, A Visit to Grandad (2019)\, was nominated for the Mock Caldecott Awards and also chosen as one of the 50 Best Family Literacy Books in Pennsylvania in 2020. She is also the author of the middle-grade book Snowy Joy\, a tale of refuge adapted into a play and co-produced twice at Colchester Arts Centre in 2025. She currently serves as programme director at CALFEvents CIC\, a platform celebrating multicultural books for children.\n\nWebsite: sadefadipe.com/\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-art-of-playfulness-a-writing-workshop-for-aspiring-childrens-authors/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:For Writers,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sade-Fadipe-Art-of-Playfulness-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260530T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090033
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T101024
UID:11469-1780149600-1780156800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Comic Art Masterclass - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Kev F Sutherland\nComic Art Masterclass\nSaturday 30 May 2026\, 2.00pm - 4.00pm\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\nComic Art Masterclass with Kev F Sutherland who writes and draws for Beano\, Doctor Who and Marvel comics\, and makes graphic novels adapted from Shakespeare.\n\nNow he’ll teach you how easy it is. After the end of this Comic Art Masterclass\, everyone goes away with a comic containing a strip by everyone in the class plus an individual caricature by Kev F.\n\nLearn everything he knows\, so you could leave school and steal his job!\n\nFind out more about Kev F Sutherland at kevfcomicartist.com/.\n\nFor ages 7+\n\nTickets: £6 per child includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford\n\nMuseum of Chelmsford Members can use still use their 10% off discount benefit when booking online. All members will have received a promocode in a recent email\, but if you haven’t received this\, contact them direct on museums@chelmsford.gov.uk or by calling 01245 605700.\n\nThis event is part of Oi Chelmsford! - a family day of author events and creative workshops at the Museum of Chelmsford set against the fabulous backdrop of the exhibition Oi Chelmsford! Kes Gray: Chelmsford Born and Read - a celebration of the work and life of Chelmsford-born bestselling children’s author\, Kes Gray.\n\n \nEvent Information\n☕  The Hive Cafe will be open and serving drinks and food.\n🚗 There is limited free parking at the venue.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site. Find out more at chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/accessibility/.\n📸 We will be taking photos at this event. If you do not want your photo taken please let a member of the team know on arrival.\n🌐 Find out more about visiting the venue at chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/visit/museum-of-chelmsford/.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/comic-art-masterclass-2/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:SOLD OUT!,Workshop,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kev-Sutherland-Sold-Out-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260531T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260531T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090012
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T092650
UID:11472-1780236000-1780246800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:How to Enjoy Architecture - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Charles Holland\nHow to Enjoy Architecture\nSunday 31 May 2026\, 2.00pm - 5.00pm\nWrabness Community Shop & Bar\, next to the Train Station\, Wrabness\, Manningtree\, CO11 2TL\nRenowned architect and author of How to Enjoy Architecture\, Charles Holland\, challenges us to look beyond the day-to-day familiarity of buildings to rediscover the pleasure of experiencing architecture.\n\nArchitecture is bound up with our daily lives but\, for most of us\, it is experienced as a blur of habit. Our reactions towards the buildings that surround us are often culturally generated\, and we experience them in ways that are immediate but often mundane. How to Enjoy Architecture: A Guide for Everyone encourages us to move beyond this and\, instead\, really look at buildings.\n\nCharles will talk about the buildings and architects that excite and inspire him\, with a special focus on A House for Essex (designed by FAT Architecture and Grayson Perry to explore the unique qualities of Essex)\, and the ideas and principles through which we can engage with architecture.\n\nThis event will be chaired by Hana Loftus\n\nThe talk will be followed by a walk to the magical and iconic A House for Essex.\nPart of our series of Radical Walks.\n\nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged) includes both author talk and guided walk\n\n \nEvent information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ There will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n☕  The bar will be open and serving drinks (including tea and coffee).\n\n \nTimings\n2.00pm - Gather at Wrabness Community Shop & Bar for a drink\n2.30pm - Author talk: How to Enjoy Architecture with Charles Holland\n3.30pm - Walk to A House for Essex (note: we will be walking around the outside of the house. We will not be going inside the house)\n4.30pm - Back at the bar for more drinks and conversation\n\n \n\n\n\n \nCharles Holland\n\n\nCharles Holland is an architect\, writer\, and teacher. He is the principal of Charles Holland Architects\, a design and research practice based in the UK. Prior to forming CHA\, Charles was a director of FAT (Fashion Architecture and Taste)\, where he led a number of the practice’s key projects including A House for Essex\, a collaboration with the artist Grayson Perry.\n\n \nHow to Enjoy Architecture: A Guide for Everyone\n\n\n \n\n \n'A book that will enrich any encounter with a building\, it made me want to look harder and be more curious. We are led playfully through the fundamentals of architecture so that we might enjoy the details and the poetry of buildings all the more. A walk through the city feels more fun and also more profound after reading this book.'\n- Grayson Perry\, artist\n \n'We so often encounter architecture when it goes wrong\, or offends us with its looks. Holland\, though\, is the perfect\, clear-headed tour guide to help us appreciate it with newly sharpened senses and fall in love again – even those buildings we think we hate.'\n- Tom Dyckhoff\, academic and broadcaster\n \n'An enlightening and urbane exploration of architecture that resonates beyond conventional chronological histories.'\n- Catherine Slessor\, architecture writer and critic\n \n\n'A calm\, wise\, learned\, undogmatic and quietly passionate new book.'\n- Rowan Moore\, The Observer\n\n \n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\n\nHana Loftus\n[caption id="attachment_11706" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Hana Loftus © Polly Alderton[/caption]\n\nHana Loftus is a planner\, designer and writer based in Essex. She co-directs HAT Projects\, an architecture and planning practice based in Colchester\, and as a writer has been published in Apollo\, Icon and widely in the architecture and planning press. Her first full-length book\, Sixteen Acres\, will be published by Profile Books in 2027 and an early version was shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize in 2025.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/how-to-enjoy-architecture/
LOCATION:next to the Train Station\, Wrabness\, Manningtree\, Essex\, CO11 2TL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author talk,Guided Walk,Radical Walk,SOLD OUT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260630
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515
UID:11579-1780272000-1782863999@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Essex Writers House 2026
DESCRIPTION:\nEssex Writers House 2026\n01 – 30 June 2026\nMetal\, Chalkwell Hall\nChalkwell Park\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\nA collaboration between Essex Book Festival and Metal Southend.\n\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend as part of Essex Book Festival. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels.\nWriting routes\nThis year’s Essex Writers House celebrates the messy and circuitous paths writers take. It highlights the challenges and surprises they encounter\, from global political contexts and rejection to the friendships and collaborations that shape and champion their work.\n\nFollow guest writers\, poets and creatives as they take you on a journey into the Essex landscape along the estuary mudflats\, coastline\, footpaths and into the wilderness. Keep an eye on the website for a full list of outdoor events taking place across June in South Essex.\n\nFor full Essex Writers House event listings visit: metalculture.com/projects/essex-writers-house-2026-programme/\n\n \n\n\n\nAt Chalkwell Hall\nWriters’ Hot Desks\nTake time and space from everyday life by booking yourself a writer’s hot desk. Tucked away on the top floor of Chalkwell Hall\, each writing desk offers views overlooking the Thames Estuary. A space perfect for sinking into ideas and shaping new projects.\n\n\nWild Writing Desk\nThe Wild Writing Desk is back. Take a seat outside (weather permitting) in the Peacock Garden\, next door to Chalkwell Hall. Based within the park\, find yourself writing to the pace of nature and co-working with the resident robin in the yew tree. An inspirational space to let your writing go wild.\nCo-Working Spaces\nChalkwell Hall will open as a co-working space for writing and a quiet space for reading\, with moments for sharing\, creating and connecting with others from the local writing community. Drop in through June (Monday – Friday 10.00 -16.00).\n\n \nOpen Advice Sessions 3 / 10 / 17 / 24 June\nBook a 1:1 slot with the Metal Team and a special guest panellist to gain valuable feedback\, advice and support. These sessions are free and welcome writers at any stage of their journey\, whether you're starting out or refining a manuscript. This space is dedicated to you\, your writing needs and your development.\nSpecial guest Open Advice panellists include:\n[caption id="attachment_11580" align="alignnone" width="134"] Photo of Dean Atta © Josimar Senior[/caption]\n\nDean Atta is an award-winning Black British writer whose heartfelt storytelling draws on his Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage as well as his queer identity. He writes poetry\, fiction\, and nonfiction for all ages. Dean Atta has published award winning novels for young adults and younger readers as well as his memoir Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body.\n\n[caption id="attachment_11581" align="alignnone" width="131"] Photo of Saira Nazi © Saira Nazi[/caption]\n\nSaira Niazi is a writer\, renegade guide and founder of Living London. Creative and Life Writing MA Graduate from Goldsmiths College\, Saira was shortlisted for the Art Foundation Futures Award for Place Writing and published multiple publications including Renegade Guides: the places we go\, the stories we share and On Belonging\, Reflections of a Renegade Guide out now.\n\n[caption id="attachment_11582" align="alignnone" width="135"] Photo of Lora Aziz © Marley Karazimba[/caption]\n\nLora Aziz is an interdisciplinary artist\, storyteller\, land-based cultural producer\, and creative strategist. Her work weaves together ecology\, memory\, and storytelling through workshops\, residencies\, foraging walks\, and community rituals. Some of Lora’s most recent work has been published in Thirst: In search of Fresh Water\, which accompanied her collaborative community-based projects in the Wellcome Collection exhibition Thirst from 2025-2026.\n\n\n\nCamilla Balshaw is an award-winning author. She has been published in numerous journals\, and her essays have featured in the Guardian\, Therapy Today and the Observer. Camilla’s debut memoir\, Named: A Story Of Names And Reclaiming Who We Are (2025) won the best Memoir & Biography category in the East Anglian Book Awards.\n\n \n\n[caption id="attachment_11701" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo credit: Mark Massey[/caption]\nMeet our Writers-in-Residence\nWe will be joined by Writers-in-Residence from near and far\, including partnerships with the British Council\, The Caine Prize for African Writing and English PEN. Keep an eye on the website for announcements.\n\n \nFor full Essex Writers House event listings visit\nmetalculture.com/projects/essex-writers-house-2026-programme/\n\n \n\n\n\n\nTicketed Events\n \nSouthend Wandering with Saira Niazi\nEssex Writers House\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 11.00am - 1.30pm\nMeeting point: Southend Forum\, Elmer Ave\, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1NS\n[caption id="attachment_11581" align="alignnone" width="148"] Photo of Saira Nazi © Saira Nazi[/caption]\n\nExplore Southend’s hidden gems and stories on this social neighbourhood wandering. Starting from Southend Forum we’ll walk towards Southchurch Park\, stopping off at various spaces along the way\, from secret gardens to beaches. Document your journey through words and pictures as you go.\n\nSaira Niazi is a writer\, author and renegade guide\, passionate about discovering new places\, collecting stories and connecting communities. Saira has collaborated with grassroots groups across the UK on various oral history\, art\, film\, food\, environment and heritage projects.\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential\nBook tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/metal\n\n\nIntertidal Walking and Writing Workshop with JR Carpenter and Sylak Ravenspine\nEssex Writers House\nSunday 14 June\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\n[caption id="attachment_11663" align="alignnone" width="228"] Broomway walk © Amber Merry 2025[/caption]\n\nJoin artist\, writer\, fossil hunter\, and Port of London Authority (PLA) licensed mudlark J. R. Carpenter with local Essex based artist Sylak Ravenspine for an intertidal walking and writing workshop in the Thames Estuary. As we move between high and low tide\, mud flats and marshland\, fresh and salt water\, we will navigate the creative space between noticing and noting\, where writing happens.\n\nTickets: £25 includes packed lunch and transport\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n \n\n[caption id="attachment_11664" align="alignnone" width="225"] Benfleet mud flats © Philippa Stewart[/caption]\n\n\nWalk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz\nEssex Writers House\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\n[caption id="attachment_11582" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Lora Aziz © Marley Karazimba[/caption]\n\nJoin artist Lora Aziz exploring the Prittlewell Greenway through landscape\, observation and language. How can we pull inspiration from the backstreet places and welcome in wonders we might pass every day?\n\nWalk a familiar pathway and discover new perspective through storytelling\, local histories\, layers of intuitive plant knowledge\, and creative encounters with place.\n\nTickets: Free\, includes packed lunch and transport. Places limited\, booking essential\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n\nThe Essex Ways: Film screening at Chalkwell Hall\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Park\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\n[caption id="attachment_10506" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of James Lawrence © James Lawrence[/caption]\n\nDiscover the many ways of Essex with a screening of ‘The Essex Ways’\, a feature length documentary by filmmaker Thomas Winward.\n\nThe film follows Essex-born storyteller James Lawrence on an epic 400km walking journey around the county to discover its places\, people and stories. Over 21 days\, James adventures through rural Essex from Epping to Harwich\, and then down the coast to Tilbury Docks. Along the way\, he explores the many beautiful natural landscapes of Essex\, while delving into the history\, folklore and stereotypes that make Essex the fascinating county it is today. Expect thrills\, chills\, myths\, modern retellings of 2000 years of history\, and a lot of love for trees and mud.\n\nAfter the film\, there will be an open Q&A with James Lawrence\, who will answer questions about the walk and project.\n\nTickets: £10\nBook tickets: dandelion.events/e/r31nb\n\n\nWalk and talk around Canvey Wick with Man About Country\nSunday 21 June 2026\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\nJoin James Lawrence\, AKA Man About Country\, for a special guided walk around Canvey Wick\, one of Essex’s (and England’s) most fascinating nature reserves. In this brownfield rainforest you'll discover wildlife\, hear stories from over 2\,000 years of Canvey Island history\, and explore how these incredible places can supercharge your creative practice in unexpected ways.\n\nTickets: £10 includes packed lunch\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n\nWriting and the Power of Language: In conversation with Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Addeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\nWednesday 24 June 2026\, 7.00pm - 8.30pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\n[caption id="attachment_11693" align="alignnone" width="300"] National Centre for Writing photo © Amber Merry[/caption]\n\nIn partnership with National Centre for Writing\n\nJoin us for an evening with the National Centre for Writing’s Escalator Writers Emily Abdeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\, in conversation with award-winning author Camilla Balshaw about writing and the power of language\, with discussion rooted in cultural histories\, oppression and identity.\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n\nA Poet in Every Port with the mobile National Poetry Library\nSaturday 27 - Sunday 28 June 2026\nChalkwell Hall\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\n\n\nIn partnership with Southbank Centre\n\nWe are working in partnership with Southbank Centre to welcome the mobile National Poetry Library to Chalkwell Hall as part of Essex Writers House 2026. Be prepared for a mini programme of weekend activity for all ages to enjoy\, with the opportunity to contribute prose\, poetry and words to the Mobile Poetry Library. Local artist and poet Maddi Crease will be helping us to celebrate Essex’s unique coastal stories.\n\nTickets: Free\n\n\nHosted At events\nThroughout June\, we will be hosting a series of events including talks\, screenings\, socials and workshop activity connecting to writing and reading led by local creatives and special guests. Look out for the release of our Hosted At programme at Essex Writers House via our website soon.\nFor full Essex Writers House event listings visit\nmetalculture.com/projects/essex-writers-house-2026-programme/\n\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11702" align="aligncenter" width="398"] Photo credit: Mark Massey[/caption]\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/essex-writers-house-2026/
LOCATION:Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,For Writers
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260602T180000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260602T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T134926
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T134956
UID:11681-1780423200-1780430400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Book of Coincidences
DESCRIPTION:The Book of Coincidences\nPatricia Borlenghi\nTuesday 02 June 2026\, 6.00pm - 8.00pm\nClaret & Brew\, 16 South Street\, Manningtree\, CO11 1BB\nAn introduction to local author's memoir about her Italian family background\, various anecdotes from her life and her career in publishing.\n\nTickets: Free\nContact: For all enquiries about this event please contact patriciaborlenghi@gmail.com\n\n \nThe Book of Coincidences\nThis memoir by Patricia Borlenghi reflects on her life\, her Italian family\, and the coincidences that have shaped her experiences\, intertwined with her commentary on contemporary political and social issues.\n\nThe book will appeal to readers interested in publishing\, politics and the author’s Italian background. It describes the important stages of her life; various events; the celebrities she’s encountered and coincidences discovered. And along with her thoughts on various current issues\, it briefly touches on her love of words and numbers.\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-book-of-coincidences/
LOCATION:16 South Street\, Manningtree\, Essex\, CO11 1BB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Memoir,Partner Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260602T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260602T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090039
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T130515
UID:11249-1780426800-1780430400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Troublemaker
DESCRIPTION:Lesley Kara in conversation with Chris Penhall\nTroublemaker\nTuesday 02 June\, 7.00pm\nGrays Central Library\, Thameside Complex\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, RM17 5DX\nBest-selling author of The Rumour\, Lesley Kara\, will be talking about her sharp\, incisive and claustrophobic new novel. Troublemaker is a masterful psychological thriller which asks how do you solve a murder when no one believes it took place?\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\n50% discount for Thurrock Libraries members who book in-person at Grays Library\, cash only\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n📚 Our bookseller will have copies of the books available to purchase on the night.\n🚗 There is a large public car park at the rear of the building in Cromwell Road (pay and display).\n♿ There is disabled access via the main entrance. There is 1 toilet with access for disabled people on the ground floor\, using a RADAR key.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nLesley Kara\n[caption id="attachment_11250" align="alignleft" width="200"] Photo of Lesley Kara © Christian Davies[/caption]\n\nLesley Kara is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour\, Who Did You Tell?\, The Dare\, The Apartment Upstairs and The Other Tenant.\n\nThe Rumour was the UK’s bestselling crime fiction debut in 2019 and Channel 5's adaptation - starring Emily Atack and Rachel Shenton aired in late 2025.\n\nLesley is an alumna of the Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' course. She now lives in Kent.\n\n \n\n \n\n \nTroublemaker\nThe Sharp and claustrophobic new novel from the bestselling Lesley Kara\n   How do you solve a murder when no one believes it took place?\n\nStorm used to be just like her name. Wild and strong. A force to be reckoned with. But ever since her younger brother was killed in a violent mugging\, she has led a very different life: quiet and cautious\, seeing danger everywhere.\n\nStorm’s tendency to panic has resulted in several false alarms\, so when she witnesses a murder with uncanny similarities to the way her brother was killed\, and yet no body is found and no one is reported missing\, the police don’t take her seriously.\n\nBut Storm knows what she saw. And the murder is only the start – the killer will stop at nothing to keep Storm quiet. But how can she solve the murder and stay out of danger when no one believes her?\n\nTroublemaker is the incisive\, sharp and claustrophobic new novel from one of the UK’s foremost thriller authors that asks how can you solve a murder when no one believes you?\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\nChristine Penhall\n\n\n \n\nChris Penhall writes uplifting stories set in gorgeous places.\n\nA member of The Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists Association\, she has written six books\, the first of which\, The House That Alice Built won the Choc-Lit Search for a Star Competition in 2019.\n\nA freelance radio and podcast producer\, Chris worked for BBC Essex for many years and was an Associate Producer for the Richard and Judy Podcast for Jibba Jabba Pods for 9 years. She presents and produces a community radio show called Books and Tunes\, a podcast called Chris and Lizzie’s Random Bookish Chats with fellow author Lizzie Chantree\, and also runs writing workshops.\n\nYou can find more information about her on her website www.chrispenhall.co.uk\nInstagram: christinepenhall\nor Facebook as ChrisPenhallWriter\nlinktr.ee/chrispenhall\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/troublemaker/
LOCATION:Thameside Complex\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, Thurrock\, Essex\, RM17 5DX
CATEGORIES:Thriller
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260603
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260624
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326
UID:11513-1780444800-1782345599@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Common Grounds
DESCRIPTION:Harlow College Photography Students\nCommon Grounds\nWednesday 03 June to Wednesday 24 June 2026\nHarlow Library\, Cross Street\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 1HA\nHarlow College Photography Students (Level 3 Extended Diploma Photography Year 2) are proud to present their work on the theme of 'Common Grounds'\, exploring what brings people and communities together.\n\nThe exhibition and their accompanying books represent their responses to the project set by Essex Book Festival.\n\nThroughout the project\, they have explored their individually preferred photographic specialisms and techniques and as a group have achieved a very diverse and creative collection of work\, ranging from Social Documentary and Fine Art to Product and Advertising.\n\nPop along to Harlow Library from 03-24 June to see their creative collection of work.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/common-grounds/
LOCATION:Cross Street\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 1HA
CATEGORIES:Exhibition,FREE
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260603T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260603T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090040
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T130432
UID:11340-1780513200-1780516800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Prisoners of Geography - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Tim Marshall\nPrisoners of Geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics\nWednesday 03 June\, 7.00pm\nWaltham Abbey Library\, 37 Sun Street\, Waltham Abbey\, EN9 1EL\nAuthor and geopolitics expert Tim Marshall will lead a fascinating\, interactive session on his recently updated phenomenal international bestseller\, Prisoners of Geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics. Don't miss this chance to experience Tim's clarity\, wit and razor-sharp analysis of the changing global geopolitical landscape.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Our bookseller will have copies of the books available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nTim Marshall\n[caption id="attachment_11342" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Tim Marshall © Nick Gregan[/caption]\n\n \n\nTim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 30 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News\, and before that was working for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from 40 countries and covered conflicts in Croatia\, Bosnia\, Macedonia\, Kosovo\, Afghanistan\, Iraq\, Lebanon\, Syria and Israel. He is the author of the No. 1 Sunday Times bestsellers Prisoners of Geography\, The Power of Geography and The Future of Geography; the illustrated edition of Prisoners of Geography\, shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year; as well as Divided; Worth Dying For; and Shadowplay.\n\nX: @itwitius\n\n \nPrisoners of Geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics\n\nThe iconic bestseller Prisoners of Geography\, now fully updated 10 years on with brand new content to reflect the changing global geopolitical landscape.\nThe phenomenal international bestseller - 3 million copies sold.\n\nPrisoners of Geography is the book people need to understand what’s happening in our fast-changing world\, from China’s ambitions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.\n\nBestselling author and geopolitics expert Tim Marshall looks at the past\, present and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determines world history – because if you don’t know geography\, you’ll never have the full picture.\n\nOriginally published in 2015\, Prisoners of Geography has sold over 850\,000 copies in the UK and has been translated into 40 languages\, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. Readers love Tim’s clarity\, wit and razor-sharp analysis\, and much that he wrote of in 2015 has come to pass. Now\, this gripping new edition gives all readers – those who already love the book\, and those yet to discover it – everything they need to understand our world for the next ten years and beyond.\n\n \n\nOver 30\,000 words of new material\, including:\n👉 the Russia–Ukraine war and Moscow's alliances with authoritarian states\n👉 the conflicts in the Middle East\n👉 China’s growing military and strategic power\, and its stance on Taiwan\n👉 American global power and pivot to the Pacific\n👉 Europe’s leaning towards more extreme politics\, increased defence spending\, and the new ‘Iron Curtain’\n👉 great power play in Africa\n👉 Japan's remilitarisation and increasing power\n👉 the growth of Indian economic and military strength\n\n \nPraise for Prisoners of Geography\n‘One of the best books about geopolitics you could imagine.’\n- Evening Standard\n\n'Sharp insights into the way geography shapes the choices of world leaders.'\n- Financial Times\n\n‘Marshall is not afraid to ask tough questions and provide sharp answers.’\n- Newsweek\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/prisoners-of-geography/
LOCATION:37 Sun Street\, Waltham Abbey\, Essex\, EN9 1EL\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author talk,Geopolitics,SOLD OUT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260604T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260604T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090006
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T090553
UID:11346-1780599600-1780603200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:When I Kill You
DESCRIPTION:B. A. Paris\nWhen I Kill You\nThursday 04 June\, 7.00pm\nSouth Woodham Ferrers Library\, Trinity Square\, South Woodham Ferrers\, CM3 5JU\nThe Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon B. A. Paris joins us to talk about writing twisty and nail-biting thrillers\, including her latest chilling and unsettling book\, When I Kill You.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nB. A. Paris - The multi-million copy bestselling author\n[caption id="attachment_11347" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of BA Paris © Philippe Matsas[/caption]\n\nB. A. Paris is the New York Times and Sunday Times international bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors\, The Breakdown\, Bring Me Back\, The Dilemma\, The Therapist\, The Prisoner\, and The Guest. Having lived in France for many years\, she and her husband now live in the UK.\n\n \nWhen I Kill You\n\n\nThe Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon B. A. Paris returns with a chilling and unsettling new suspense thriller.\n\nNell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work\, there are silent calls to her office\, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder\, because she has a secret that\nshe’s hiding from everyone in her life\, including her new partner\, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.\n\nFourteen years earlier\, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent\, she witnessed a student\, Bryony Sanders\, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered\, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with Brett Parker\, the man she accused\, led her down a dangerous path …\n\nNow\, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?\n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \nPraise for B.A. Paris:\nA mesmeric\, tense and twisting nightmare. Suffocating\, controlled and hugely entertaining'\n- Chris Whitaker\n\n'A rollercoaster ride\, with plenty of twists'\n- Observer\n\n'B.A. Paris is a mistress at weaving family with fear\, suspense and subterfuge'\n- Jane Corry\n\n‘A powerful\, beautifully crafted story that ratchets up the tension with every page and packs a huge emotional punch’\n- TM Logan\n\n'Expertly plotted and compellingly told … I raced through it'\n- Harriet Tyce\n\n'Packed with tension and nail-bitingly real\, I couldn't put it down!'\n- Lauren North\n \n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/when-i-kill-you/
LOCATION:Trinity Square\, South Woodham Ferrers\, Essex\, CM3 5JU
CATEGORIES:Thriller
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T103000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090030
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T171636
UID:11515-1780741800-1780747200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Grief Writing Workshop
DESCRIPTION:James McDermott\nGrief Writing Workshop\nSaturday 06 June 2026\, 10.30am - 12.00pm\nColchester Samaritans\, Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, CO2 7BN\nDrawing on his new collection\, Father Myself\, James McDermott will lead a special writing workshop to help you to re-see bereavement\, grief and emotional loss. This inclusive and interactive workshop is designed for writers of all abilities – all welcome.\n\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\nPart of our Love & Loss day of events at Colchester Samaritans\n\n \nFather Myself\, James McDermott\n\n\nIn 2022\, James McDermott lost his sixty-year-old father to COVID after three weeks in intensive care. In Father Myself\, his second collection from Nine Arches Press\, McDermott explores his father’s complex illness and death; grief; growth and how as a queer boy then a bereaved son\, he had to learn to father himself.\n\nIn clear-sighted and often hard-hitting poems\, McDermott takes the reader onto the frontline of the pandemic – documenting the experience and trauma of a COVID-bereaved family with an unflinching eye. Both powerful and compassionate\, these extraordinary poems have the capacity to go beyond simply a record of events\, reaching sensitively for the human details that matter – the beat of a heart and movement of breath\, the touch of a hand\, the words we use for goodbye.\n\nPraise for Father Myself:\n'Father Myself is a bright devastation of a book\, a meditation on father-son love\, queerness\, loss\, imperfection\, and a man slowly becoming his own father. Lyrical\, haunting and exquisitely rendered.'\n- Joelle Taylor\n\n'This is emotional\, gut-punching stuff. McDermott's best work to date.'\n- Luke Wright\n \n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/grief-writing-workshop/
LOCATION:Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:For Writers,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090050
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T090736
UID:11510-1780747200-1780761600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:A Place at the Table: Celebrating Our Community
DESCRIPTION:A Place at the Table: Celebrating Our Community\nSaturday 06 June 2026\, 12.00pm - 4.00pm\nHigh House Production Park from Windermere Avenue\, Purfleet-on-Thames\, RM19 1QN\nThe celebratory finale of T100 2026 – an afternoon of making\, performance\, food and conversation in the heart of Purfleet.\n\nT100 in partnership with Together Productions\, join us as we gather to celebrate this year’s T100 Festival in true community spirit.\n\nBringing together artists\, walkers\, young ambassadors\, partners and local residents\, this shared celebration invites everyone to take a place at the table – to reflect on journeys made\, stories shared and what home means across Thurrock.\n\nExpect poetry\, singing\, theatre\, graffiti\, textiles and live performance alongside food and creative activities for all ages. A joyful\, welcoming finale shaped by the people who make T100 what it is.\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, please book your place on Eventbrite\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/a-place-at-the-table-celebrating-our-community/
LOCATION:Vellacott Close\, Purfleet-on-Thames\, Essex\, RM19 1RJ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T124500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T133000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090054
LAST-MODIFIED:20260508T134108
UID:11519-1780749900-1780752600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:A Celebration of Dave Monk
DESCRIPTION:A Celebration of Dave Monk\nHosted by Brian Southall with guests/friends David Roberts\, Steve Scruton and Ian Wyatt.\nSaturday 06 June 2026\, 12.45pm - 1.30pm\nColchester Samaritans\nWalsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, CO2 7BN\nJoin us as we celebrate the Essex life of ‘BBC legend’ and festival patron\, Dave Monk\, who sadly died last year. We will be sharing fond and funny memories\, talking about Dave's memoir\, Whatever Happened to Dave Monk? and the contribution he made to Essex and Essex Book Festival.\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, donation to Kids Inspire or Farleigh Hospice kindly welcomed (donation links below) - both are charities which were close to Dave's heart.\n\nPlaces are limited so please reserve a space at Eventbrite.co.uk.\n\nCopies of Dave's memoir will be available to buy at the event.\n\nKids Inspire is a children's mental health charity supporting children and families who would not otherwise be able to afford specialist trauma recovery support.\nFind out more and donate here.\n\nFarleigh Hospice provides hospice care to people affected by life-limiting illnesses and bereavement across mid Essex.\nFind out more and donate here.\n\n \n\nPart of our Love & Loss day of events at Colchester Samaritans.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nWhatever Happened to Dave Monk? The Essex life of a 'BBC legend'\n\n\nA few months into writing his memoir\, Dave Monk received some devastating news. The recently retired BBC Essex presenter was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.\n\nThe former solicitor\, disc jockey\, wine bar owner and compere had a seemingly endless stash of riveting stories to tell\, so he naturally included his cancer tales.\n\nMuch of this entertaining autobiography shamelessly name drops the many fascinating individuals Dave has encountered and interviewed. He tells of his evening with a murderer\, recalls his argument with a pop superstar\, reveals what he said to the President of France and shares what he’s learned over the years from his favourite pastime - eavesdropping.\n\nFrom family secrets to his love of dressing up\, Dave tells all.\n\nAs a hugely popular presenter on BBC Essex over five decades\, Dave spoke with the famous\, the infamous\, the happy and the miserable\, delving deep into the real stories and people of the much-maligned county of Essex.\n\nNow it’s time for Dave’s own story after decades of keeping his own counsel.\n\nOrder a copy of  Whatever Happened to Dave Monk?\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/a-celebration-of-dave-monk/
LOCATION:Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Memoir
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090044
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T171847
UID:11351-1780754400-1780758000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Death of An Ordinary Man
DESCRIPTION:Sarah Perry\nDeath of an Ordinary Man\nSaturday 06 June 2026\, 2.00pm\nColchester Samaritans\, Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, CO2 7BN\nLonglisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2026\nWinner of the Nero Non-Fiction Award 2025\nA Book of the Year for The Times\, Guardian\, Financial Times and Observer.\n\n\nFestival Patron Sarah Perry's Death of an Ordinary Man is a deeply moving\, unstinting account of death by cancer\, a reportage into the daily experience of caring\, and most importantly a testament to her father-in-law David’s life\, that of an ordinary man.\n\nSarah Perry’s father-in-law David died in the autumn of 2022\, only nine days after a cancer diagnosis. He was in some ways a very ordinary man: he loved stamp collecting\, fish and chips\, comic novels and his local church. Yet as Sarah and her husband Robert nursed David through his final days\, they realised how extraordinary he really was.\n\nThis loving\, clear-eyed and unforgettable book shows how death may be met and understood as a part of life – a universal experience that is terrible and beautiful\, intimate and real\, sometimes all at once.\n\nSarah Perry will be in-conversation with James McDermott.\n\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nThis event is part of our Love & Loss day of events at Colchester Samaritans on Saturday 06 June.\n\n \n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Colchester Samaritans are kindly offering refreshments at this event - donations to Samaritans welcome.\n🚗 There is limited free parking at the school next to the hall. Parking details will be sent to ticket-holders a few days before the event. The nearest public car park is St Johns Multi Storey which is opposite the Samaritans Hall on the other side of Southway or St Mary's Multi Storey is a 10 minute walk away.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \nSarah Perry\n[caption id="attachment_8779" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Sarah Perry © Sophie Davidson[/caption]\n\n \n\nSarah Perry is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Enlightenment\, Melmoth\, The Essex Serpent and After Me Comes the Flood\, and the non-fiction Essex Girls. She is a winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year Award and the British Book of the Year Award. Enlightenment was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 and her other work has been nominated for major literary prizes including the Women’s Prize for Fiction\, the Dylan Thomas Prize\, the Folio Prize and the Costa Novel Award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.\n\n\nDeath of an Ordinary Man\n\n\nAn unflinching and profoundly moving account of caring until death\, from Booker-Prize-longlisted Sarah Perry.\n\nSarah Perry's father-in-law\, David\, died at home nine days after a cancer diagnosis and having previously been in the good health. The speed of his illness outstripped that of the NHS and social care\, so the majority of nursing fell to Sarah and her husband. They witnessed what happens to the body and spirit\, hour by hour\, as it approaches death.\n\nDeath of an Ordinary Man is an unstinting account of death by cancer\, a reportage into the daily experience of caring\, an exploration of the structural conditions of dying in the UK\, and most importantly a testament to David’s life\, that of an ordinary man.\n\nUnflinching and profoundly moving\, Sarah Perry confronts the taboo surrounding death and shows us how to confront all of the terror and beauty that comes with the end of life - and how the saddest thing she has ever seen is also the best thing she's ever done.\n\nNow I understand there are no ordinary lives - that every death is the end of a single event in time's history: an event so improbable as to be miraculous\, and irreplaceable in every particular.\n\nIn Death of an Ordinary Man\, Sarah Perry brings her Booker-shortlisted novelists eye to her first full length work of non-fiction. A genre defying work of extraordinary empathy and power with all the qualities that make her fiction so compelling.\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/death-of-an-ordinary-man/
LOCATION:Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Memoir
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T160000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260606T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090044
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T171945
UID:11355-1780761600-1780765200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:No Such Thing As Monday
DESCRIPTION:Siân Hughes\nNo Such Thing As Monday\nSaturday 06 June 2026\, 4.00pm\nColchester Samaritans\, Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\nBooker Prize longlisted author Siân Hughes joins us to discuss her latest novel\, No Such Thing As Monday. Raw\, exhilarating\, and full of heart it confirms Hughes as a masterful chronicler of life lived on the edge\, and people at their most vulnerable.\n‘A stunningly frank and darkly funny novel of loneliness and resilience. I loved it.‘\n— Bonnie Garmus\, author of Lessons in Chemistry\nTickets: £10 / £8 (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nPart of our Love & Loss day at Colchester Samaritans.\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Colchester Samaritans are kindly offering refreshments at this event - donations to Samaritans welcome.\n🚗 There is limited free parking at the school next to the hall. Parking details will be sent to ticket-holders a few days before the event. The nearest public car park is St Johns Multi Storey which is opposite the Samaritans Hall on the other side of Southway or St Mary's Multi Storey is a 10 minute walk away.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nSiân Hughes\n[caption id="attachment_11356" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Siân Hughes © Stretton Studios[/caption]\n\nSiân Hughes is a writer who grew up in a small village in Cheshire. Her first collection of poetry The Missing was a Poetry Society Recommendation\, longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award\, shortlisted for the Felix Dennis and the Aldeburgh prizes\, and won the Seamus Heaney Award.\n\nSiân’s first novel Pearl was longlisted for The Booker Prize 2023 and shortlisted for The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2024.\n\n \nNo Such Thing As Monday\n\n\nSteffie spends her days working in a dry-cleaner’s\, trying to scrub the world clean one garment at a time. But no matter how spotless the clothes\, she can’t rid herself of the guilt and grime she feels inside.\n\nHaunted by what happened to her sister when they were children\, large fragments of which she can’t fully remember\, Steffie is stuck in a loop of self-destruction\, defiance\, and shame.\n\nWhen her violent\, bullying father dies suddenly\, it sparks a reckoning that cracks open her past. What follows is an unexpectedly redemptive journey of a woman trying to piece herself together in a world that failed to make space for her.\n\nRaw\, exhilarating\, and full of heart\, No Such Thing as Monday confirms Sian Hughes as a masterful chronicler of life lived on the edge\, and people at their most vulnerable.\n‘A stunningly frank and darkly funny novel of loneliness and resilience. I loved it.‘\n— Bonnie Garmus\, author of Lessons in Chemistry\n\n‘In Steffie\, Sian Hughes has created one of the most powerful\, highly original and hilarious voices in fiction. What she suffers is almost unbearable and yet her resilience knocks the stuffing out of it. It’s deftly woven\, the writing is delicious\, and it hit my heart like a hammer blow.‘\n— Rachel Joyce\, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry\n\n‘I was blindsided by the brilliance of this novel.‘\n— Meg Mason\, author of Sorrow and Bliss\n\n‘Richly absorbing and powerful – a ’read to the small hours\,’ novel. Steffie has a unique voice that keeps you glued to her story\, and that I absolutely loved.’\n— Kate Hamer\, author of The Girl in the Red Coat\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/no-such-thing-as-monday/
LOCATION:Walsingham Road Community Hall\, 34 Walsingham Road\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7BN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260607T090000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260607T130000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090048
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T092613
UID:11522-1780822800-1780837200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:In the Steps of J.A. Baker - SOLD OUT!
DESCRIPTION:Michael J. Warren\nIn the Steps of J.A. Baker\nSunday 07 June 2026\, 9.00am - 1.00pm\nHeybridge Basin | Northey Island\nJoin Essex-based author of The Cuckoo’s Lea\, Michael J. Warren for one of our Radical Islands walks to mark the centenary of the birth of pioneering nature-writer J.A. Baker\, author of The Peregrine.\n\nRetracing Baker's steps\, we will explore Northey Island\, the site of the Battle of Maldon and erstwhile home of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Norman Angell\, to discover what makes this saltmarsh coast so distinctive and inspirational.\n\nMeeting Point: Heybridge Basin (also the end point)\nTerrain: Paths are a mix of solid and potentially muddy sections\n\nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n\n\n \nMichael J. Warren\n[caption id="attachment_11525" align="alignnone" width="225"] Photo of Michael J Warren © Ginny Warren[/caption]\n\nMichael J. Warren is an author\, medievalist and naturalist. He teaches English in Chelmsford\, was honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College\, chair of the steering group for New Networks for Nature\, and is currently a trustee for Curlew Action. Michael curates The Birds and Place Project\, a website devoted to collecting and recording the birds of English place names.\n\n \n\n \nThe Cuckoo’s Lea: The Forgotten History of Birds and Place\n\n\nBirds have long inspired our emotional and imaginative connections to physical environments\, but where did it all begin?\n\nHidden in the names of English towns and villages\, in copses\, fields\, lanes and hills\, are the ghostly traces of birds conjuring powerful identities for people in ancient landscapes. What are their stories and secrets? How did people encounter birds over a thousand years ago?\n\nIn The Cuckoo’s Lea\, Michael J. Warren sets out on the trail of these ghosts. Captivated and guided by the secrets of place names\, he finds their stories entangled with his own explorations of places through birds all across England. The past is hauntingly and movingly present on timeless marshes where curlews cry\, where goshawks are breeding again for the first time in centuries\, through silent cuckoo-woods lost under concrete sprawl\, in the winter roosts of corvids and an owl village that vanished centuries ago.\n\nWeaving together early literature\, history and ornithology\, this book takes readers on a journey far into the past to contemplate the nature of place and to discover a fascinating heritage that matters deeply to us now when so many places and their birds are threatened or already gone.\n'Magical … No journey in Britain will be quite the same again.' - The Guardian\n \n\nBuy a hardback copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\nOrder a paperback copy of the book from bookshop.org - released 04 June 2026\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/in-the-steps-of-j-a-baker/
LOCATION:Basin Road\, Heybridge Basin\, Essex\, CM9 4RY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Guided Walk,SOLD OUT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260607T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260607T130000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090043
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T090917
UID:11528-1780830000-1780837200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Sketching & Story Adventure
DESCRIPTION:The Wild Space\nSketching & Story Adventure\nSunday 07 June 2026\, 11.00am - 1.00pm\nThe Wild Space\, Washington Close\, Maldon\, CM9 6JD\nSearch - Sketch - Story\nA nature-based story adventure in The Wild Space\n\nJoin us at the secret community green space in Maldon for a fun and creative morning where you'll search for inspiration\, sketch & doodle your characters\, and craft your own nature-inspired story. Perfect for anyone who loves nature\, stories\, arts and crafts.\n\nWith help and support from the Wild Space team\, we expect to have lots of fun and laughter and\, of course\, great stories to share with us\, your family and friends!\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, booking recommended. Donation to OWLS (Our Wild Local Space) welcome.\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/sketching-story-adventure/
LOCATION:Washington Close\, Maldon\, Essex\, CM9 6JD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Manifesto For Essex,Partner Event,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Wild-Space-Doodle-Quest-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260609T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260609T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090022
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T090955
UID:11360-1781002800-1781006400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The House of Fallen Sisters
DESCRIPTION:Louise Hare\nThe House of Fallen Sisters\nTuesday 09 June 2026\, 11.00am\nBelhus Library\, South Ockendon Centre\, 57 Derry Avenue\, South Ockendon\, RM15 5DX\nFrom the brothels of Covent Garden to the oppressive society of the eighteenth century\, Louise Hare’s enthralling historical masterpiece paints a vivid picture of London’s underbelly and shows how\, even in the darkest of times\, there is always hope for a better future.\n\n'The sharp-witted\, courageous heroine is the perfect narrator of the atmospheric\, enthralling story that Hare has woven … a fantastic read’\n- Harriet Tyce\, Sunday Times bestselling author\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\n50% discount for Thurrock Libraries members who book in-person at Grays Library\, cash only.\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nLouise Hare\n[caption id="attachment_11361" align="alignnone" width="201"] Photo of Louise Hare © Charlotte Knee Photography[/caption]\n\nLouise Hare is a London-based writer and has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck\, University of London. Originally from Warrington\, she has found inspiration in the capital for much of her work. Louise was selected for the Observer Top 10 Best Debut Novelists list in 2020\, securing her place as an author to watch.\n\nLouise’s debut novel\, This Lovely City\, was featured on the BBC TWO TV book club show\, Between the Covers\, shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize\, and longlisted for the HW A Debut Crown Award. Miss Aldridge Regrets was shortlisted for Historical Novel of the Y ear in the Fingerprint Awards 2023\, and Harlem After Midnight was shortlisted for the CW A Historical Dagger Award 2024.\nThe House of Fallen Sisters\n\n\nDecember\, 1765. In the early hours of the morning\, Sukey Maynard flees her home – a brothel in Covent Garden. Her maidenhood is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder\, and she is too frightened to stay. But when she is captured and returned to the house of fallen sisters\, she has a choice to make – should she stay\, or should she run again?\n\nAs Sukey accepts her fate\, she begins to learn how to navigate this strange new life of hers\, and soon realises that there are those who wish her and her sisters harm. But this world that operates in the shadows has its own set of rules\, and if Sukey is to survive then she must learn to play the game…\n\nFrom the brothels of Covent Garden to the oppressive society of the eighteenth century\, Louise Hare’s enthralling historical masterpiece paints a vivid picture of London’s underbelly and shows how\, even in the darkest of times\, there is always hope for a better future.\n\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\nPraise for Louise Hare\nThis Lovely City was one of Observer's 10 best debut novelists of 2020 / Woman & Home Best of 2020 / Evening Standard Best books of 2020 / Mail on Sunday 2020 Highlights / I Best of 2020\n'A tender\, at times heart-breaking depiction of a city at once familiar and unrecognisable. It made my heart soar\, and should be on every Londoner's shelf'\n- Stacey Halls\, Sunday Times bestselling author\n\n'Poignant and authentic … it’s [Hare’s] steady\, calm prose and the animating authenticity of her material that make it so hard to resist'\n- Observer\n\n'Hopeful and inspiring'\n- Abi Daré\n\n‘Charming characters\, a cross-Atlantic setting\, jazz\, cocktails\, sex and a brilliant murder mystery. You couldn’t ask for more! I loved it’\n- Harriet Tyce\n\n‘This is a cracker. A thoroughly absorbing and thought-provoking historical crime novel that oozes glamour’\n- Cathy Rentzenbrink\, The Last Act of Love\n\n‘ An engrossing read’\n- Guardian\n\n‘Hare’s well-crafted second novel oozes glamour … Did someone mention Agatha Christie? Yes\, but with the bonus of subtle reflections on race and\nclass’\n- Observer\n\n‘Fans of Zadie Smith and Andrea Levy won’t want to miss [this]’\n- Elle\n\n‘Convincing and involving’\n- Sunday Times\n \n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-house-of-fallen-sisters/
LOCATION:57 Derry Ave\, South Ockendon\, Essex\, RM15 5DX
CATEGORIES:Historical Fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260610T183000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260610T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090015
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T132400
UID:11531-1781116200-1781123400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Common Treasures: Ambitious Thinking About the Future of Rural Communities
DESCRIPTION:Giles Smith\, Hana Loftus and Ken Worpole\nCommon Treasures: Ambitious Thinking About the Future of Rural Communities\nWednesday 10 June 2026\, 6.30pm - 8.30pm\nThe Commons Community Kitchen & Café at The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nGiles Smith\, founding partner of the architecture and design collective Assemble\, Winner of the 2015 Turner Prize\, will be discussing the Common Treasures project and accompanying books with writer\, designer\, and Essex-based planner Hana Loftus\, and writer and social historian\, Ken Worpole.\n\nCommon Treasures in an anthology that offers a credible and compelling vision of what life in a rural future might look like.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\nThis event will be chaired by Joanne Ooi\, founder of @eafestivaluk & EA Sustain\, events about environment\, culture\, literature\, art & more and Chair of @creativecolchester.  Follow Joanne @culture.vlog.\n\n \nCommon Treasures - The Project\nAmbitious thinking about the future of rural places\nCommon Treasures explores the challenges faced by rural communities by bringing together people with a broad range of different skills and experiences who are committed to a form of rural development that prioritises communities over profit\, promotes sustainable agriculture and land stewardship\, and combines lasting economic impact with ecological and social values. The project has emerged from ongoing conversations between members of the architecture collective Assemble and Common Ground\, which focussed on alternative approaches to rural housing — rethinking how it is developed\, designed and built — and emerged through the Raise the Roof project.\n\nFind out more about the Common Treasures project at commontreasures.org.\nCommon Treasures - The Books\n\n\n \n\nPublished by Little Toller Books\, Common Treasures emerged from ongoing conversations between members of the architecture collective Assemble and the arts organisation Common Ground\, seeking fresh\, connected approaches to rural housing\, land and livelihoods.\n\nVol. 1 – Common Treasures: Land\, Food and Farming (July 2025) explores food systems\, regenerative agriculture and rural livelihoods. Contributions range from reviving British wool and flax production to more sustainable farming methods\, community-led land ownership and strategies for strengthening local economies.\nContributors: Maria Benjamin\, Philip Trevelyan\, Megan Willoughby\, Charlotte Hollins\, Stella Peyerl\, Stephen Davies\, Jez Ralph\, Clare Hill\, Alice Clark\, Colleen McCulloch\, Stefan Laxness and Kaye Song\n\nVol. 2 – Common Treasures: Housing\, Planning and Construction (September 2025) focuses on rethinking housing development\, planning policy and building methods to support rural regeneration. Essays cover community land trusts\, sustainable construction materials\, and collaborative approaches to housing delivery.\nContributors: Rebecca Smith\, Rob Hopkins & Frances Northrop\, Ruth Munns\, Andrew Kirby\, James Shorten\, Loretta Bosence\, Hana Loftus\, Barbara Jones\, Kim Squirrell\, Ken Worpole\, Tim Crabtree and Summer Islam\n\nThe Common Treasures series bridges architecture\, agriculture\, planning and community action\, offering practical blueprints for resilient rural futures. Across both volumes\, farmers\, architects\, planners and campaigners share lived experience and tested strategies\, making this a vital resource for anyone shaping life in the countryside.\n\nBuy a copy of the books from: commmontreasures.org.\n\nFollow Common Treasures on Instagram: @commontreasures_\n\n \n\n \nCommon Ground\nCommon Ground is charity based in Dorset\, which has been at the forefront of community conservation and environmental education in England for the last thirty years. We are not a think tank or political pressure group. We are a small\, grassroots organisation that collaborate openly to reconnect people with nature and inspires communities to become responsible for their local environment.\n\nWe believe that enjoying where you live and celebrating the connections people have with the wildlife and landscape on their doorstep\, is at the root of meaningful conservation.\n\nFind out more about Common Ground at commonground.org.uk.\nGiles Smith\n[caption id="attachment_11871" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Giles Smith by Hannah Thual[/caption]\n\nGiles Smith is an architect\, writer and educator. He is a founding partner of the award-winning architecture practice Assemble\, where his work focuses on socially-oriented projects at scales that range from furniture and events to complex buildings and masterplanning. Much of this work intersects with cultural infrastructure which builds on his experience as the chair of trustees for a South London Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation. As well as Assemble\, Giles has co-founded the celebrated play project Assemble Play (now Playworks Studio) and the organisation Common Treasures which undertakes projects relating to contemporary challenges in rural communities. He has taught at numerous institutions and currently teaches at the University of Cambridge.\nHana Loftus\n[caption id="attachment_11872" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Hana Loftus by Polly Alderton[/caption]\n\nHana Loftus is a planner\, designer and writer based in Essex. She co-directs HAT Projects\, an architecture and planning practice based in Colchester\, and as a writer has been published in Apollo\, Icon and widely in the architecture and planning press. Her first full-length book\, Sixteen Acres\, will be published by Profile Books in 2027 and an early version was shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize in 2025.\n\nHana contributed an essay to Volume 2 of Common Treasures.\n\n \nKen Worpole\n\n\nWriter and social historian Ken Worpole is 'a literary original\, a social and architectural historian whose books combine 'the Orwellian ideal of common decency with understated erudition\,’ according to The NewStatesman. Ken has pursued a lifelong interest in the social history of London's East End and its relationship to the Thames Estuary and coastal East Anglia. His two most recent books are No Matter How Many Skies Have Fallen: Back to the land in wartime Britain (2022)\, and Brightening from the East: Essays on landscape & memory (2025)\, the latter being chosen by Geoff Dyer as one of the New Statesman's 'Books of the Year' 2025.\n\nKen is a contributor to Common Treasures.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/common-treasures/
LOCATION:74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Discussion,Non-fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260611T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260611T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090028
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091012
UID:11365-1781204400-1781208000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Nine Lives of Annie Besant
DESCRIPTION:Clare Paterson\nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant\nThursday 11 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nWI Centre\, Whitelands\, Terling Road\, Hatfield Peverel\, Essex\, CM3 2AG\nAward-winning British TV producer and author Clare Paterson joins us for a fascinating conversation about her latest book.\n\nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant charts the extraordinary – and largely untold - story of a pioneering Victorian feminist - a rebel with a thousand causes\, and a thorn in the side of power across two continents.\n\nIn partnership with Federation of Essex Women's Institutes.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 1206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available.\n🚗 The venue has ample free parking on site.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nClare Paterson\n\n\nClare Paterson has extensive experience of commissioning and producing television programmes from The Great British Bake-Off to the multi-award winning Exodus- Our Journey to Europe. Her first book\, Mr Horniman’s Walrus\, was published in September 2022.\nThe Nine Lives of Annie Besant: The Astonishing Story of a Victorian Rebel\n\n\nA rebel with a thousand causes\, and a thorn in the side of power across two continents.\n\nOn Thursday\, 5 April 1877 police charged 30-year-old Annie Besant and her colleague Charles Bradlaugh with breaching the Obscene Publications Act 1857.\n\nThe reason was the scandalous sale of a slim book called The Fruits of Philosophy. If the fictional Lady Chatterley’s Lover was the subject of the case in 1960 which horrified and delighted in equal measure\, this was the non-fiction equivalent nearly a century earlier. The publication of this birth control guide\, which the prosecutor in the trial referred to as a ‘filthy\, dirty book’\, caused a sensation and made Annie famous.\n\nA heroine of Indian nationalism\, Annie Besant was a pioneering feminist - a woman who refused to be defined.\n\nBut Annie’s extraordinary influence stretched from the Western to the Eastern hemisphere and from the secular to the occult. She became a committed Theosophist and moved to India where she was a celebrated campaigner for Indian Home-Rule.\n\nIn a police report commissioned by the government on the dangers posed by Annie towards the end of her life\, the investigator commented that ‘the perpetual struggle of the violent reformer against constitutional authority continued.’ She was recognised then\, and should be now\, as a formidable and fearless fighter.\n\nAnnie’s life has been cherry picked by historians\, partly because the stories are rich and engaging but also to avoid the awkwardness of her theosophical incarnation.\n\nIn The Nine Lives of Annie Besant\, Clare Paterson charts the extraordinary – and largely untold - story of this pioneering Victorian feminist.\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-nine-lives-of-annie-besant/
LOCATION:Whitelands Business Park\, Terling Road\, Hatfield Peverel\, Essex\, CM3 2AG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260612T183000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260612T193000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090007
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T110032
UID:11371-1781289000-1781292600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:A Criminally Good Night - What Happened That Night
DESCRIPTION:Nicci French in conversation with Linda Stratmann\, What Happened That Night\nA Criminally Good Night to launch the Great Dunmow BookFest\nFriday 12 June 2026\, 6.30pm\nFoakes Hall\, Foakes House\, 47 Stortford Road\, Dunmow\, CM6 1DG\nWe are delighted to be launching the Great Dunmow BookFest with a Criminally Good Night commencing with best-selling crime-writing duo Nicci French\, who will be discussing their 27th novel\, a new psychological thriller\, What Happened That Night\, with fellow crime-writer Linda Stratmann.\n\n'No one does it better than Nicci French’\n- Lee Child\n \nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nA Criminally Good Night Ticket Deal:\nBoth events (Nicci French and Harriet Tyce) for £20 / £17 concessions\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis event is sponsored by The Happy Ladder.\n\nTicket Deal\n\n\nMake a night of it with our Criminally Good Night ticket deal.\nTickets £12 per event or both events for £20 (Concessions £10 per event or both events for £17).\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for both events are booked:\n\n6.30pm – Nicci French in conversation with Linda Stratmann\, What Happened That Night\n8.15pm – Harriet Tyce in conversation with Samantha Lee Howe\, Witch Trial\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ There will be refreshments available to buy from the bar.\n🚗 The venue has limited free parking for approx 40 cars or there are several public car parks close-by. Parking information will be emailed to ticket-holders a few days before the event.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nNicci French\n\n\nNicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in London. There are 27 novels by Nicci French\, including the bestselling Frieda Klein series\, published in thirty-one languages. Their 25th novel Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? was shortlisted for British Book Awards Book of the Year 2024 – Crime & Thriller. They have sold in excess of 15 million copies of their novels worldwide. Find them on Twitter/X at @FrenchNicci.\nWhat Happened That Night\n\n\nThe 27th novel from the legendary crime writing duo.\nInternational #1 Bestselling Author.\n‘French always excels at depicting an ordinary life swept away by horror'\n- Observer\nThe new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? and the Freida Klein series.\n\nAfter nearly thirty years in prison for the murder of his university friend Leo Bauer\, Tyler Green is finally free. Meeting up with the group of friends who were there the night that Leo died\, Tyler is looking to reconnect – but he’s also looking for answers. When another friend is found dead that night\, his new found freedom is put in jeopardy. Detective Maud O’Connor is called to investigate – but can she discover the truth\, or is Tyler Green never going to be free?\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \nLinda Stratmann\nNicci French will be in-conversation with Linda Stratmann.\n\n[caption id="attachment_11374" align="alignnone" width="292"] Photo of Linda Stratmann © Gary Stratmann[/caption]\n\nLinda Stratmann is the author of three crime fiction series with Victorian settings. Frances Doughty and Mina Scarletti are her clever and determined lady sleuths\, and in the Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes a youthful Holmes is studying to achieve his ambition of becoming a consulting detective.\n\nLinda’s fourteen non-fiction books include The Secret Poisoner which chronicles the efforts of science and the law to tackle poison murder in the nineteenth century\, and an acclaimed biography\, The Marquess of Queensberry: Wilde’s Nemesis. She has edited a volume in the iconic Notable British Trials Series\, The Trial of the Mannings.\nPraise for Nicci French:\n‘I try not to repeat myself too much when it comes to the authors I pick for this column. But there is one name I always make an exception for: Nicci French\, because this husband and wife duo just keep going from strength to strength . . . This is the pair’s 26th novel\, and they are still keeping me\nup far too late\, rushing through the pages in a panicky\, obsessive fashion as I race to the conclusion’\n– The Observer on The Last Days of Kira Mullan\n\n‘Classic Nicci French: an unputdownable missing-persons thriller that’s also a searing examination of family\, memory and grief. A big-skied\, full-blooded\, broken-hearted book'\n- Erin Kelly on Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?\n\n‘I defy anyone to see the ending coming’\n- Cara Hunter\, on The Unheard\n\n'From the very first page\, Nicci French remains one step ahead of us. Expertly paced\, psychologically sharp\, thoroughly enjoyable'\n- Louise Candlish on The Lying Room\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/a-criminally-good-night-what-happened-that-night/
LOCATION:Foakes House\, 47 Stortford Road\, Great Dunmow\, Essex\, CM6 1DG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Great Dunmow BookFest,Thriller
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260612T201500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260612T211500
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090044
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T110117
UID:11380-1781295300-1781298900@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:A Criminally Good Night - Witch Trial
DESCRIPTION:Harriet Tyce in conversation with Samantha Lee Howe\nWitch Trial\nFriday 12 June 2026\, 8.15pm\nFoakes Hall\, Foakes House\, 47 Stortford Road\, Dunmow\, CM6 1DG\nContinuing our Criminally Good Night we have Traitors’ Faithful and best-selling author of Blood Orange\, Harriet Tyce\, discussing her page-turning extra-ordinary new novel\, Witch Trial. Two teenage girls. One murdered classmate. And a modern-day witch trial that will divide the nation.  Harriet Tyce will be in-conversation with author and multi-award winning screenwriter\, Samantha Lee Howe.\n\nThis event is sponsored by The Happy Ladder.\n\nTickets: £12 / £10 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nA Criminally Good Night Ticket Deal:  Both events (Nicci French and Harriet Tyce) for £20 / £17 concessions\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n\nTicket Deal\n\nMake a night of it with our Criminally Good Night Ticket Deal: Tickets £12 per event or both events for £20 (Concessions £10 per event or both events for £17).\n\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for both events are booked:\n\n6.30pm – Nicci French in conversation with Linda Stratmann\, What Happened That Night\n8.15pm – Harriet Tyce in conversation with Samantha Lee Howe\, Witch Trial\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ There will be refreshments available to buy from the bar.\n🚗 The venue has limited free parking for approx 40 cars or there are several public car parks close-by. Parking information will be emailed to ticket-holders a few days before the event.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHarriet Tyce\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11381" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Harriet Tyce © Charlotte Knee[/caption]\n\n\n\nHarriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade\, and subsequently completed an MA in Creative Writing - Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London.\n\nHer first novel\, Blood Orange\, published in 2019 to huge critical acclaim and her second\, third and fourth novels The Lies You Told\, It Ends at Midnight and A Lesson in Cruelty have been Sunday Times bestsellers. Witch Trial is her fifth novel.\n\n\nWitch Trial\n\n\nThe page-turning extra-ordinary new novel from Harriet Tyce\, author of the bestselling Blood Orange.\n\nTwo teenage girls. One murdered classmate. And a modern-day witch trial that will divide the nation.\n\nWhen 18-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in an Edinburgh park\, the city reels - and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends\, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth\, with her murder. As social media explodes and headlines scream for justice\, rumours of bullying spiral into something darker: whispers of rituals\, obsession\, and a teenage pact gone wrong.\n\nMatthew Phillips\, a respected heart surgeon\, is reluctantly called for jury duty on the case. But as the trial unfolds - and the girls reveal a chilling defence no one saw coming - he begins to question everything: the motives\, the evidence\, even his own judgement.\n\nWho's telling the truth? Who can be trusted? And what really happened to Christian Shaw?\n\nLet the Witch Trial begin . . .\n\nPraise for Witch Trial\n\n'Audacious\, mind-bending\, and brilliant. I couldn't read it fast enough!'\n- Lisa Jewell\n\n'Deliciously twisted...and what an ending! Genius!'\n- Claire Douglas\n\n'Daring\, different\, clever and compulsive'\n- Andrea Mara\n\n'Grips like a vice . . . An utter masterpiece'\n- Sophie Hannah\n\n'Dark\, wry and slippery underfoot\, I adored it!'\n- Sarah Pinborough\n\n'The best thing I've read this year. An absolute triumph of a book.'\n- Abir Mukherjee\n\n'Brilliantly clever and utterly addictive\, I loved it.'\n- Clare Leslie Hall\n\n'This mind-melting page-turner is Tyce at her whip-smart best.'\n- Ellery Lloyd\n\n'A swirling miasma of meaning and counter-meaning.'\n- Chris Brookmyre\n\n\n\nHarriet Tyce will be in-conversation with:\nSamantha Lee Howe\n[caption id="attachment_11383" align="alignnone" width="214"] Photo of Samantha Lee Howe © Anne-Marie Bickerton[/caption]\n\nSamantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small\, medium and large publishers ever since. She is a multi-award winning screenwriter and a USA Today Bestselling author.\n\nSamantha’s breakaway debut psychological thriller\, The Stranger In Our Bed\, was released in February 2020 with Harper Collins imprint\, One More Chapter. The book rapidly became a USA Today bestseller\, and has now been turned into a feature film for USA\, Canada\, China\, the UK\, and various countries in Europe. The Stranger in Our Bed won Best Thriller at the National Film Awards.\n\nSamantha lives in South Yorkshire with her husband\, Historian\, Writer and publisher\, David J Howe and their cat Skye. She is the proud mother of a lovely daughter called Linzi.\n\n\nA Thorn in the Rose by Samantha Lee Howe\n\n\nA twisty post-WWII crime mystery of class\, secrets and second chances.\n\nSecrets bloom where the roses die – and Mel Greenway is digging up the truth.\n\nIn post-war Britain\, Avonby estate is a crumbling relic hiding deadly secrets. Lady Melinda 'Mel' Greenway\, a former army mechanic and the family’s poor relation\, seeks solace in its overgrown gardens – until she unearths a body beneath the roses.\n\nThe discovery drags Mel into a tangled web of lies\, resentments\, and buried truths\, forcing her to clash with Inspector Derrin Bradley\, her wartime lover turned investigator. As Derrin digs into the dark web of secrets entangling Avonby’s privileged residents and its resentful staff\, Mel is determined to solve the mystery herself. As sparks fly and old wounds resurface\, Mel’s relentless pursuit of the truth puts her at odds with both her family and Derrin\, while making her a target for a killer desperate to keep the past buried.\n\nA tale of resilience\, forbidden romance\, and suspense\, A Thorn in the Rose is a richly atmospheric mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/witch-trial/
LOCATION:Foakes House\, 47 Stortford Road\, Great Dunmow\, Essex\, CM6 1DG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Great Dunmow BookFest,Thriller
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T123000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090046
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T084748
UID:11546-1781344800-1781353800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Thurrock Local Authors Fair - Date Changed to 20 June
DESCRIPTION:Thurrock Local Authors Fair\n** The date of this event has changed to Saturday 20 June 2026 - see essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/thurrock-local-authors-fair-4/ for details\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 10.00am - 12.30pm\nGrays Central Library\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, RM17 5DX\nDiscover the rich wealth of local writing as Thurrock Libraries celebrates authors and poets from across the borough.\n\nDiscuss writing\, discover author stories\, learn creative writing tips\, and browse their books to buy and take home.\n\nTickets: Free\, no booking required.\nEmail libraries@thurrock.gov.uk for further details\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/thurrock-local-authors-fair-3/
LOCATION:Thameside Complex\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, Thurrock\, Essex\, RM17 5DX
CATEGORIES:Date changed,FREE,Partner Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T105500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090037
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T110915
UID:11602-1781348100-1781380800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Writers Room
DESCRIPTION:The Writers Room\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 11.00am - 8.00pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events.\n\nEvents include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\nDay Pass Tickets: £25 / £15 concessions - includes five events (individual event tickets are £8 / £5)\nBook a Day Pass at Eventbrite.co.uk.\n\n \nThe Pitch\nA speed-date with an industry professional. Attendees who have purchased a ticket for at least one of The Writers Day events will have an opportunity to take part in The Pitch. More details coming soon.\n\nIf you would like to find out more once details are confirmed\, register your interest by emailing us hello@essexbookfestival.org.uk with 'The Pitch' in the subject line.\n\n \n11.00am - 5.00pm\nJ.A.Baker Exhibition\n\n\nJ.A. Baker was passionate about the Essex countryside and was best known for his first and most successful work\, The Peregrine (1967)\, summarising his ten-year observations of the bird. Held in the Special Collections at the University of Essex\, Albert Sloman Library\, the archive includes Baker's letters\, early manuscripts\, unpublished works\, ornithological diaries\, photographs\, and binoculars among other items. As part of The Writers Room day\, selected items from the archive will be on display in the Special Collections Reading Room.\n\n\n11.00am - 12.00pm\nWhat it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\n\n\nIdentity\, class and female rage are recurring themes in Eva Verde’s work. She has published three novels including Them Girls\, and will be discussing with Sabah Khan\, publicity director at Simon & Schuster Books\, what it takes to write and publish a book.\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n12.30pm - 2.30pm\nWriting the Archive Workshop with Andrew Burton\n\n\nIgnite your creative imagination. Join us for a practical writing workshop using the J.A. Baker Special Collection as a catalyst. Everyone welcome – no experience necessary.\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\nThe Writing the Archive workshop is not included in The Writers Room Day Pass\n\n\n1.00pm - 2.00pm\nNature Memoir: What Next? - Panel Discussion chaired by James Canton\n\n\nIn the last decade from H is for Hawk to Raising Hare via The Salt Path\, nature memoir has witnessed a meteoric rise. Where does the genre go from here? Join our panel\, chaired by James Canton\, author of The Oak Papers and Renaturing\, to discuss what the future holds for this compelling genre.\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n2.30pm - 3.30pm\nBreaking the Mould - Panel Discussion with Holly Pester\, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry\n\n\nGranta Books is renowned for championing challenging and innovative ground-breaking literature. Join three acclaimed Granta authors Holly Pester (The Lodgers)\, Ben Pester (The Expansion Project) and Rebecca Perry (May We Feed The King) as they discuss their individual and shared writing processes.\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n4.00pm - 5.00pm\nFreedom to Read\, Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Move - English PEN Panel Discussion\n\n\nJoin English PEN\, in partnership with Essex Book Festival\, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature\, place\, and movement.\n\nPalestinian writer\, scholar\, and activist Tareq Baconi\, Namibian author\, editor\, and publisher Rémy Ngamije\, and Syria-born author and journalist Khaled Alesmael will appear in conversation with Turkish Cypriot writer and multidisciplinary artist from North London Tice Cin.\n\nThey will ask: how do experiences of home\, migration\, diaspora\, and safety inform their writing? How do relationships to place – to land\, to sea\, to borders\, to movement across them\, to departures\, to arrivals – shape creative identity and the literary landscape? And how do the freedoms to write and to read relate to the freedom to move – and to its restriction?\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n6.45pm - 8.00pm\nHow to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema - Film-screening and Panel Discussion\n\n\nJoin the Cabinet of Living Cinema for the world premiere of its new film How to Become a Peregrine inspired by J.A. Baker's The Peregrine\, and accompanied by a soaring and immersive live soundscape by composer Kieron Chissick.\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n\nDay Pass Tickets: £25 / £15 concessions - includes five events (individual event tickets are £8 / £5)\nBook a Day Pass at Eventbrite.co.uk.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-writers-room/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:For Writers
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090053
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T153647
UID:11484-1781348400-1781352000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:What it takes to Make a Book
DESCRIPTION:Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\nWhat it takes to Make a Book\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 11.00am - 12.00pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\nIdentity\, class and female rage are recurring themes in Eva Verde’s work. She has published three novels including Them Girls\, and will be discussing with Sabah Khan\, publicity director at Simon & Schuster Books\, what it takes to write and publish a book.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\nThe Writers Room Day Pass - Five events for £25 / £15 concessions - Book a Writers Room Day Pass here\n \n\n\n\nEva Verde\n\n\nEva Verde is a writer from East London. Identity\, class and female rage are recurring themes throughout her work. Eva's love song to libraries\, I Am Not Your Tituba forms part of Kit De Waal’s Common People: An Anthology of Working-Class Writers. Her words have featured in Marie Claire\, Grazia\, Elle and The Big Issue\, also penning the new foreword for the international bestselling author Jackie Collins Goddess of Vengeance. Eva lives in Essex with her husband\, children and dog.\n\n \nThem Girls\n\n\nTwo sisters\, a lifetime of secrets\, and the chance to set the record straight...\n\nMeet Goldie and Vee: sisters\, dreamers\, grafters. In their forties\, both appear to have it all...\n\nUntil Goldie finds the courage to leave Benedict. Once upon a time their faux marriage worked\, but when the magnetic Wolfie comes on the scene\, her world of pretending falls apart.\n\nVee’s neat world is spiralling\, too. Since her ex-husband Jamie started dating Julia her cruel school bully\, Vee’s long-buried insecurities are out of control. She needs to get away\, and fast.\n\nSo when Goldie suggests a holiday in France\, Vee leaps at the idea. A curiously well-timed invitation - just as speculations around Goldie’s brilliantly brief pop career back in the nineties are beginning to resurface. Escaping’s one thing\, but nothing stays secret forever\, and as Vee and Goldie’s unresolved pasts make surprise returns\, the stories them girls once told themselves begin to look very different...\n\nA raw and real portrayal of two sisters\, the lives they left behind and the lives they want to lead\, Them Girls is bold and immediate and deals with themes of identity\, class and the corruption of power . . .\n\nOrder a copy of the book at bookshop.org - released 09 April 2026\nPraise for Eva Verde\n'This is a really powerful\, beautifully written story about three generations of working class women with each character so vividly drawn that they leap off the page'\n– Red\n\n'I loved Verde's debut\, LIVES LIKE MINE\, and this is just as raw and insightful'\n– Good Housekeeping\n \n\nEva Verde will be in conversation with Sabah Khan\, award-winning Publicity Director at Simon & Schuster\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/what-it-takes-to-make-a-book/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T133000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T095203
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T093610
UID:11659-1781348400-1781357400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Southend Wandering with Saira Niazi
DESCRIPTION:Southend Wandering with Saira Niazi\nEssex Writers House\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 11.00am - 1.30pm\nMeeting point: Southend Forum\, Elmer Ave\, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1NS\nExplore Southend’s hidden gems and stories on this social neighbourhood wandering. Starting from Southend Forum we’ll walk towards Southchurch Park\, stopping off at various spaces along the way\, from secret gardens to beaches. Document your journey through words and pictures as you go.\n\nSaira Niazi is a writer\, author and renegade guide\, passionate about discovering new places\, collecting stories and connecting communities. Saira has collaborated with grassroots groups across the UK on various oral history\, art\, film\, food\, environment and heritage projects.\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential\nBook tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/metal\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House - A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/southend-wandering-with-saira-niazi/
LOCATION:Elmer Square\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS1 1NS
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,Guided Walk
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090026
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T105556
UID:11593-1781352000-1781370000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Great Dunmow BookFest
DESCRIPTION:Great Dunmow BookFest\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 12.00pm – 5.00pm\nFor one day only\, Great Dunmow\, the town without a bookshop\, will be transformed into the Essex Book Town with author events\, writing workshops and other bookish delights taking place in shops and other venues along the closed-off High Street.\n\nDon’t miss this new\, unique and magical event celebrating books\, reading and the local community.\n\nVisit talliston.com/great-dunmow-bookfest for details including all of the authors involved.\n\nWe are delighted to be launching the Great Dunmow BookFest with a Criminally Good Night on Friday 12 June at Foakes Hall\, Dunmow\, featuring best-selling crime-writing duo Nicci French\, and Traitors' Faithful Harriet Tyce.\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n[caption id="attachment_11385" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Harriet Tyce © Charlotte Knee[/caption]\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/great-dunmow-bookfest/
LOCATION:Great Dunmow High Street\, Great Dunmow\, Essex\, CM6 1AB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Great Dunmow BookFest
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T123000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T143000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090012
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T153713
UID:11490-1781353800-1781361000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Writing the Archive Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Andrew Burton\nWriting the Archive Workshop\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 12.30pm - 2.30pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\nIgnite your creative imagination. Join us for a practical writing workshop using the J.A. Baker Special Collection as a catalyst led by Dr Andrew Burton\, Lecturer in Drama and Creative Writing at the University of Essex. Everyone welcome – no experience necessary.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\n\n \n\n \nPhoto credit (circle of books): Jaredd Craig\, unsplash.com\nPhoto credit (writing in a notebook): Marcos Paulo-Prad\, unsplash.com\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/writing-the-archive-workshop/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:For Writers,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T130000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T140000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090000
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T153732
UID:11492-1781355600-1781359200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Nature Memoir: What Next?
DESCRIPTION:James Canton\nNature Memoir: What Next?\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 1.00pm - 2.00pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\nIn the last decade from H is for Hawk to Raising Hare via The Salt Path\, nature memoir has witnessed a meteoric rise. Where does the genre go from here? Join our panel\, chaired by James Canton\, author of The Oak Papers and Renaturing\, to discuss what the future holds for nature-writing\, and nature memoir specifically.\n\nJoin our panel\, chaired by author James Canton\, to discuss what the future holds this compelling genre.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\nThe Writers Room Day Pass\nFive events for £25 / £15 concessions\n1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\n2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton\n3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester\, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry\n4. Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Read - English PEN\n5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema\n\nBook a Writers Room Day Pass here\n\n \nRenaturing\n\n\nWhen James Canton moved to a farm labourer's cottage\, he knew that the two-acre patch of earth behind it held potential as a place for nature to return and flourish. While 'rewilding' requires vast landscapes to become self-sustaining\, he wondered what might be possible on the scale of his field - or even that of a garden or a window box.\n\nRenaturing is the story of how he learned to dig a pond\, forge meadowlands\, create habitats for birds and insects and encourage plants that support wildlife. Gradually\, what was once just a grassy space was buzzing with life. The process revealed that rather than rewilding\, we could all 'renature': even on the smallest scale we can create habitats to support diverse ecosystems.\n\nAbove all\, it shows how we can all make positive change\, however large or small\, in caring for and restoring the natural world.\nPhoto of James Canton © Lawrence Cawley\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/nature-memoir-what-next/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:Discussion,Nature Writing
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T143000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T153000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090055
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T153755
UID:11495-1781361000-1781364600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Breaking the Mould
DESCRIPTION:Holly Pester\, Ben Pester\, Rebecca Perry\nBreaking the Mould\nGranta Books is renowned for championing challenging and innovative ground-breaking literature. Join three acclaimed Granta authors Holly Pester\, Ben Pester\, and Rebecca Perry as they discuss their individual and shared writing processes.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\n\nThe Writers Room Day Pass\nFive events for £25 / £15 concessions\n\n1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\n2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton\n3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester\, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry\n4. Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Read - English PEN\n5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema\n\nBook a Writers Room Day Pass here\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Lodgers by Holly Pester\n\n\n'What it said to me was that I was here again\, I was back\, back from the great nowhere of somewhere else\, returned\, all too officially\, to the whereabouts of Moffa.'\n\nAfter a year away\, a woman arrives back in her hometown to keep an eye on her wayward mother\, Moffa. Living in a precarious sub-let\, she is always on edge\, anticipating a visit from the landlord or the arrival of the other resident. But her thoughts also drift back to the rented room she has just left\, now occupied by a new lodger she has never met\, but whose imagined navigations within the house and home become her fascination.\n\nThe minor dramas of temporary living are prised open and ransacked in Holly Pester's irreverent reckoning with those who house us. This is a story about what it means to live and love within and outside of family structures. It is also a stunning first novel from a writer already hailed as one of the best poets of her generation.\n\nThe Expansion Project by Ben Pester\n\n\nShortlisted for the Nero Debut Fiction Award 2025\n\nPlans for the expansion of the Capmeadow Business Park are in full swing - its mission is to become the greatest business park in the region. Tom Crowley\, a mid-level employee\, loses his daughter at 'bring your daughter to work day'. He raises the alarm\, and his colleagues rush to help him find her. Eventually\, after no sign of her is found\, it transpires she was never there. And yet\, as time goes on\, Tom still cannot reconcile that she is really at home. Refusing to accept that she is safe\, Tom continues to search for her in the maze of corridors and impossible multi-dimensional spaces that make up his place of work...\n\nBecause Capmeadow is expanding in unexpected ways\, a Liaison Officer becomes the central focus for complaints about how the expansion is impacting the lives of the employees - unexpected buildings\, years-long business days\, cursed farmers' markets\, and corridors of the mind are draining the life from Tom and everyone he works with.\n\nYears pass\, and Tom remains at the company\, convinced he is in the presence of his now adult daughter. But has he judged it correctly? And can anything go back to the way it was??\n\n\n\nMay we Feed the King by Rebecca Perry\n\n\nShe is a curator\, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace\, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.\n\nHe is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power\, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it isn't long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.\n\nMay We Feed the King dances between the lives of a historical subject who risks the future of his kingdom and a woman who turns to the past to hide from her present. Laced with desire and longing\, it is a playful\, stirring meditation on history and storytelling: on what makes a King 'Great'\, and a life meaningful.\n\n\n\nPhoto of Holly Pester © Eleanor Vonne Brown\nPhoto of Ben Pester © Caitlin Mogridge\nPhoto of Rebecca Perry © Robin Christian\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/breaking-the-mould/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:Discussion
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T160000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090032
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T132538
UID:11500-1781366400-1781370000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Freedom to Read\, Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Move
DESCRIPTION:Freedom to Read\, Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Move - In partnership with English PEN\nTareq Baconi\, Rémy Ngamije\, Khaled Alesmael\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 4.00pm - 5.00pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\nJoin English PEN\, in partnership with Essex Book Festival\, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature\, place\, and movement.\n\nPalestinian writer\, scholar\, and activist Tareq Baconi\, Namibian author\, editor\, and publisher Rémy Ngamije\, and Syria-born author and journalist Khaled Alesmael will appear in conversation with Turkish Cypriot writer and multidisciplinary artist from North London Tice Cin.\n\nThey will ask: how do experiences of home\, migration\, diaspora\, and safety inform their writing? How do relationships to place – to land\, to sea\, to borders\, to movement across them\, to departures\, to arrivals – shape creative identity and the literary landscape? And how do the freedoms to write and to read relate to the freedom to move – and to its restriction?\n\nThe event will include an audience Q&A. The speakers’ books will be available to buy and have signed.\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\n\n \nThe Writers Room Day Pass\nFive events for £25 / £15 concessions\n\n1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\n2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton\n3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester\, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry\n4. Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Read - English PEN\n5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema\n\nBook a Writers Room Day Pass here\n\n\n\n \nKhaled Alesmael\n\n\nKhaled Alesmael was born in Syria and lives and writes in London. He began his career as a radio journalist and writer of children's poetry for major Arabic broadcasters\, before working as a journalist across the Arab world and Europe. His debut novel Selamlik (translated from the Arabic by Leri Price) is in development as an art house film; his second book\, which queers the Arab Spring\, bears witness to the lives of nine queer Arabs. An English translation is forthcoming from World Editions in 2027. khaledalesmael.com\n\n \nRémy Ngamije\n[caption id="attachment_11861" align="alignnone" width="200"] Image credit: photo of Rémy Ngamije by Abantu Book Festival[/caption]\n\nRémy Ngamije is a Rwandan-born Namibian author\, editor\, publisher\, photographer\, and literary educator. He is the author of The Eternal Audience Of One\, his award-winning debut novel\, and Only Stars Know The Meaning Of Space\, his collection of award-winning fiction. In 2021\, he won the Africa Regional Prize of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Rémy is the founder and chairperson of Doek\, an independent arts organisation in Namibia supporting the literary arts and the editor-in-chief of Doek! Literary Magazine\, the country’s first and only literary magazine. remythequill.com\n\n \nTareq Baconi\n\n\nTareq Baconi is a Palestinian writer\, scholar\, and activist. He is the grandson of refugees from Jerusalem and Haifa and grew up between Amman and Beirut. His work has appeared in\, among others\, The New York Times and The Baffler\, and he contributes essays to The New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books. He has also written for film; his award-winning BFI short One Like Him\, a queer love story set in Jordan\, screened in over thirty festivals. He is the author of What Now\, Hamas Contained\, and Fire in Every Direction. tareqbaconi.com\n\n \nTice Cin\n\n\nTice Cin is a Turkish Cypriot writer and interdisciplinary artist from North London. Her debut novel Keeping the House (2021) received a Somerset Maugham Award and was shortlisted for a British Book Award and the Desmond Elliot Prize among other accolades\, with its mixtape having her named as one of Notion Magazine's Ones to Watch. Her BBC Radio 4 documentary How Much Can You Say? (2024) won an Audio Production Award. Her practice currently traces outsiderness\, cold roads and loss.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/freedom-to-read-freedom-to-write-freedom-to-move/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/English-PEN-Tareq-Baconi-Remy-Ngamije-Khaled-Alesmael-Tice-Cin-1200x800-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T184500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260613T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090050
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T133523
UID:11502-1781376300-1781380800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:How to Become a Peregrine
DESCRIPTION:The Cabinet of Living Cinema\nHow to Become a Peregrine\nSaturday 13 June 2026\, 6.45pm - 8.00pm\nLakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\n\nStep into the wild world of How to Become a Peregrine at Essex Book Festival.\n\nJoin the Cabinet of Living Cinema for the world premiere of its new film How to Become a Peregrine inspired by J.A. Baker's The Peregrine\, and accompanied by a soaring and immersive live soundscape by composer Kieron Chissik.\n\nBefore the film screens explore the project’s creative output by young people from Dorset and Somerset including wallpaper sky & bird puppets. Narrators will be invited to share their favourite passages.\n\nThe evening concludes with a panel discussion.\n\nHow to Become a Peregrine is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Find out more about the project at thecabinetoflivingcinema.org.uk/project/how-to-become-a-peregrine/.\n\nTickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\nLimited Edition prints of this How to Become a Peregrine montage illustration by Hannah Eaton will be available to buy at this event.\n\n\n\n\nThis event is part of The Writers Room\nEssex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops\, multi-genre panel discussions\, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus\, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.\n\n \nThe Writers Room Day Pass\nFive events for £25 / £15 concessions\n\n1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan\n2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - James Canton\n3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester\, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry\n4. Freedom to Write\, Freedom to Read - English PEN\n5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema\n\nBook a Writers Room Day Pass here\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/how-to-become-a-peregrine/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:Discussion,Film
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/How-to-Become-a-Peregrine-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260614
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326
UID:11662-1781395200-1781481599@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Intertidal Walking and Writing Workshop with JR Carpenter and Sylak Ravenspine
DESCRIPTION:Intertidal Walking and Writing Workshop with JR Carpenter and Sylak Ravenspine\nEssex Writers House\nSunday 14 June\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\nJoin artist\, writer\, fossil hunter\, and Port of London Authority (PLA) licensed mudlark J. R. Carpenter with local Essex based artist Sylak Ravenspine for an intertidal walking and writing workshop in the Thames Estuary. As we move between high and low tide\, mud flats and marshland\, fresh and salt water\, we will navigate the creative space between noticing and noting\, where writing happens.\n\nJ.R. will share her journey around her new book p a u s e. which is out now. In p a u s e. J. R. Carpenter turns the simple act of going for a walk into a radical practice of attention. Written over the course of a year of daily encounters with kisiskâciwanisîpiy (the North Saskatchewan River) as it runs through amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton).\n\nWritten in short\, breath-like fragments\, p a u s e. drifts between field note\, love poem\, and land acknowledgement\, refusing to settle as a genre. Fossils\, wildfire haze\, trumpeter swans\, city traffic\, and pandemic loneliness all pass through its pages\, as the poem keeps returning to one insistent question: what happens when we treat noticing as a form of care and listening as a way of giving something back?\n\nTickets: £25 includes packed lunch and transport\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n \n\n[caption id="attachment_11664" align="alignnone" width="225"] Benfleet mud flats © Philippa Stewart[/caption]\n\n \nJ. R. Carpenter\n[caption id="attachment_11665" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of J.R. Carpenter © J.R. Carpenter[/caption]\n\nJ. R. Carpenter is an artist\, writer\, performer\, and researcher working on questions of place\, displacement\, migration\, colonialism\, and climate\, across performance\, print\, and digital media. Her work has been presented in museums\, galleries\, and festivals around the world. Her debut poetry collection\, An Ocean of Static\, was highly commended for the Forward Prizes 2018. She is a Fellow of the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library and the Moore Institute at NUI Galway. She is currently a Lecturer in Performance Writing at University of Leeds.\n\n \nSylak Ravenspine\n[caption id="attachment_11666" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Sylak Ravenspine © Niki Cornish[/caption]\n\nSylak Ravenspine is an Essex-based eco-artist whose practice is rooted in the local landscape. Drawing deep inspiration from the tidal marshes and eroding coastlines of Essex\, Sylak forages material from the area\, imparting a sense of fragility\, ecological stewardship\, and renewal into everything he creates. His ‘Inks of Essex’ provide a fluid representation of the environment\, while his work on recording soil structures redefines field data as an artform. Sylak’s work responds to the land with an intentional surrender to natural cycles that challenges traditional notions of permanence and control in art.\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/intertidal-walking-and-writing-workshop-with-jr-carpenter-and-sylak-ravenspine/
LOCATION:Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,For Writers,Guided Walk,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Broomway-walk-credit-Amber-Merry-2025-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T105500
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090052
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T102742
UID:11614-1781434500-1781449200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Midsummer Madness Family Fun
DESCRIPTION:Midsummer Madness Family Fun\nSunday 14 June 2026\nThe Minories\n74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nA day of other worldly storytelling and creative mayhem in the enchanted setting of The Minories\, Colchester’s oldest art gallery and garden. Our Midsummer Madness Family Day is the perfect place to get crafty and messy with our delectable range of free hands-on drop-in workshops\, and more.\n\nWatch this space for more details of free family drop-in workshops\, storytelling\, and activities.\n\n \nTicketed Events\n11.00am - 12.00pm\nThe Enchanted Cinema presents Where the Wild Rumpus Is\n\n\nAn interactive\, enchanted cinema experience for wild things of all ages.\n\nThe wild rumpus begins! Hands\, voices\, and instruments from around the world create a live soundtrack as forests rustle\, monsters roar\, and oceans swell. Featuring live narration of Sendak’s book and led by professional musician Kieron Chissik on electric viola and keyboard\, this screen-free\, immersive experience invites children and grown-ups to become the orchestra for a cinematic book. For ages 5+. All those aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.\n\nTickets: £6 per person\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n2.00pm - 3.00pm\nKes Gray - From Oi Frog! to Oi Dinosaurs!\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11543" align="alignnone" width="188"] Photo of Kes Gray © Paul Starr[/caption]\n\n\n\nJoin in this hilarious interactive event with multi-award-winning author Kes Gray as he talks about the evolution of his Oi! picture book  series\, from Oi Frog! to Oi Dinosaurs! Guaranteed to get everyone giggling. For ages 3+. All those aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.\n\nTickets: £6\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n\n\n\nDrop-in Activities\n12.00pm - 3.00pm\nThe Young Ones Eco-Workshops\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11863" align="alignnone" width="300"] Wise Ram workshop credit Lorna Powell[/caption]\n\nGet crafty and messy with our free\, hands-on\, drop-in workshops taking place in the enchanted garden at The Minories.\n\nUse materials gathered from the Essex coast to create your very own Beached-Up Sea Monster.\n\nWrite a Letter to the Future which will become part of a county-wide children's zine.\n\nThe Vanishing Lake with Wise Ram Theatre - Wise Ram Theatre will be running a free\, family friendly drop-in activity at our Midsummer Madness day at The Minories. All are welcome for fun creative activities\, from drawing characters\, doing crafts and playing games. By taking part you will help create a new fantasy adventure show called 'The Vanishing Lake'.\n\nWise Ram Theatre is a theatre company based in Harwich making theatre with humour\, heart and nerve. In 2025 they delivered a Eco-Theatre workshop for Manifesto4Essex in Colchester and family workshops at Essex Green Weekend. Read more on their website wiseramtheatre.co.uk or follow on social media @wiseramtheatre.\n\nAll ages welcome.\n\nTickets: Free\, drop-in\, no booking required\nAll taking place in The Minories Garden\n\n\n\n\n12.00pm\nMarvellous Music\n\n\n\nColchester Chamber Choir is a small vocal ensemble praised for imaginative programming and exceptional music making. Come and hear them sing some surprising songs in the delightful Minories Garden.\n\n\nTickets: Free\, drop-in\, no booking required\nTaking place in The Minories Garden\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/midsummer-madness-family-fun/
LOCATION:74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:FREE,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Minories-credit-Nick-Ilott-EBF-25-140.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090045
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T173203
UID:11539-1781434800-1781438400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Where the Wild Rumpus Is
DESCRIPTION:The Enchanted Cinema presents Where the Wild Rumpus Is\nSunday 14 June 2026\, 11.00am - 12.00pm\nThe Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nAn interactive\, enchanted cinema experience for wild things of all ages.\n\nThe wild rumpus begins!\n\nHands\, voices\, and instruments from around the world create a live soundtrack as forests rustle\, monsters roar\, and oceans swell. Featuring live narration of Sendak’s book and led by professional musician Kieron Chissik on electric viola and keyboard\, this screen-free\, immersive experience invites children and grown-ups to become the orchestra for a cinematic book.\n\nFor ages 5+. All those aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.\n\nTickets: £6 per person\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nPart of Midsummer Madness Family Fun - A day of other worldly storytelling and creative mayhem in the enchanted setting of The Minories\, Colchester’s oldest art gallery and garden. Our Midsummer Madness Family Day is the perfect place to get crafty and messy with our delectable range of free hands-on drop-in workshops\, and much\, much more.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/where-the-wild-rumpus-is/
LOCATION:74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Performance,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Wild-Rumpus-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090058
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T161833
UID:11542-1781445600-1781449200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:From Oi Frog! to Oi Dinosaurs! - SOLD OUT
DESCRIPTION:Kes Gray\nFrom Oi Frog! to Oi Dinosaurs!\nSunday 14 June 2026\, 2.00 - 3.00pm\nThe Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nJoin in this hilarious interactive event with multi-award-winning author Kes Gray as he talks about the evolution of his Oi! picture book  series\, from Oi Frog! to Oi Dinosaurs! Guaranteed to get everyone giggling.\n\nKes Gray was born and grew up in Chelmsford in the 1960s and ‘70s. He has published over 100 books\, including the popular Oi Frog! and The Trouble with Daisy series. Well-loved by young families for their humour and creativity\, his books are largely inspired by his memories of growing up in Chelmsford and feature regular references to places and people across the district.\n\nFor ages 3+. All those aged under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.\n\nTickets: £6\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nPart of Midsummer Madness Family Fun - A day of other worldly storytelling and creative mayhem in the enchanted setting of The Minories\, Colchester’s oldest art gallery and garden. Our Midsummer Madness Family Day is the perfect place to get crafty and messy with our delectable range of free hands-on drop-in workshops\, and much\, much more.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/from-oi-frog-to-oi-dinosaurs/
LOCATION:74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:SOLD OUT!,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Kes-Gray-Oi-Frog-to-Oi-Dinosaurs-SOLD-OUT-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260614T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260331T133318
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T075950
UID:11684-1781445600-1781449200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Radical Essex Architecture Tour: Silver End
DESCRIPTION:Radical Essex Architecture Tour: Silver End\nSunday 14 June\, 2.00pm\nFree\, reserve a spot at eventbrite.co.uk.\nTime: 11:00 am\nVenue: Meet at Silver End Village Hall\nWalk time: approx 1 hr\nAfter the tour Cressing Temple Barns are close by for refreshments\nJoin us for a tour of Silver End\, an Essex model village built on Utopian ideals celebrates its 100th anniversary.\n\nA pioneering site of British Modernism\, Silver End was built by Francis Henry Crittall in 1926 to house employees working at his nearby metal window factory. The distinctive white\, flat roofed houses were designed to be “full of air\, light and space” with large gardens and civic amenities incorporated into the countryside village. It was no wonder Silver End was quickly dubbed the “metal window kingdom of happiness”. Suitable for all ages - all welcome.\n\nThe walk is led by Jess Twyman\, contributor to ‘Radical Essex’ publication\, 2018.\n\n \n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/radical-essex-architecture-tour-silver-end/
LOCATION:3 Broadway\, Silver End\, Witham\, Essex\, CM8 3RQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Guided Walk,Partner Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Radical-Essex-Architecture-Tour-Silver-End-IMG_6893-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260617T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260617T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090042
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T074345
UID:11387-1781722800-1781726400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Room 706
DESCRIPTION:Ellie Levenson in conversation with Tony Fisher\nRoom 706\nWednesday 17 June\, 7.00pm\nManningtree Library\, High Street\, Manningtree\, Essex\, CO11 1AD\nRoom 706 is a heart-stopping\, deeply suspenseful\, original debut novel about an ordinary woman caught somewhere she shouldn't be when the worst happens. One that will linger long after you’ve turned the final page.\n\n‘Poignant\, immersive\, and utterly human\, I adored Room 706’ - Sarah Jessica Parker\nTickets: £10 / £8 (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\nEllie Levenson\n\n\nEllie Levenson is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared across many national newspapers and magazines. She lives in London with her family.\n\nellielevenson.com/about/\nRoom 706\n\n\nIf she knew it would end this way\, would it ever have begun?\n\nNobody knows she's checked into Room 706.\n\nCaught in the wrong place at precisely the worst time\, Kate must face the most confronting situation of her life - and discover what matters most - in this deeply suspenseful and thought-provoking debut novel.\n\nKate stretches her legs and turns on the TV while James washes away the traces of their morning. She watches in horror at the unfolding news: the hotel they are staying in has been taken under siege.\n\nShe should be making her way home\, working on appearing normal\, getting ready to re-enter family life with her loving husband Vic and their two adored children. Instead\, she is trapped somewhere she shouldn't be\, with a man she definitely doesn't love. How will she begin to tell Vic what she is doing here? If her body is found\, will it give up the secret of what she's been up to? She's been so careful hiding the evidence of her affair: write nothing down\, leave no trace. Will he begin to understand why?\n\nFor now\, Kate can only hide\, take a deep breath\, and reflect on the series of choices she's made that have brought her to this moment. What will her marriage and her life look like\, if she makes it out?\n\nRoom 706 is a heart-stopping\, original debut novel about an ordinary woman caught somewhere she shouldn't be when the worst happens. One that will linger long after you’ve turned the final page.\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n \nPraise for Room 706\n'A tense\, riveting read about the unpredictable ripple effects luck and choices can have'\n- Tracy Sierra\n\n'I could not stop reading'\n- Sarah Easter Collins\n\n'I devoured it... I haven't stopped thinking about it'\n- Jennie Godfrey\n\n'An ending that demands to be talked about'\n- Erin Kelly\n\n'Poignant\, heart-breaking and utterly human'\n- Joanna Cannon\n\n \n\n\n\n \nTony Fisher\n\n\nTony Fisher spent four decades behind the microphone\, keeping listeners company across the UK as a broadcaster and producer. From the BBC to commercial radio\, his voice has been heard in the North East\, Kent\, Surrey\, Sussex\, Essex\, Yorkshire and Worcestershire\, the latter also providing the backdrop for his debut novel\, Good Gone Bad.\n\nAn Honorary Doctor of the University of Essex and trustee of the Essex Book Festival\, Tony is also a self-confessed book addict\, devouring close to a hundred titles a year. He shares his passion through weekly book reviews on social media\, shining a light on authors from around the world and across every genre imaginable.\n\nHis debut novel\, Good Gone Bad\, introduces podcaster Danny Wade and the seemingly decent people who\, as Tony puts it\, have "done something bad." It's the first in what promises to be an addictive new thriller series.\n\nhttps://tonyfisherbooks.com/\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/room-706/
LOCATION:High Street\, Manningtree\, Essex\, CO11 1AD
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In Conversation
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ellie-Levenson-Room-706-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260618T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260618T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T133249
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T135013
UID:11680-1781776800-1781784000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Writing Buddy Meet Up
DESCRIPTION:Writing Buddy Meet Up\nLizzie Chantree and Chris Penhall\nThursday 18 June 2026\, 10.30am\nFête Grays Yard\, 10-13 Grays Brewery Yard\, Chelmsford\, CM2 6QR\nWhether you're a published author\, or a budding writer looking to kickstart your new hobby\, come and join international bestselling author Lizzie Chantree & award winning author Chris Penhall for a morning of writing in this FREE writing buddy session at Fête Grays Yard\, Chelmsford!\n\nThe aim of the session is to bring together likeminded people to write\, support and share creative ideas in a welcoming and relaxed environment. The morning will consist of two 30 minute writing sprints with a break to buy a coffee or two in between.\n\nWhy not join us to work on your novel/short story/flash fiction/play/screenplay/essay/memoir? Book your free place now!\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited so booking essential\nBox Office: exploretock.com/fetegraysyard/event/416782\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/writing-buddy-meet-up-5/
LOCATION:10-13 Grays Brewery Yard\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 6QR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:For Writers,FREE,Partner Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Writing-Buddies-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260618T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260618T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090046
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T161949
UID:11391-1781809200-1781812800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Shapeshifter's Daughter
DESCRIPTION:Sally Magnusson\nThe Shapeshifter's Daughter\n\nThursday 18 June\, 7.00pm\nRayleigh Library\, 132/4 High Street\, Rayleigh\, SS6 7BX\nCelebrate the joy of reclaiming our stories with best-selling author\, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson. The Shapeshifter's Daughter is a spellbinding feminist retelling of the Norse myth of Hel\, the Goddess of the Underworld\, set in the magical landscape of Orkney.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSally Magnusson\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11392" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Sally Magnusson © Derek Prescott[/caption]\n\n\n\nBestselling author\, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson has written several books for adults and children\, most recently her Sunday Times bestseller Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother's dementia\, The Sealwoman's Gift (2018)\, her acclaimed debut novel\, The Ninth Child (2020) and Music in the Dark (2022). Sally lives outside Glasgow.\n\n\nThe Shapeshifter's Daughter\n\n\nSelected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club Autumn Season 2025.\n\nThe spellbinding feminist retelling of the Norse myth of Hel\, the Goddess of the Underworld\, set in the magical landscape of Orkney\, from the Sunday Times bestselling author Sally Magnusson.\n\nNothing\, on earth or below it\, freezes faster than the worthless heart.\n\nBefore she was a hideous monster\, the queen of the underworld was simply Hel. But cast as a girl out of lofty Asgard\, realm of the gods\, by Odin the Allfather\, Hel's fate as the terrible goddess of death is sealed. Half beauty\, half crone\, she has reigned for aeons in the starless darkness of Niflheim\, grimly welcoming the most pitiful of death's travellers to her ice-locked prison. Until one day a memory shifts\, and she is forced to seek out the sun in Midgard\, where humans have made their home.\n\nFaced with a terminal cancer diagnosis\, Helen Firth makes the impulsive decision to return to Orkney after forty years to make peace with her past. Under the wintering solstice sun\, she reconnects with the ungainly but affable Thorfinn Coffin\, who helps her address the real reason she has returned to the islands to die.\n\nAs Helen draws closer to death and ever closer to Thorfinn\, Hel in turn is intrigued by Helen. She\, too\, has a past to confront and a lesson to learn: that perhaps who she thinks she is isn't who she is really meant to be.\n\nA powerful reimagining of the Norse myth of Hel\, The Shapeshifter's Daughter celebrates the joy of reclaiming our stories.\n\n \n\nOrder a hardback copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\nPre-order a paperback copy of the book from bookshop.org - released 04 June 2026.\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-shapeshifters-daughter/
LOCATION:132-134 High Street\, Rayleigh\, Essex\, SS6 7BX
CATEGORIES:Fiction,ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sally-Magnusson-The-Shapeshifters-Daughter-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T130000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260420T125216
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T125216
UID:11789-1781874000-1781884800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Murder in Season - Book Launch
DESCRIPTION:Book Launch - Murder in Season by Rosie Sandler\nCome and hear Rosie Sandler\, author of The Gardener Mysteries\nFriday 19 June\, 1.00pm - 4.00pm\nFrancis Way\, Silver End\, Essex\nRosie Sandler will be in conversation with Silver End Heritage Society secretary\, Jackie Nesbitt. They will discuss Rosie's latest book\, Murder in Season (new from Embla)\, set in a fictionalised version of Silver End garden village.\n\nFree to attend. No booking required. Refreshments available.\n\nRosie will be selling and signing copies of her book.\n\n~ Part of Silver End Heritage Centenary Celebrations ~\n\nAuthor photo by Kim Tobin\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/murder-in-season-book-launch/
LOCATION:Silver End\, Essex\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Partner Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://35.176.91.154/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Rosie-Sandler-Murder-in-Season-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T143000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T153000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090016
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T075238
UID:11395-1781879400-1781883000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Somewhere\, a Boy and a Bear
DESCRIPTION:Gyles Brandreth\nSomewhere\, a Boy and a Bear\n\nFriday 19 June 2026\, 2.30pm\nChelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\n2026 marks the centenary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh\, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.  Best-selling biographer Gyles Brandreth knew the real Christopher Robin and his new book is both an intimate and revealing biography of A A Milne (to whom there was so much more than Pooh) and a fascinating exploration of fathers and sons\, children and their parents and the nature of childhood itself.\n\n‘Gyles Brandreth has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart.’\n- The Times\n2026 is also the centenary of Elizabeth II.  Gyles Brandreth is also the author of the number one Sunday Times best seller Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait\, and the late Queen had a special interest in Winnie the Pooh which Gyles may be talking about too!\n\nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book can be ordered online from Chelmsford Cathedral. Copies of the book will also be available to buy at the event.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event - cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n💬 There will be live subtitles by Stagetext for this event.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGyles Brandreth\n\nGyles Brandreth has been fascinated by the world of Winnie-the-Pooh since he was a small boy being brought up in London a few streets away from the house of Pooh’s creator\, A A Milne. In the 1980s Gyles began researching the life of A A Milne and became friends with Milne’s only son\, the real Christopher Robin. That friendship has led to this book. And to his surprise\, the research for the book has led him to Jamaica and the USA\, as well as Buckingham Palace and the Ashdown Forest.\n\nGyles Brandreth’s best-selling books include biographies of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip\, as well as the actor Sir John Gielgud and the Victorian music-hall star\, Dan Leno. He is the author of seven Victorian murder mysteries (featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle as his detectives)\, two volumes of diaries and an acclaimed childhood memoir\, Odd Boy Out.\n\nAs well as a writer\, he is a broadcaster\, podcaster\, trustee of The Queen’s Reading Room charity\, former MP\, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury\, and Chancellor of the University of Chester\, probably best known for his appearances on shows like Just a Minute\, Countdown\, QI\, Celebrity Gogglebox\, Would I Lie to You? and This Morning.\n\nAs an actor he has appeared as Malvolio in Twelfth Night\, Claudius in Hamlet and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. Since 2017 he has been appearing on stage with Dame Judi Dench in a show celebrating her life and on tour throughout the country with his own one-man show. An award-winning podcaster\, he hosts the multi-million-download Top Ten podcast Rosebud exploring the first memories and childhoods of remarkable people.\n\nWebsite: www.gylesbrandreth.net\n\n\n\nSomewhere\, a Boy and a Bear: A Biography of A A Milne\, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh\n\n\nGyles Brandreth both explores - and explains - the phenomenon of Winnie-the-Pooh and tells the remarkable story of A A Milne\, a playwright\, a crime writer\, a poet\, a polemicist and humorist.\n\nWhen Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared in print on Christmas Eve 1925\, his creator had no idea that this bear\, and the fellow inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood\, would go on to capture the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world for the next hundred years.\n\nIn this new biography Gyles Brandreth tells the remarkable story of A A Milne – and of the ‘bear of very little brain’ who went on to become a global phenomenon.\n\nDrawing on his friendship with Milne’s son\, the real Christopher Robin\, Gyles Brandreth has produced a revealing and intimate portrait of a prolific author whose legacy came to be defined by his most famous creation\, and of the divided Milne family who for many years had a conflicted relationship with the iconic bear.\n\nThis is the story of a man\, a boy and a bear - but it is also a gripping family drama\, and a fascinating exploration of the complicated nature of growing up\, and the impossible longing for a return to the enchanted places of childhood.\n\nOrder a copy of the book for £19.50 (RRP £25.00) from Chelmsford Cathedral.\n\n \n\nA Compelling Storyteller\n\nAs a royal biographer\, the author of a Sunday Times bestselling poetry anthology and as the nation’s greatly loved broadcaster\, Gyles Brandreth is the ultimate author to tell the tale of Winnie-the-Pooh and the man behind the iconic bear. Brandreth is also the founder of the award winning teddy bear museum at Newby Hall\, The Bear House\n\nUnrivalled Access\n\nIn the 1980s Gyles Brandreth wrote a play about the Milne family during which became friends with the real Christopher Robin and his wife\, Lesley\, and began to discover the complex story of Christopher Robin’s parents\n\nCentenary Publication\n\nThe book will coincide with Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday - for which Gyles has campaigned to have Christopher Robbin’s original childhood toys to be returned to England from the New York Public Library\n\nExciting and Diverse Characters\n\nWith an extraordinary cast list (including Winston Churchill\, Elizabeth II and Walt Disney)\, love affairs and litigation\, idyllic games of Pooh sticks and heart-rending family rifts\, this is the remarkable story of one of Britain’s most brilliant yet least known writers and of his most famous creation.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/somewhere-a-boy-and-a-bear/
LOCATION:New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260619T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260331T144345
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T072519
UID:11734-1781895600-1781901000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:An Author’s Journey – An Interactive Workshop
DESCRIPTION:An Author’s Journey – An Interactive Workshop\nMark Butterworth\nFriday 19 June 2026\, 7.00pm - 8.30pm (arrival from 6.45pm)\nPatch\, Grays Brewery Yard\, Springfield Road\, Chelmsford\, CM2 6QR\nJoin author Mark Butterworth for this fun\, interactive talk and workshop – An Author’s Journey. Aimed at all those who enjoy reading and writing\, during this hour and a half session\, Mark will share his experiences of an early interest in books to becoming a published author\, and how writing a book – whether it’s fiction\, history\, poetry\, memoir – is something anyone can do. Mark will be discussing and answering questions on all his work\, and in particular his latest novel\, Readymoney Cove.\n\nTickets: £10\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nThe evening session will cover the following:\nCreative inspiration / The process of writing / Research and building engaging characters / The role of literary agents and routes to publication / Developing your creativity.\nIncludes a free notebook and pen to get you started!\n\n \nAbout the Author:\nMark Butterworth was born in West London and has lived in Chelmsford for over 30 years. Travelling widely on holidays and business\, often the two combined\, Mark developed an appreciation of the Far East\, Australasia\, North America and the Caribbean\, and especially Cornwall. Many of these locations feature in his books. Mark enjoys reading (mainly historical fiction and crime novels)\, running\, golf and salsa dancing. Mark has two grown-up daughters and a Springer Spaniel called Arthur.\n\nRead more about Mark and his writing at markbutterworthauthor.co.uk.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/an-authors-journey-an-interactive-workshop/
LOCATION:Springfield Road\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 6QR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260620
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260620
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326
UID:11686-1781913600-1781999999@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Walk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz
DESCRIPTION:Walk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz\nEssex Writers House\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\nJoin artist Lora Aziz exploring the Prittlewell Greenway through landscape\, observation and language. How can we pull inspiration from the backstreet places and welcome in wonders we might pass every day?\n\nWalk a familiar pathway and discover new perspective through storytelling\, local histories\, layers of intuitive plant knowledge\, and creative encounters with place.\n\nTogether we’ll slow down and tune into what is often passed by\, from tree canopies to plants pushing through tarmac to running water sources\, fragments of story held in hedgerows\, footpaths and back lanes.\n\nThrough guided prompts\, gentle conversation and nature journalling\, we’ll explore how memory\, ecology and imagination intertwine through sensory mapping and writing\, letting language and symbols move as freely as the landscape itself.\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, includes packed lunch and transport. Places limited\, booking essential\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/walk-and-explore-prittlewell-greenway-with-lora-aziz/
LOCATION:Essex
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,FREE,Guided Walk
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090025
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T093419
UID:11615-1781949600-1781987400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Clacton Rocks!
DESCRIPTION:Clacton Rocks!\nSaturday 20 June 2026\nEssex Book Festival is teaming up with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Clacton Arts Centre to host 'Clacton Rocks'\, a day of fun activities on Saturday 20 June across Clacton including Eco-workshops\, The Human Library\, Stand up For Diversity Clacton\, and Art:Up Poetry Open Mic.\n\n \n\n\n\n\nBSL Signed Know your Beach Workshop\nSeaside Explorer’s Libby Scarfe\n10.00am - 12.00pm\nClacton Beach\, meet by Clacton Pier\n\n\nJoin Seaside Explorers on Clacton beach to explore the local habitat. We’ll be looking for treasures that the seaside has to offer to inspire some creative art from around the world. And\, of course\, there will also be some time for a story and maybe some marine mischief!\n\nStories and songs will be BSL interpreted.\n\nSuits ages 5-11 but everybody welcome!\n\nTickets: £3 per young person. Accompanying adult free.\nBook tickets: https://BSLknowyourbeach.eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nThis event is part of The Young Ones project which is supported by Essex County Council’s Cultural Development Project Fund\, to support the growth of cultural venues and organisations that bring culture to the heart of communities in Essex.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \nBeach Hut Storytelling\nMer Richardson\n10.00am - 2.00pm\nCVST beach hut- just along from Toby Carvery\, Clacton-on-Sea.\n\n\nFrom farm boggarts to funny fairies come and join local Storyteller Mer Richardson weaving warm tales connecting us to the world. Family friendly. Free. Drop in from 10-2pm.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \nThe Human Library - Clacton\nunjudge someone\n11.00am - 3.00pm\nCVS Tendring\, Sam’s Hall\, Imperial House\, 20-22 Rosemary Road\, Clacton-on-Sea\, CO15 1NZ\n\n\nThe Human Library is coming to Clacton!\n\nJust 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.\n\nBooks in our Human Library come from all walks of life\, and each has an experience to share. Come along\, connect with people you wouldn’t normally meet\, and celebrate positive differences in our communities.\n\nTickets: Free\, no booking required. Drop in anytime between 11am and 3pm.\nCold and hot drinks will be available to purchase as part of the event.\n\nFind out more including how to become a human book at essexcdp.com/event/human-library-clacton/.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \nThe Young Ones Eco-Workshops\n12.00pm - 3.00pm\nClacton Library\, Station Road (opposite the Town Hall)\, Clacton-on-Sea\, CO15 1SF\n[caption id="attachment_11863" align="alignnone" width="300"] Wise Ram workshop credit Lorna Powell[/caption]\n\nJoin in the fun with these free interactive workshops.\n\nWrite a Letter to the Future which will become part of a county-wide children's zine.\n\n \n\nThe Vanishing Lake with Wise Ram Theatre - Wise Ram Theatre will be running a free\, family friendly drop-in activity at Clacton Library. All are welcome for fun creative activities\, from drawing characters\, doing crafts and playing games. By taking part you will help create a new fantasy adventure show called 'The Vanishing Lake'.\n\nWise Ram Theatre is a theatre company based in Harwich making theatre with humour\, heart and nerve. In 2025 they delivered a Eco-Theatre workshop for Manifesto4Essex in Colchester and family workshops at Essex Green Weekend. Read more on their website wiseramtheatre.co.uk or follow on social media @wiseramtheatre.\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, drop-in\, no booking required\n\nThis event is part of The Young Ones project which is supported by Essex County Council’s Cultural Development Project Fund\, to support the growth of cultural venues and organisations that bring culture to the heart of communities in Essex.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCreative Wellbeing Workshop\nMer Richardson\n2.30pm - 3.30pm\nClacton Art Gallery\, Rosemary Road\n\n\nBefriending Your Thoughts To Change Your World.\n\nCreative wellbeing workshop by local wellbeing coach and storyteller Mer Richardson. Learn how to rewire your brain and make personalised oyster shell decoupage affirmations.\n\nTickets: Free - donations welcome\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \nArt:Up! Homecoming Poetry Reading And Open Mic\n4.00pm - 6.00pm\nReuby's Salt Beef and Cheesecake Bar\, 66-68 Rosemary Rd\, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1TE\n[caption id="attachment_11550" align="alignnone" width="221"] Art Up photo credit Christian Leppich[/caption]\n\nJoin The Art:UP! This collaborative poetry project launched in the 2025 Essex Book Festival\, and has seen more than fifty poets from across Essex get together and share new poetry.\nThe final instalment of this year’s project is on the topic 'Homecoming'.\n\nYou can get involved by:\nsigning up to write something new with a partner\,\nwriting your own poem on the theme\,\nor just coming along to support diverse voices from around the county.\n\nThis project is lead by The University of Essex\, Essex Book Festival\, Waxes Lyrical in Chelmsford\, PoetryPlus in Manningtree and Clacton’s own Boho Banter.\n\nWe actively encourage new and neurodivergent writers to participate in this project.\n\nTo find out more\, email Dr Jordan Savage: jksava@essex.ac.uk\, or find us on insta: art_up_poetry\n\nTickets: Free\, booking recommended\nBox Office: artupclacton.eventbrite.co.uk\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStand Up For Diversity Clacton\n6.30pm - 8.30pm\nReuby's Salt Beef and Cheesecake Bar\, 66-68 Rosemary Rd\, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1TE\n\n\nYou are invited to an evening of three-minute mini-talks and short shout-outs\, bringing together those who want to champion diversity in Clacton.\n\nCome along to make new connections\, explore the transformative power of creativity\, and collectively celebrate diverse voices involved in the arts and in our communities. All welcome.\n\nTickets: Free\, booking recommended\nBox Office: su4d-clacton.eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \nAttila the Stockbroker\nPunk poet\, multi instrumentalist musician and songwriter\, Attila the Stockbroker will be performing in the evening at The Robert Burre.\n\nAddress: The Robert Burre\, 183 Burrs Rd\, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 4LH\n\n \n\n\nWatch this space for more details to come.\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/clacton-rocks/
LOCATION:Clacton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO15 1TE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260402T152111
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T102600
UID:11749-1781949600-1781971200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Short Story Studio - One Day Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Short Story Studio\nOne Day Workshop\nFor teens & young adults\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 10.00am - 4.00pm\nThe Village Hub\, London Road\, Leigh-on-Sea\nWhat you will learn:\n🌟 Create a strong character\n🌟Build a clear beginning\, middle\, and end\n🌟 Keep a story moving with pace\n🌟 Avoid rambling and strengthen structure\n🌟 Use genre techniques for suspense\, horror\, thriller\, or romance\n\nEvery attendee will become a published author!\n\nTickets: £90 - option to pay in instalments. This price includes the costs for creating and publishing the book at a later stage.\n\nFor booking & more information email: fam@glamgirlmedia.com\n\nA six week course of workshops will also be taking place during the summer holidays starting in July. For details email fam@glamgirlmedia.com.\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/short-story-studio-one-day-workshop/
LOCATION:861 London Road\, Leigh-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 9SZ
CATEGORIES:For Writers,Partner Event,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T123000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260415T084520
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T084816
UID:11773-1781949600-1781958600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Thurrock Local Authors Fair
DESCRIPTION:Thurrock Local Authors Fair\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 10.00am - 12.30pm\nGrays Central Library\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, RM17 5DX\nDiscover the rich wealth of local writing as Thurrock Libraries celebrates authors and poets from across the borough. Discuss writing\, discover author stories\, learn creative writing tips\, and browse their books to buy and take home.\n\nTickets: Free\, no booking required.\nEmail libraries@thurrock.gov.uk for further details\n\n \n\nThe date of this event has changed since first advertised\, from Saturday 13 June to Saturday 20 June. All other details remain the same.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/thurrock-local-authors-fair-4/
LOCATION:Thameside Complex\, Orsett Road\, Grays\, Thurrock\, Essex\, RM17 5DX
CATEGORIES:FREE
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260513T112959
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T112959
UID:11875-1781949600-1781956800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Know your Beach Workshop - BSL Signed
DESCRIPTION:Know your Beach Workshop - BSL Signed\nSeaside Explorers - Libby Scarfe\nSaturday 20 June\, 10.00am - 12.00pm\nJoin Seaside Explorers on Clacton beach to explore the local habitat. We’ll be looking for treasures that the seaside has to offer to inspire some creative art from around the world. And\, of course\, there will also be some time for a story and maybe some marine mischief!\n\nStorytelling and songs will be BSL interpreted.\n\nSuits ages 5-11 but everybody welcome!\n\nLocation: Clacton Beach\, meet by Clacton Pier\nTickets: £3 per young person. Accompanying adult free.\nBook tickets: https://BSLknowyourbeach.eventbrite.co.uk\n\nAll those aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Accompanying adult free. Accompanying adult does not need a ticket.\n\n \n\nPart of Clacton Rocks!\nEssex Book Festival is teaming up with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Clacton Arts Centre to host ‘Clacton Rocks’\, a day of fun activities on Saturday 20 June across Clacton including Eco-workshops\, The Human Library\, Stand up For Diversity Clacton\, and Art:Up Poetry Open Mic.\n\nhttps://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/clacton-rocks/\n\n\n\nThis event is part of The Young Ones project which is supported by Essex County Council’s Cultural Development Project Fund\, to support the growth of cultural venues and organisations that bring culture to the heart of communities in Essex. Essex is home to a thriving and diverse cultural sector\, ranging from artist studios and makerspaces to museums\, theatres\, and grassroots arts organisations. These hubs reflect the rich tapestry of creative activity flourishing across Essex.– we’re proud to be a part of that story.\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/know-your-beach-workshop-bsl-signed/
LOCATION:Near Clacton Pier\, Clacton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO15 1FS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Manifesto For Essex,Workshop,Young Essex
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260417T091919
LAST-MODIFIED:20260417T091958
UID:11780-1781953200-1781967600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Human Library - Clacton
DESCRIPTION:The Human Library - Clacton\nunjudge someone\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 11.00am - 3.00pm\nVenue: CVS Tendring\, Sam’s Hall\, Imperial House\, 20-22 Rosemary Road\, Clacton-on-Sea\, CO15 1NZ\nThe Human Library is coming to Clacton!\n\nJust 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.\n\nBooks in our Human Library come from all walks of life\, and each has an experience to share. Come along\, connect with people you wouldn’t normally meet\, and celebrate positive differences in our communities.\n\nThe Human Library is part of Clacton Rocks! a day of talks\, drop-in events and family activities taking place across the town as part of Essex Book Festival 2026.\n\nTickets: Free\, no booking required. Drop in anytime between 11am and 3pm.\nCold and hot drinks will be available to purchase as part of the event.\n\n\n\n \n\n\nWant to be Human Book ?\nDo you defy a stereotype? Are you like an open book and do you have valuable experiences that readers could benefit from learning about? Are you motivated to help challenge stigma and stereotypes through dialogue and personal conversations? Then maybe we can publish you to our readers.\n\nThe Human Library Organisation is always looking for Human books for future events\, building up a network of local organisers and book depots around the world\, that not only recycle Human Books\, but also ensure they are well kept in between events.\n\nBeing a book in the Human Library is more than you expect and something you will never forget. It is also an opportunity to meet a lot of people that are different from you and yet you will find you share a lot in common.\n\nSound interesting and exciting? Then contact Jo on jo@essexcdp.com for a chat\, or fill in the online form at the Human Library Organisation’s website.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-human-library-clacton/
LOCATION:Sam’s Hall\, Imperial House\, 20-22 Rosemary Road\, Clacton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO15 1NZ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090022
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T110956
UID:11399-1781964000-1781967600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Anywhere But Here
DESCRIPTION:Nicola Kelly\nAnywhere But Here\nSaturday 20 June\, 2.00pm\nChelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today. With unique and unparalleled access\, award-winning journalist and former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond.\n\nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book can be ordered online from Chelmsford Cathedral. Copies of the book will also be available to buy at the event.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event - cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNicola Kelly\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11400" align="alignnone" width="240"] Photo of Nicola Kelly © Alice Zoo[/caption]\n\n\n\nNicola Kelly is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer focused on UK immigration and asylum. Her reporting regularly appears in the Guardian\, Observer\, Independent\, OpenDemocracy and elsewhere. Before moving into journalism\, she worked as a diplomat for the Foreign\, Commonwealth and Development Office\, with postings in Brussels and Istanbul. Later\, she moved to the Home Office\, working in their press office\, before leaving the civil service during the rollout of the hostile environment policy. Her reporting has been referenced in several legal challenges against Conservative Home Secretaries\, as well as submissions and human rights reports.\n\n \n\nBluesky: @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social\n\nX: @NicolaKelly\n\n\n\n\nAnywhere But Here: Stories of the Search for Belonging in Modern Britain\n\n\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today.\n\nLonglisted for the 2025 Moore Prize for Human Rights\n\nWhat is it like to arrive on our shores with nothing and to be pushed to the margins?\n\n\n'Brilliant and hugely timely.'\n- Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n'Will ignite both your compassion and your rage.'\n- Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\nEach year tens of thousands of people risk their lives to cross the Channel in small boats hoping to find safety in Britain. Yet the very system designed to protect them has all but collapsed.\n\nWith unique and unparalleled access\, award-winning journalist and former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond.\n\nHere we meet the under-resourced coastguard overseeing search and rescue operations. The decision-makers hired from fast food outlets to conduct 'life and death' asylum interviews. The immigration barristers securing last-minute reprieves for deportees. The people rioting outside asylum hotels because 'nobody is listening'. And we step inside the Home Office corridors as ministers and advisors respond to emerging crises and scandals\, from Windrush and Rwanda to the ‘one in; one out’ policy.\n\nSituated on the beaches and the ports\, in the hotels\, the courtrooms and the detention centres where futures unfold\, these are the extraordinary stories of struggle\, survival and hope that come in the search for belonging in Britain today.\n\n‘Puts the stories of displaced people front and centre.’\n- The Herald\nBuy a copy of the book from Chelmsford Cathedral\n\nPraise for Anywhere But Here\n\n‘A tour de force of reporting\, a harrowing tale of human experience and a devastating indictment of serial failures by Britain’s political class. With her roadmap for reform\, Nicola Kelly’s book should be required reading for every incoming Home Secretary.’\n- Ben Rawlence\, author of City of Thorns\n\n\n‘Sharing the powerful human stories behind the statistics\, Kelly shines an unflinching spotlight on the scale of injustice and incompetence at the heart of Britain’s broken asylum system … Beautifully written\, bold and brave\, Anywhere But Here … should be on every desk not just in the Home Office\, but throughout government.'\n- Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n\n‘A stunning expose of the UK's broken asylum system … This book will ignite both your compassion and your rage.'\n- Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\n\n‘An urgent and searing expose of the British immigration system and its failings\, Anywhere But Here draws from a range of eyewitness accounts from refugees\, politicians\, coastguards\, and more to reveal the full extent of the injustices and tragedies of the small boat crisis.’\n- Waterstones\n\n\n‘Kelly’s book\, Anywhere But Here\, brings such a human and humane perspective to an issue that is politicised and toxic.’\n- The Guardian\n\n\n‘Kelly remains poised\, articulate and informed by exhaustive knowledge. Above all\, to read Anywhere But Here is to follow her in the search for justice.'\n- New Statesman\n\n\n‘A deeply reported\, richly textured expose... This isn’t just a story about how Britain’s asylum system fails those it is supposed to protect\, it’s a vital account of how a broken system fails all of us.’\n- Peter Geoghegan\, author of Democracy for Sale\n\n\n'Reporting the subject of asylum\, and telling the stories of those who try to claim it\, is essential work\, but in Kelly's hands it is also elegant\, gripping and lucid … This is a remarkably human book.'\n- Sophie Elmhirst\, author of Maurice and Maralyn (winner of the Costa Book Award)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/anywhere-but-here/
LOCATION:New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,Non-fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T160000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260327T124128
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T124128
UID:11703-1781964000-1781971200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Writing with Images
DESCRIPTION:Writing with Images\nPenny Simpson and Ania Ready\n\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 2:00 - 4:00pm\nRoom 1.02 North Teaching Centre\, University of Essex\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ\n\nIn this creative writing workshop\, fiction writer Penny Simpson and photo-artist Ania Ready will guide you to explore ways of writing about characters whose lives are not fixed in one place. You will learn new approaches to writing through playful experiment with text and image.\n\nThe workshop will take inspiration from the poetry and short stories of Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska (1872-1925) held in the Special Collections in the Library at the University\, and from Ania’s process of ‘re-enactment’ which she used to create a series of black and white photographs re-imagining Sophie’s life.\n\nThe workshop is free and is open to writers of all levels and suitable for ages 16+.\n\nTo book your free place\, please email: pcsimp@essex.ac.uk.\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/writing-with-images/
LOCATION:Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO4 3SQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Partner Event,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T160000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T180000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090037
LAST-MODIFIED:20260417T092148
UID:11548-1781971200-1781978400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Art:Up! Homecoming Poetry Reading And Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Art:Up! Homecoming Poetry Reading And Open Mic\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 4.00pm - 6.00pm\nReuby's Salt Beef and Cheesecake Bar\, 66-68 Rosemary Rd\, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1TE\nJoin The Art:UP! This collaborative poetry project launched at the 2025 Essex Book Festival\, and has seen more than fifty poets from across Essex get together and share new poetry.\n\nThe final instalment of this year’s project is on the topic 'Homecoming'.\n\nYou can get involved by:\nsigning up to write something new with a partner\,\nwriting your own poem on the theme\,\nor just coming along to support diverse voices from around the county.\n\nThis project is lead by The University of Essex\, Essex Book Festival\, Waxes Lyrical in Chelmsford\, PoetryPlus in Manningtree and Clacton’s own Boho Banter.\n\nWe actively encourage new and neurodivergent writers to participate in this project.\n\n \n\nTickets: Free\, booking recommended\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\nTo find out more\, email Dr Jordan Savage: jksava@essex.ac.uk\, or find us on insta: art_up_poetry\n\n \nPart of Clacton Rocks!\nEssex Book Festival is teaming up with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Clacton Arts Centre to host Clacton Rocks! a 1-day (and night) programme of events\, including Stand up For Diversity; Performance poet Atilla the Stockbroker; The Human Library; Art:Up Poetry Open Mic; Storytelling and Workshops. Visit essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/clacton-rocks/ for details.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/artup-homecoming-poetry-reading-and-open-mic/
LOCATION:66-68 Rosemary Road\, Clacton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO15 1TE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Open Mic,Poetry
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T183000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090035
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T173617
UID:11552-1781980200-1781987400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Stand Up For Diversity Clacton
DESCRIPTION:Stand Up For Diversity Clacton\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 6.30pm - 8.30pm\nReuby's Salt Beef and Cheesecake Bar\, 66-68 Rosemary Rd\, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 1TE\nIn partnership with Essex Cultural Diversity Project.\n\nYou are invited to an evening of three-minute mini-talks and short shout-outs\, bringing together those who want to champion diversity in Clacton.\n\nCome along to make new connections\, explore the transformative power of creativity\, and collectively celebrate diverse voices involved in the arts and in our communities. All welcome.\n\nTickets: Free\, places are limited so booking is essential.\nBox Office: Eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \nPart of Clacton Rocks!\nEssex Book Festival is teaming up with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Clacton Arts Centre to host 'Clacton Rocks'\, a day of fun activities on Saturday 20 June across Clacton including The Human Library\, Stand up For Diversity Clacton\, and Art:Up Poetry Open Mic. Visit essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/clacton-rocks/ for details.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/stand-up-for-diversity-7/
LOCATION:66-68 Rosemary Road\, Clacton-on-Sea\, Essex\, CO15 1TE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260620T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T143214
LAST-MODIFIED:20260515T121023
UID:11689-1781982000-1781985600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Essex Ways: Film screening at Chalkwell Hall
DESCRIPTION:The Essex Ways: Film screening at Chalkwell Hall\nSaturday 20 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Park\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\nDiscover the many ways of Essex with a screening of ‘The Essex Ways’\, a feature length documentary by filmmaker Thomas Winward.\n\nThe film follows Essex-born storyteller James Lawrence on an epic 400km walking journey around the county to discover its places\, people and stories. Over 21 days\, James adventures through rural Essex from Epping to Harwich\, and then down the coast to Tilbury Docks. Along the way\, he explores the many beautiful natural landscapes of Essex\, while delving into the history\, folklore and stereotypes that make Essex the fascinating county it is today. Expect thrills\, chills\, myths\, modern retellings of 2000 years of history\, and a lot of love for trees and mud.\n\nAfter the film\, there will be an open Q&A with James Lawrence\, who will answer questions about the walk and project.\n\nTickets: £10\nBook tickets: dandelion.events/e/r31nb\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-essex-ways-film-screening-at-chalkwell-hall/
LOCATION:Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Film
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260621
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260621
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326
UID:11690-1782000000-1782086399@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Walk and talk around Canvey Wick with Man About Country
DESCRIPTION:Walk and talk around Canvey Wick with Man About Country\nSunday 21 June 2026\, time TBC\nMeeting point: TBC\nJoin James Lawrence\, AKA Man About Country\, for a special guided walk around Canvey Wick\, one of Essex’s (and England’s) most fascinating nature reserves. In this brownfield rainforest you'll discover wildlife\, hear stories from over 2\,000 years of Canvey Island history\, and explore how these incredible places can supercharge your creative practice in unexpected ways.\n\nTickets: £10 includes packed lunch\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/walk-and-talk-around-canvey-wick-with-man-about-country/
LOCATION:Essex
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,Guided Walk
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260623T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260623T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090004
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091641
UID:11403-1782241200-1782244800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Boleyn Secret
DESCRIPTION:Alison Weir\nThe Boleyn Secret\nTuesday 23 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nEssex Record Office\, Wharf Road\, Chelmsford\, CM2 6YT\nSunday Times best-selling historical novelist Alison Weir gives a talk about her spellbinding new novel\, The Boleyn Secret. At twelve years old\, Kate Carey attends her aunt\, Queen Anne Boleyn\, to the scaffold. Weir explores in fiction the lasting impact of this event as well as the likelihood that Katherine Carey was Henry VIII’s child.\n\n'Nobody brings historical characters to life like Alison Weir’\n- Tracy Borman\nTickets: £12 / £10\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event - cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlison Weir\n\n\nDr Alison Weir is a bestselling historical novelist of Tudor fiction\, and the leading female historian in the United Kingdom. She has published more than thirty books\, including many leading works of non-fiction\, and has sold over three million copies worldwide. Her novels include the Tudor Rose trilogy\, which spans three generations of history's most iconic family - the Tudors\, and the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII\, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Her latest biography is Queens at War\, and her latest novel is The Boleyn Secret (May 2026). Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.\n\nFor further information visit Alison’s websites at alisonweir.org.uk and alisonweirtours.com.\n\nFind Alison online:\n\nX: @AlisonWeirBooks | FB: Alison Weir\n\n\n\nThe Boleyn Secret\n\n\nBoleyn women. Passionate. Legendary. Full of secrets. This is the spellbinding new novel from Sunday Times bestselling novelist Alison Weir.\n\nAt twelve years old\, Kate Carey attends her aunt\, Queen Anne Boleyn\, to the scaffold. Horrified by what she witnesses\, Kate is convinced that King Henry VIII has sent an innocent woman to a terrible death.\n\nAs the Boleyn’s fall from favour\, Kate serves her now motherless cousin\, the young Lady Elizabeth. Bound by Boleyn blood\, the two girls grow as close as sisters\, until Kate marries for love - and leaves a jealous Elizabeth behind.\n\nAt court\, Kate cannot ignore the sly looks thrown her way\, nor the whispers behind her back. Only when her mother\, Mary\, lies dying\, does she learn the life-shattering truth that the Boleyn’s have been hiding for years.\n\nIt is a secret that will follow Kate throughout her life\, as she flees religious persecution with her husband and lives abroad in fear\, only returning home when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again...\n\nOrder a hardback copy of the book at bookshop.org.\n\n\n\nPraise for Alison Weir's Tudor Fiction\n\n'History has the best stories and they should all be told like this'\n- Conn Iggulden\n\n'Alison Weir is ahead of the curve - and at the top of her game'\n- Sarah Gristwood\n\n'Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else'\n- Barbara Erskine\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-boleyn-secret/
LOCATION:Wharf Road\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 6YT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Historical Fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260623T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260623T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090024
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091659
UID:11408-1782241200-1782244800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Based on a True Story
DESCRIPTION:Sarah Vaughan\nBased on a True Story\nTuesday 23 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nChelmsford Library\, County Hall\, Market Road\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1QH\nSarah Vaughan\, million copy best-selling author of Anatomy of a Scandal\, talks about her latest ‘utterly addictive’ thriller\, Based on a True Story - a compelling novel about power\, money and lies. A famed children’s author summons her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs but on the eve of a lavish party someone threatens to expose the lie she’s kept up for over half a century.\n\n'Wholly absorbing and utterly addictive\, with that perfect blend of twisty plot and stunning prose that readers have come to expect from Sarah Vaughan. One of my favourite books of the year'\n- Andrea Mara\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSarah Vaughan\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11409" align="alignnone" width="200"] Photo of Sarah Vaughan © Johnny Ring[/caption]\n\n\n\nBrought up in Devon\, Sarah Vaughan read English at Oxford and went on to become a journalist. After training at the Press Association\, she spent eleven years at the Guardian as a news reporter\, political correspondent and health correspondent\, before leaving to freelance and write fiction. Her previous novels include Anatomy of a Scandal\, an instant international bestseller translated into 22 languages and adapted for a major Netflix series in 2022. Sarah’s fourth novel Little Disasters has recently come to screen starring Diane Kruger\, airing on Paramount+ in 2025. Based on a True Story is Sarah’s sixth novel\, publishing in March 2026.\n\n\nBased on a True Story\n\n\nThe major new release from Sarah Vaughan\, million copy bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal.\n\nAll families tell stories. And some of them tell lies...\n\nGenerations of children have grown up with Dame Eleanor Kingman’s stories. Her status as the country’s best-loved storyteller is unrivalled. But now it is under attack\, because whilst her fans regard her as a national treasure\, someone seems to know the truth about who she really is…\n\nEleanor is turning seventy and marking the occasion with a beautiful party at her new clifftop Cornish home. A retrospective television documentary has been commissioned to commemorate her\, whilst the great and the good from the literary world will be there to toast her success. But as her three daughters and her many friends gather\, alongside shadowy characters from her past (and present)\, the stories Eleanor has been telling for decades about her own life and family begin to feel less and less convincing.\n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n'I absolutely devoured this book. A predictably gripping read by one of the masters of the genre. I can completely see this stunning book as a mini-series… An absolute triumph. Hooked all the way to that thrilling end. And what a master stroke misdirection!'\n- Imran Mahmood\n\n\n\n'Smartly plotted and wickedly fun; the secrets and revelations just keep coming.'\n- Clare Fuller\n\n\n‘A juicy\, atmospheric and unpredictable family thriller which employs both schadenfreude and empathy to have the reader switching sides with every chapter.’\n- Erin Kelly\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/based-on-a-true-story/
LOCATION:County Hall\, Market Road\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1QH
CATEGORIES:Thriller
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260624T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260624T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260327T113524
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T113607
UID:11691-1782327600-1782333000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Writing and the Power of Language: Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Addeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha
DESCRIPTION:Writing and the Power of Language: In conversation with Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Addeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\nWednesday 24 June 2026\, 7.00pm - 8.30pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\nIn partnership with National Centre for Writing\n\nJoin us for an evening with the National Centre for Writing’s Escalator Writers Emily Abdeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\, in conversation with award-winning author Camilla Balshaw about writing and the power of language\, with discussion rooted in cultural histories\, oppression and identity.\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential\n\nBook tickets: eventbrite booking link coming soon - keep an eye out on Metal website\, socials and newsletter for updates.\nThe panel:\nCamilla Balshaw is an award-winning author. She has been published in numerous journals\, and her essays have featured in the Guardian\, Therapy Today and the Observer. Camilla’s debut memoir\, Named: A Story of Names and Reclaiming Who We Are (2025)\, has been described by Diana Evans as a ‘valuable meditation on the origins of what we call ourselves\, packed full of rich storytelling’ and by Bonnie Burke-Patel as an ‘utterly fascinating\, insightful and meaningful memoir.’ In 2025\, Named won the best Memoir & Biography category in the East Anglian Book Awards.\n\nNamed is a fascinating exploration of names\, global naming conventions and identity politics woven into a moving\, personal narrative about the finding of family and self. At the intersection of memoir and social and cultural history it is a truly fascinating book about the seemingly ordinary and every day.\n\nEmily Abdeni-Holman was raised in England and Lebanon\, and is particularly interested in crossing-points\, of identities\, languages\, and places. She enjoys experimenting with different kinds of style and form and is currently working on a couple of projects: a collection of short stories\, mostly converging around Lebanon; and a more hybrid work about Arab-European identity\, pre- and post-October 2023.\n\nHer first book\, Body Tectonic\, on Lebanon’s socioeconomic crisis\, is an experiment in approaching structural disaster through poetry (Broken Sleep Books\, 2024). In 2025\, she was one of five writers shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award.\n\nBoakye D. Alpha is a Ghanaian interdisciplinary creative whose works include poetry\, prose\, screenplays\, creative nonfiction\, and filmmaking. His writing has appeared in Lolwe\, The Shallow Tales Review\, and elsewhere. In 2025\, his short story was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Although a versatile writer\, his heart lies in literary fiction\, and continues to explore experimental\, layered narratives that provoke reflection on society and the experiences of underrepresented voices.\n\nHis work in progress explores the reality for some women in Ghana who endure violence and systemic oppression rooted in superstition. Through intergenerational narratives\, the novel exposes the haunting effects of gendered violence.\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/writing-and-the-power-of-language-camilla-balshaw-emily-addeni-holman-and-boakye-d-alpha/
LOCATION:Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,FREE,In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260624T193000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260624T203000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090011
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091807
UID:11413-1782329400-1782333000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:From Bombay to Bond\, via a Small Town Killing
DESCRIPTION:Vaseem Khan\nFrom Bombay to Bond\, via a Small Town Killing\n\nWednesday 24 June\, 7.30pm\nColchester Library\, Trinity Square\, Colchester\, CO1 1JB\nBestselling crime fiction author Vaseem Khan takes us on an exhilarating journey from the post-Independence complexities of his Malabar House novels - the latest of which\, The Edge of Darkness\, involves a locked-room mystery in India's northeastern jungle - to contemporary Britain's MI6 and the exploits of James Bond and Q.\n\nHe will take a detour via his standalone thriller The Girl in Cell A\, immersing us in a claustrophobic small American town replete with dark secrets. And his new series featuring Q\, beginning with Quantum of Menace\, brings to life one of spy fiction's most iconic characters - but who was the real Q?\n\n \n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVaseem Khan\n\n\nVaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India and the upcoming Quantum of Menace\, the first in a series featuring Q from the James Bond franchise.\n\nHe is a previous winner of the Shamus Award in the US. His debut\, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra\, was translated into 16 languages. In 2021\, Midnight at Malabar House\, the first in the Malabar House novels set in 1950s Bombay\, won the CWA Historical Dagger and was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year Award.\n\nVaseem lives in London and is the chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.\n\n\nThe Edge of Darkness\n\n\nThe unmissable new historical crime novel from bestselling author Vaseem Khan.\n\nIndia\, 1951. After wilfully ignoring orders\, Persis Wadia\, India's first female police detective\, is exiled from Bombay to the wild and mountainous Naga Hills District. As India's first post-Independence election looms\, and tensions rise across the country\, Persis finds herself banished to the Victoria Hotel\, a crumbling colonial-era relic\, her career in tatters.\n\nBut when a prominent politician is murdered in his locked room at the Victoria\, his head missing\, she is thrust back into the fray. Is the murderer one of the foreigners staying at the hotel or an insurgent from the surrounding jungle? As the political situation threatens to explode\, Persis has only days to stop a killer operating at the very edge of darkness...\n\n\n‘Historical fiction at its finest’\n- Mail on Sunday\n\n\n‘Brilliant!’\n- Ann Cleeves\n\n\n‘Vaseem Khan writes with charm and wit\, and an eye for detail that transports the reader entirely. I couldn't love this series more’\n- Chris Whitaker\n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\nQuantum of Menace - Q Mysteries\n\n\nCentring on one of Ian Fleming's most beloved characters Q (aka Major Boothroyd)\, this delicious witty James Bond spin-off murder mystery finds the tech boffin investigating the suspicious death of his scientist friend after being unexpectedly ousted from his job at MI6.\n\nFilled with wit and verve\, Vaseem Khan brings his vibrant and dynamic style to one of Ian Fleming's most beloved characters\, Q. Charming\, drily humorous\, and intelligently crafted\, Quantum of Menace\, the first in the Q mystery books\, will appeal to Bond fans\, readers of Murder Before Evensong\,The Thursday Murder Club and Slow Horses novels\, and those who are looking for a new take on clever crime fiction.\n\nQ is out of MI6 and into a new world of deceit and death.\n\n\n'Excellent. An entertaining mash-up of Fleming\, Le Carré and the best of British detective fiction'\n- Charlie Higson\n\n\n'Pay attention\, 007 ... this is the story we always wanted\, and Vaseem Khan tells it like the master he is - fast\, wise\, funny\, suspenseful and highly recommended'\n- Lee Child\n\n\n'Clever\, cunning and quirky ... Quintessential Khan'\n- Mick Herron\n\nBuy a hardback copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\nPre-order a paperback copy of the book from bookshop.org - released 23 April 2026\n\n\nThe Girl In Cell A\n\n\nA Times Thriller of the Year 2025\n\nThe world knows her as the girl in cell A\n\nConvicted of murder at seventeen\, infamous killer and true crime celebrity Orianna Negi has always maintained her innocence.\n\nBut if she didn't kill Gideon Wyclerc\, then who did?\n\nOrianna has a blind spot over that fateful day: she can't remember what happened. Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet is tasked with unlocking the truth.\n\nOrianna grew up in Eden Falls\, ruled by the insular Wyclerc dynasty and its ruthless patriarch \, Amos. As their sessions progress\, Annie reaches into Orianna's past to a shattering realisation....\n\nScandal. Sex. Power. Race. And murder. Between guilt and innocence lies a fallen Eden.\n\n\n\n'A twist you'll never guess'\n- Alex Michaelides\n\n\n'Thrilling\, thought-provoking\, suspenseful'\n- S.A. Cosby\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/from-bombay-to-bond-via-a-small-town-killing/
LOCATION:Trinity Square\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1JB
CATEGORIES:Thriller
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090050
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T084528
UID:11554-1782385200-1782388800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Benefactors
DESCRIPTION:Wendy Erskine\nThe Benefactors\nThursday 25 June 2026\, 11.00am - 12.00pm\nColchester Arts Centre\, Church Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1NF\nA Book Club Author Event\n\nWe are delighted to be joined by virtuoso short story writer of collections such as Sweet Home for this special event to discuss her astounding novel\, The Benefactors - a blazingly funny and astute portrait of modern-day Northern Ireland that deftly mines issues of class\, money and parenthood.\n\nIf you are member of a book club\, why not come along en masse for an in-depth discussion about the book with the author in person!\n\nIn partnership with Red Lion Books' Appetite Book Club.\n\nThis event will include an audience Q&A and after the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed.\n\nAll are welcome to attend (you don’t have to belong to a book club)\, but please note as this is a Book Club event there is an assumption that the audience has read the book and this event may include spoilers for the book.\n\nTickets:\n£16 includes paperback copy of book and the event - available via Red Lion Books\, here's the booking link:\nhttps://redlionbooks.co.uk/product/book-club-event-with-author-wendy-erskine-discussing-the-benefactors/\n\nor\n\n£8 event only - book at Eventbrite.co.uk\, here's the link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wendy-erskine-the-benefactors-tickets-1985792196917\n\n \n\n\n\n \nWendy Erskine\nWendy Erskine is the author of two short story collections\, Sweet Home and Dance Move. She was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize\, longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award\, and she received the Butler Literary Award and the Edge Hill Readers’ Choice Award. She edited the art anthology well I just kind of like it. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature\, she is a frequent broadcaster and interviewer\, and works as a secondary school teacher in Belfast. The Benefactors is her debut novel.\n\nThe Benefactors\n\n\nWaterstones Irish Book of the Year 2025\nLonglisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction\nAn Observer Best Debut Novel 2025\nLonglisted for the Gordon Burn Prize\n\nIn The Benefactors we meet Frankie\, Miriam and Bronagh - very different women but all mothers to 18-year-old boys. Glamorous Frankie\, now married to a wealthy\, older man\, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh\, the CEO of a children's services charity\, loves the celebrity and prestige this brings her.\n\nThey do not know each other yet\, but when their sons are accused of sexually assaulting Misty Johnston\, whose family lacks the wealth and social-standing of their own\, they'll leverage all the power of their position to protect their children.\n\nFrom the prize-winning author of Dance Move and Sweet Home\, this is an astounding novel about intimate histories\, class and money - and what being a parent means. Brutal\, tender and rigorously intelligent\, The Benefactors is a daring\, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny.\n'What a beautiful\, hilarious blast of brilliance.'\n- Donal Ryan\, author of Heart\, Be at Peace\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-benefactors/
LOCATION:Church Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1NF
CATEGORIES:Fiction
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090004
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091918
UID:11420-1782414000-1782417600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:DLS Lecture – The Murder Mystery
DESCRIPTION:Sophie Hannah\nDLS Lecture – The Murder Mystery\nThursday 25 June 2026\, 7.00pm\nWitham Library\, 18 Newland Street\, Witham\, Essex\, CM8 2AQ\nThis year’s DLS Lecture marks the 50th anniversary of the Dorothy L Sayers Society.\n\nBest-selling author Sophie Hannah will discuss the ever-popular murder mystery as a genre with reference to Sayers’ first Lord Peter Wimsey mystery\, Whose Body? and will also talk about her latest book Work Experience\, a new collection of maverick poems plus two murder mystery plays\, The Mystery of Mr. E and Work Experience.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSophie Hannah\n\n\nSophie Hannah is a Sunday Times\, New York Times and Amazon Kindle UK No. 1 bestselling writer of crime fiction and poetry\, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her murder mystery musical\, The Mystery of Mr E\, was released as a feature film in 2023\, directed by Martyn Tott. In 2023\, Sophie won the Crime Writers Association’s Dagger in the Library Award for her body of work\, and in 2013 her thriller The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the National Book Awards. Sophie’s poetry has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE\, A Level and degree level across the UK.\n\nIn 2018\, she created the How to Hold a Grudge podcast\, based on her self-help book of the same name. More recently\, she has published two other self-help books: Happiness: A Mystery\, and her latest\, The Double Best Method\, which was an Amazon UK Top Ten best-seller and is a guide to making the best possible decisions.\n\nSophie is the founder and coach at Dream Author Coaching\, a coaching programme for writers and anyone who wants to write. She lives with her husband\, children and dog in Cambridge\, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.\n\n\n\nWork Experience: New Poems and Two Plays\n\n\nBestselling author Sophie Hannah’s new collection combines maverick\, irreverent poems that rhyme and scan and will make you laugh aloud\, together with the librettos of her two musicals whose rebellious protagonist is every bit as mischievous and independent-minded as his creator.\n\nPre-order a copy of the book from bookshop.org - released 27 May 2026\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/dls-lecture-the-murder-mystery/
LOCATION:18 Newland Street\, Witham\, Essex\, CM8 2AQ
CATEGORIES:Fiction
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260625T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090051
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T091932
UID:11558-1782414000-1782417600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Ever Land
DESCRIPTION:Amy Abdelnoor in conversation with Rachel Holmes\nEver Land\nThursday 25 June 2026\, 7.00pm - 8.00pm\nHot Box\, 28\, 29 Viaduct Rd\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TS\nDebut novelist Amy Abdelnoor lived and worked in the West Bank and in refugee camps in Lebanon which inspired Ever Land\, a powerful story set in 2000s Palestine. A tale of belonging and identity\, of devastation and displacement and – ultimately – of the enduring universality of humanity and love.\n\nAmy will be in conversation with Rachel Holmes\, author of Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel.\n\nTickets: £11 (includes £1 booking fee)\n\nBox Office: hotboxlive.co.uk\nAmy Abdelnoor\n[caption id="attachment_11559" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Amy Abdelnoor Author © Michelle Grant[/caption]\n\nAmy Abdelnoor is a British Arab writer and English teacher. She studied English and Arabic at the University of Cambridge. She lived and worked in the West Bank and in refugee camps in Lebanon in her early twenties. These experiences inspired Ever Land\, her debut novel\, an early iteration of which was shortlisted for the 2023 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. She is married with three children.\nEver Land\n\n\nA gripping and powerful story of connection and displacement set in 2000s Palestine.\n\nIt is the year 2000 when Dinah\, a Jewish teenager from London\, arrives in Israel with her family. Still reeling from the death of her beloved dad\, the idea of having to start all over again daunts her. Dinah isn’t quite sure what to make of this seemingly pristine place: her new life seems soulless and suffocating.\n\nAnother teenager\, Safa\, watches Dinah settle in. A fourteen-year-old Palestinian who was shot and killed decades ago in the Six Day War\, Safa is caught in a limbo which she calls the ‘In-Between’. She is unable to fully pass on without knowing what happened to her younger sister\, Nur\, who is still alive somewhere. Thirty-three years after her death\, the possibility of finding her is suddenly within reach – but she needs Dinah to help her.\n\nAlternating between past and present\, and between Safa and Dinah\, Ever Land is a gripping and powerful story that sheds light on the ongoing occupation of Palestine. It is a tale of belonging and identity\, of devastation and displacement and – ultimately – of the enduring universality of humanity and love.\n‘Cleverly conceived and brilliantly engaging . . . a powerful novel. Read this.’\n- Priscilla Morris\n\n‘Ambitious and complex but handled with impressive ease.’\n- Rose Tremain\n \nRachel Holmes\n[caption id="attachment_11561" align="alignnone" width="240"] Photo of Rachel Holmes © Ruth Crafer[/caption]\n\nA PalFest veteran\, Rachel Holmes is the author most recently of Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel. Her previous books include Eleanor Marx: A Life\, The Hottentot Venus: The Life and Death of Sarah Baartman\, and The Secret Life of Dr James Barry. In 2026 Rachel was appointed as the authorised biographer of Doris Lessing. From 2009 to 2014 she was tutor and writer in residence at the Palestine Writing Workshop in the West Bank\, a PalFest initiative.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/ever-land/
LOCATION:28\, 29 Viaduct Road\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In Conversation
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260626T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260626T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260330T113023
LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T113023
UID:11728-1782475200-1782493200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Stories in Transit
DESCRIPTION:Stories in Transit\nMarina Warner\nFriday 26 June 2026\, 12.00pm - 5.00pm\nSt Leonard-at-the-Hythe\, Hythe Hill\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 2NP.\nStories in Transit is an ongoing workshop series\, inviting participants who have lived experience of migration to imagine and create fantastical stories together. Together with artists\, musicians\, animators and writers\, stories that emerge through play\, games and walks are developed and performed.\n\nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential\nSome participants will be invited to attend via a number of local organisations who we are partnering with on this event.\n\nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/stories-in-transit/
LOCATION:Hythe Hill\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 2NP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260627
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260628
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260327
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327
UID:11694-1782518400-1782691199@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:A Poet in Every Port with the mobile National Poetry Library
DESCRIPTION:A Poet in Every Port with the mobile National Poetry Library\nSaturday 27 - Sunday 28 June 2026\nIn partnership with Southbank Centre\n\nWe are working in partnership with Southbank Centre to welcome the mobile National Poetry Library to Chalkwell Hall as part of Essex Writers House 2026. Be prepared for a mini programme of weekend activity for all ages to enjoy\, with the opportunity to contribute prose\, poetry and words to the Mobile Poetry Library. Local artist and poet Maddi Crease will be helping us to celebrate Essex’s unique coastal stories.\n\n \n\n[caption id="attachment_11695" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Maddi Crease © Maddi Crease[/caption]\n\nMaddi Crease is a poet and artist and is currently a member of Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective\, representing Southend for A Poet in Every Port. She has received commission from BBC Sounds and Arts Council England Funding and is a recent Fine Art graduate of South Essex College.\n\nA Poet in Every Port is a Southbank Centre initiative which aims to celebrate the UK’s diverse dialects and languages by telling the stories of our coastal communities and showing that poetry is for everyone. It marks Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary.\n\n \n\n\nPart of Essex Writers House – A collaborative partnership between Metal and Essex Book Festival\, 01 – 30 June 2026\nEssex Writers House is a month-long programme hosted by Metal\, based in Southend. Chalkwell Hall opens its doors through June as a creative hub\, offering a range of events from talks\, open advice sessions and workshops to collaborative workspaces for writers\, story tellers and book lovers of all levels. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-writers-house-2026/.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/a-poet-in-every-port-with-the-mobile-national-poetry-library/
LOCATION:Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,FREE,Poetry
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T103000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T123000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090042
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T133658
UID:11544-1782556200-1782563400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Writing the Archive Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Syd Moore\nWriting the Archive\nSaturday 27 June 2026\, 10.30am - 12.30pm\nHarlow Museum & Walled Gardens\, Muskham Road\, Harlow\, CM20 2LF\nJoin best-selling author Syd Moore for a special writing workshop using objects from the archives of Harlow Museum to inspire your work.\n\nExplore the archive at Harlow Museum - the collection holds a huge variety of paper-based documents\, including original town plans\, photos\, parish registers\, newspapers\, and books. All these items contain rare and invaluable information about Harlow from the time of the individual parishes\, through the new town era\, up to the present day. The various items included within the archives provide a unique insight into the people who lived in the town and their way of life over multiple decades.\n\nDuring this writing workshop best-selling author\, Syd Moore\, will guide you through using items from the Harlow Museum collection to inspire you to write your own piece of creative work.\n\nThis workshop is for writers of all abilities - all welcome.\n\nTickets: £20 / £15 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk\n\n \n\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\n\n\nSyd Moore has been a Royal Literary Fund fellow and is currently working with them to pioneer 'Reading Round' courses in hospices. Her novel The Witching Hour was a Top Twenty bestselling horror title of 2024. She was the first Author in Residence for Essex Libraries and is best known for her Essex Witch Museum Mysteries\, which was shortlisted for the\nGood Reader Holmes and Watson Award in 2018 and 2019. She has been shortlisted twice for a CWA dagger for her short stories. Syd founded the Essex Girls' Liberation Front and successfully removed the term ‘Essex girl’ from the Oxford dictionary in 2020. She lives in Essex.\n\nSyd Moore will also be taking part in an author event later in the day in the Walled Gardens at Harlow Museum\, talking about her latest novel\, The Great Deception - the second in her thrilling new series about Britain’s secret wartime history.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/writing-the-archive-3/
LOCATION:Muskham Road\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 2LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:For Writers,Workshop
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T110000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T120000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260327T144437
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T151939
UID:11707-1782558000-1782561600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Heathlands and Badlands: The deserts of Europe are closer than you think…
DESCRIPTION:Heathlands and Badlands: The deserts of Europe are closer than you think…\nChris Stone\nSaturday 27 June 2026\, 11.00am\nMuseum of Chelmsford\, Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, CM2 9AQ\nChris Stone is author of European Deserts (Pelagic Publishing\, February 2026). This is the untold story of the little-known deserts of Europe\, sandy and infertile lowland wildernesses where extreme environmental conditions are the norm. Remote and mostly uninhabited\, Europe’s arid tracts present landscapes differing profoundly from their surroundings and offer refuge for scarce flora and fauna with nowhere else to go.\n\nFor long these ‘wastelands’ were poverty-stricken\, and many had reputations as undesirable and even dangerous places. Today\, the survival of the remaining fragments is threatened despite their distinctive biodiversity\, landscapes and fascinating human tales. Yet offering unique and often magical and landscapes they provide a rare glimpse of our planet in the raw. Illustrated with powerful images\, this talk presents a fresh perspective on these extraordinary places - some of which are closer to hand than one might imagine! Chris’s bold and provocative thesis will transform perceptions of the environment of the European subcontinent.\n\n \n\nTickets: £7 / £6.30 Museum of Chelmsford members (includes entry to Museum of Chelmsford)\nBook tickets: chelmsford.gov.uk/museums/whats-on\n\n \nAbout the author\nEnvironmentalist and author\, Chris Stone graduated from one of the very first British environment degrees\, and commenced his career planning wildlife conservation projects on the heaths of east Suffolk. Moving into the field of environment and development\, he took a position with an environmental consultancy specialising in tourism and environmental planning. During a career spanning three decades at UK universities\, Chris dedicated himself to teaching and research on sustainability\, publishing widely and establishing a reputation as an academic expert on sustainable and responsible tourism. European Deserts marks Chris's return to his lifelong passion for environmental conservation in an increasingly nature-depleted world.\n\nPelagic Publishing - European Deserts\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/heathlands-and-badlands-the-deserts-of-europe-are-closer-than-you-think/
LOCATION:Oaklands Park\, Moulsham Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM2 9AQ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author talk,Partner Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090016
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191311
UID:11563-1782561600-1782572400@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Family Storytelling & Games
DESCRIPTION:Family Storytelling & Games\nSaturday 27 June 2026\, 12.00pm - 3.00pm\nHarlow Museum & Walled Gardens\, Muskham Road\, Harlow\, CM20 2LF\nCome and celebrate stories in Harlow Museum’s Walled Gardens with storytellers\, crafts and games for all the family. Free to attend.\n\nHarlow Museum’s Walled Gardens are alive with stories. Come one\, come all\, gather round and listen to storyteller Dave Tonge\, the Yarnsmith of Norwich\, as he transports you back to long\, long ago. Gather close and enjoy silly stories and mind mangling riddles from Saxon\, Viking Medieval and Tudor times. Tall tales of wise fools and foolish wise\, of lazy long limbed lads\, and miserly merchants. Silly stories about poor penniless pedlars\, dark and dangerous dragons\, and even a plain and simple radish that was worth 100 gold coins!\n\nBring a picnic and create your own stories\, craft new characters and play fun-filled games in our gardens.\nFree. Drop in between 12 and 3pm. No booking required.\n \n\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/family-storytelling-games/
LOCATION:Muskham Road\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 2LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,Partner Event,Young Essex
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T133000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T143000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090023
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191411
UID:11426-1782567000-1782570600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Great Deception
DESCRIPTION:Syd Moore\nThe Great Deception\nSaturday 27 June 2026\, 1.30pm\nHarlow Museum & Walled Gardens\, Muskham Road\, Harlow\, CM20 2LF\nJoin us in the enchanted Harlow Museum's Walled Garden and enter a world of mystery\, espionage and illusion with author Syd Moore as she discusses the second in her thrilling new series about Britain’s secret wartime history.\n\nThe Great Deception\, set in Iceland\, is the second in the thrilling WW2 series and explores deceiving occultists\, age-old magic and a war-torn world.\n\nJoin us at Harlow Museum & Walled Gardens for a day of storytelling\, author events and poetry.\n\nSyd Moore will also be leading a Writing the Archive Workshop at Harlow Museum earlier in the day.\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSyd Moore\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11427" align="alignnone" width="272"] Photo of Syd Moore © JMoore photos[/caption]\n\n\n\n\n\nSyd Moore has been a Royal Literary Fund fellow and is currently working with them to pioneer 'Reading Round' courses in hospices. Her novel The Witching Hour was a Top Twenty bestselling horror title of 2024. She was the first Author in Residence for Essex Libraries and is best known for her Essex Witch Museum Mysteries\, which was shortlisted for the Good Reader Holmes and Watson Award in 2018 and 2019. She has been shortlisted twice for a CWA dagger for her short stories. Syd founded the Essex Girls' Liberation Front and successfully removed the term ‘Essex girl’ from the Oxford dictionary in 2020. She lives in Essex.\n\n\n\nThe Great Deception\n\n\nEnter a world of mystery\, espionage and illusion.\n\nMay 1940. As the Nazis overrun Denmark\, Britain counters by invading Iceland. Secret agent Daphne Devine is dropped into occupied territory to assess a clairvoyant in Reykjavik\, who may be passing information to the enemy. Alone\, Daphne must navigate her way through this strange\, frozen landscape\, where the Allies aren’t always welcomed with open arms.\n\nWhen a new lead takes her North into Strandir\, the land of sorcerers\, she encounters fresh peril and discovers that now she\, the hunter\, has become the hunted. Daphne must use all her Secret Service training to outwit the enemy agents in her midst.\n\nTwice shortlisted for a CWA dagger\, Syd Moore returns with a thrilling new series\, exploring Britain’s secret wartime history.\n\nPraise for The Grand Illusion\n\n\n'Vivid and thoroughly entertaining... More\, please.'\n- Guardian\n\n\n‘A breathtaking historical thriller… Magical\, lyrical\, weird\, suspenseful\, dark and totally\, utterly original.’\n- Erin Kelly \, author of The Skeleton Key\n\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-great-deception/
LOCATION:Muskham Road\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 2LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T153000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260627T163000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090002
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191450
UID:11567-1782574200-1782577800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Ditty Bag on the Road
DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Leek\nDitty Bag on the Road\n\nSaturday 27 June 2026\, 3.30pm - 4.30pm\nHarlow Museum & Walled Gardens\, Muskham Road\, Harlow\, CM20 2LF\nHarlow-born writer Rebecca Leek will be hosting a showcase of poetry in Harlow Museum’s Walled Gardens\, inviting poets from across the county to collaborate in a mixed session. Expect different voices\, a celebration of words\, and newly commissioned poems.\n\nRebecca hosts The Ditty Bag poetry podcast\, is a published author and was a prize winner in the 2025 Waltham Forest National Poetry Competition. She trained as a musician\, a performer\, and a teacher\, and is a regular on local and national radio.\n\nTickets: £5\nBox Office: playhouseharlow-tickets.harlowplayhouse.co.uk/ticketbooth/shows/873662404\n\n \n\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/ditty-bag-on-the-road/
LOCATION:Muskham Road\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM20 2LF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event,Poetry
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T120000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T130000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090056
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191835
UID:11449-1782648000-1782651600@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Downfall of the Templars
DESCRIPTION:Tony McMahon\nDownfall of the Templars\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 12.00pm\nLayer Marney Tower\, Layer Marney\, Near Colchester\, Essex\, CO5 9US\nWhy were the Knights Templar brutally crushed after years of courageous service in the Crusades? Were they framed for being heretics\, sorcerers and traitors? Do the Templars still exist today? Broadcaster and author Tony McMahon investigates the links between the trials of the Templars and the witch hunt mania that was about to grip Europe.\n\nTickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)\nOr all 3 events for £36\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \n\nThe History Books Ticket Deal\n\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our History Books ticket deal - £14 per event or all 3 events for £36\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:\n\n12.00pm – Tony McMahon\, Downfall of the Templars\n2.00pm - Emily Hauser\, Mythica\n4.00pm – Jonathan Freedland\, The Traitor's Circle\n\n\nThe History Books at Layer Marney Tower\, Sunday 28 June.\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n🚗 There is free parking at the venue\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n \n\n\n\n\nTony McMahon\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11450" align="alignnone" width="225"] Photo of Tony McMahon © Tony McMahon[/caption]\n\n\n\nThe author\, Tony McMahon\, is a regular face on history and science documentaries on TV. He is one of four Truthseekers on History’s very successful three season series as well as Secrets of the Royal Palaces on Channel 5\, William Shatner’s The UnXplained\, Forbidden History\, Strange Evidence\, and many other shows.\n\nTony McMahon appeared with Tony Robinson and Steve Tibble at the Battle of Evesham Festival in August 2025 to talk about his trilogy of books on the Templars. Downfall of the Templars is the second book. The third\, focusing on the Freemason/Templar link\, will be published in late 2026.\n\nYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tonymcmahon_historybear\nThe Templar Knight blog: https://thetemplarknight.com/\nSubstack: https://tonymcmahon.substack.com/\nTony McMahon on TV: https://tony-mcmahon.com/\n\n\nDownfall of the Templars: Guilty of Diabolic Magic?\n\n\nThe Knights Templar - Europe’s first Witches?\n\nNew evidence from TV historian Tony McMahon proves that the trials of the Knights Templar between 1307 and 1312 foreshadowed the witch trials about to engulf Europe for over 300 years. Many of the alleged crimes of the Templars mirror the charges brought against thousands of witches. Illicit kisses\, demon worshipping\, and desecrating the crucifix.\n\nTony McMahon explains:\n“It’s been overlooked that when the Knights Templar were being tortured and executed\, the king of France was also burning a group of women called the Beguines. He accused a bishop of murdering the queen using magic potions. And he was trying to put a dead pope on trial for diabolism. Something was happening in medieval society. This was the beginning of the notorious witch trials.”\n\nPlus\, while the Templars were on trial – others were being accused of sorcery including a bishop and a dead pope. This was part of a new elite obsession with sorcery and necromancy. The disturbing late medieval trend that would claim the lives of so many is investigated by TV historian Tony McMahon in Downfall of the Templars: Guilty of Diabolic Magic? (Pen & Sword publishers).\n\nMost historians assume the Templars were destroyed by the King of France\, Philip IV\, eager to grab their fabled riches. But author and historian Tony McMahon shows that the Templar trials between 1307 and 1312 were part of a new and sinister wave of prosecutions against alleged sorcerers and necromancers.\n\nSociety was sliding into superstition and darkness. The Templars fell victim to this trend. As our own time sees an onslaught on science and reason\, the terrible fate of these knights is an object lesson we all need to learn. And with increased interest in witchcraft\, this is a timely book set to provoke widespread interest.\n\nDownfall of the Templars also investigates whether the knights really did have enormous treasure that they successfully hid away. And it sheds light on organisations today that claim to be modern Templars.\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/downfall-of-the-templars/
LOCATION:Layer Marney\, Essex\, CO5 9US
CATEGORIES:History,The History Books
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090019
LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T085550
UID:11432-1782655200-1782658800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Maggi Hambling
DESCRIPTION:Maggi Hambling in conversation with James Cahill\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 2.00pm\nThe Gibberd Garden\, Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\nMaggi Hambling\, one of the most influential artists of her generation\, will be talking with author\, writer and art critic James Cahill about a new monograph of her work recently published by Rizzoli New York. Join us for an afternoon to celebrate and shine a light on Hambling’s fearless spirit and trailblazing art.\n\nTickets:\n£15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nor both events for £25 / £18 concessions\n\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n \nTicket Deal\n\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our Gibberd Garden ticket deal:\nTickets £15 per event or both events for £25 (Concessions £12 per event or both events for £18).\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for both events are booked:\n\n2.00pm – Maggi Hambling in conversation with James Cahill\n4.00pm – Darren Coffield\, Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMaggi Hambling\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11434" align="alignnone" width="240"] Photo of Maggi Hambling © Laura Bailey[/caption]\n\n\n\nMaggi Hambling (born 1945) is a contemporary British painter and sculptor whose work has been subject of many solo museum exhibitions since 1980.\n\n\n\nMaggi Hambling\nForeword by Cecily Brown\, Contributions by Sean Burns and James Cahill and Hugo Chapman and Wenny Teo and Sheena Wagstaff\nThe definitive illustrated monograph of trailblazing British artist\, queer icon\, and pioneer Maggi Hambling\, on the occasion of her eightieth birthday.\n\n\nFeaturing an exceptional range of reproductions of Maggi Hambling’s work\, including unique archival materials\, this authoritative and visually stunning new volume offers the most comprehensive account of Hambling’s oeuvre to date.\n\nEssays by leading critics\, curators\, and art historians trace Hambling’s formative period from her time at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in the early 1960s\, to her rise to fame in the ’80s\, the centrality of drawing to her eclectic practice\, and the virtuoso series of paintings that have defined her output in recent decades.\n\nHambling’s work and legacy are explored in vivid detail here\, emphasizing her importance to British art over the past half century\, as well as her singular place in the global sphere of contemporary art. Love\, death\, and remembrance are revealed as her enduring themes\, and are reflected in her intimate portraits as much as her epic-scaled evocations of war\, the climate emergency\, and the natural world.\n\nShining a light on Hambling’s fearless spirit\, this tour-de-force publication takes you deep into the heart and mind of one of the most influential and provocative artists of her generation.\n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/maggi-hambling/
LOCATION:Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Art,ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T140000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T150000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090020
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T134053
UID:11453-1782655200-1782658800@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Mythica
DESCRIPTION:Emily Hauser in conversation with Lucy Hughes-Hallett\nMythica\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 2.00pm\nLayer Marney Tower\, Layer Marney\, Near Colchester\, Essex\, CO5 9US\nAward-winning classicist and historian\, Emily Hauser\, will take us on an epic journey to uncover the true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends – and the real heroes of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.\n\nIn Mythica\, Dr Emily Hauser tells\, for the first time\, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps\, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems\, piecing together evidence from the original texts\, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies\, she reveals who these women – queens\, mothers\, warriors\, slaves – were\, how they lived\, and how history has (or has not – until now) remembered them.\n\n'Bold and intellectually thrilling . . . rigorous scholarship and dazzling feats of imagination.'\n- Tom Holland\, historian and co-host of The Rest is History podcast\nEmily Hauser will be in conversation with biographer\, cultural historian and novelist\, Lucy Hughes-Hallett.\nTickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)\nOr all 3 events for £36\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n\nThe History Books Ticket Deal\n\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our History Books ticket deal - £14 per event or all 3 events for £36\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:\n\n12.00pm – Tony McMahon\, Downfall of the Templars\n2.00pm - Emily Hauser\, Mythica\n4.00pm – Jonathan Freedland\, The Traitor's Circle\n\nThe History Books at Layer Marney Tower\, Sunday 28 June.\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n☕  Layer Marney Tower Tea Room will be open and serving drinks and light snacks.\n🚗 There is free parking at the venue.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmily Hauser\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11454" align="alignnone" width="240"] Photo of Emily Hauser © Faye Thomas[/caption]\n\n\n\n\nDr Emily Hauser is an award-winning classicist and historian. She read Classics at Cambridge with Mary Beard\, where she received a double first with distinction and won the prestigious Chancellor's Medal for Classical Proficiency.\n\nShe has a PhD in Classics from Yale University\, and was a Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. She is now Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter\, and teaches and researches on women's writing\, ancient and modern.\n\n\n\nMythica\n\n\nAward-winning classicist and historian\, Emily Hauser\, takes readers on an epic journey to uncover the true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends – and the real heroes of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.\n\nContrary to perceptions built up over three millennia\, ancient history is not all about men – and it's not only men's stories that deserve to be told.\n\nIn Mythica\, Dr Emily Hauser tells\, for the first time\, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps\, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems\, piecing together evidence from the original texts\, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies\, she reveals who these women – queens\, mothers\, warriors\, slaves – were\, how they lived\, and how history has (or has not – until now) remembered them.\n\nA riveting new history of the Bronze Age Aegean and a journey through Homer’s epics charted entirely by women – from Helen of Troy\, Briseis\, Cassandra and Aphrodite to Circe\, Athena\, Hera\, Calypso and Penelope – Mythica is a ground-breaking reassessment of the reality behind the often-mythologized women of Greece’s greatest epics\, and of the ancient world itself as we learn ever more about it.\n\nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLucy Hughes-Hallett\n\n\n\nLucy Hughes-Hallett is a biographer\, cultural historian and novelist whose books have won the Samuel Johnson prize\, the Duff Cooper Prize\, the Costa Biography of the Year Award\, the Plutarch Prize\, the Randy Shilts Non-Fiction Award and the Biographers Club Award for an Exceptional Contribution to Biography.\n\nHer book on Gabriele d’Annunzio\, The Pike\, was named in the Sunday Times as ‘the biography of the decade’. Her most recent book is The Scapegoat: the Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham\, which has been described as 'fabulous' (The Guardian)\, 'dazzling' (Wall Street Journal) and 'stunningly good' (The Sunday Times).\n\nShe is a widely respected critic and in 2020 she was chair of the judges of the International Booker Prize.\n\nCleopatra: Histories\, Dreams and Distortions\, her first book\, has recently been re-issued in a revised edition.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11458" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Layer Marney Tower © Red Carpet Video[/caption]\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/mythica/
LOCATION:Layer Marney\, Essex\, CO5 9US
CATEGORIES:History,The History Books
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T160000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090001
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191914
UID:11459-1782662400-1782666000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:The Traitor's Circle
DESCRIPTION:Jonathan Freedland\nThe Traitor's Circle\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 4.00pm\nLayer Marney Tower\, Layer Marney\, Near Colchester\, Essex\, CO5 9US\nPrize-winning journalist and acclaimed author of The Escape Artist Jonathan Freedland tells the thrilling true story of one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war. With deep moral resonance for our own time\, he asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny.\n\nTickets: £14 (includes entrance to Layer Marney Tower and gardens)\nOr all 3 events for £36\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\n\n \nThe History Books Ticket Deal\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our History Books ticket deal - £14 per event or all 3 events for £36\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for all 3 events are booked:\n\n12.00pm – Tony McMahon\, Downfall of the Templars\n2.00pm - Emily Hauser\, Mythica\n4.00pm – Jonathan Freedland\, The Traitor's Circle\n\nThe History Books at Layer Marney Tower\, Sunday 28 June.\n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n☕  Layer Marney Tower Tea Room will be open and serving drinks and light snacks.\n🚗 There is free parking at the venue.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n\n \n\n\n\n\nJonathan Freedland\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11460" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Jonathan Freedland © Philippa Gedge[/caption]\n\n\n\nJonathan Freedland is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Escape Artist which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford\, Rathbones Folio and Waterstones Book of the Year prizes and in April 2025 was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Books of the 21st Century . It was translated into twenty one languages and appeared on numerous Book of the Year lists.\n\nA Guardian columnist\, Freedland has won awards for Columnist of the Year and Commentator of the Year and is a past winner of an Orwell Prize for Journalism. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series\, The Long View\, and the author of twelve other books\, three of them non-fiction\, including his first\, the award-winning Bring Home the Revolution. Among those books were nine thrillers\, eight of them under the name Sam Bourne\, including The Righteous Men which was a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.\n\nThe Traitors Circle\n\n\nThe Rebels Against the Nazis and the Spy Who Betrayed Them.\n\nThe new thrilling non-fiction from the bestselling author of The Escape Artist.\n\nA thrilling true story of courage\, resistance and\, ultimately\, betrayal in the Third Reich by internationally bestselling author and prize-winning journalist Jonathan Freedland.\n\nThe Traitors Circle tells the true\, but scarcely known story of a group of secret rebels against Hitler. Drawn from Berlin high society\, they include senior army officers\, top government officials\, two countesses\, an ambassador's widow\, a young heiress and a former model – all of them meeting in the shadows\, whether hiding and rescuing Jews or plotting for a Germany freed from Nazi rule.\n\nOne day in September 1943 they gather for a tea party – unaware that one among them will betray the rest to the Gestapo. Pursued to near destruction by a cruel\, calculating detective – a man with the blood of thousands on his hands - theirs is a story of rare heroism\, sacrifice and inspiring endurance in the face of the most brutal regime in history.\n\nIn another page-turning work of nonfiction\, Jonathan Freedland\, acclaimed author of The Escape Artist\, sheds light on one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war\, telling a story with deep moral resonance for our own time\, one that asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny.\n\n‘An astonishing true story of courage\, love and betrayal\, told with the verve of a thriller. Freedland is a master at weaving spellbinding entertainments drawn from forgotten corners of history’\n- Mick Herron\n\n\n'A story of unlikely rebels who had much to lose from resisting the Nazi regime\, which so many of their peers supported. What made them trade personal safety for moral rectitude? Freedland's answer is as tense as a thriller yet perceptive\, thoughtful and\nthoroughly researched. It made me think long after I'd turned the last page'\n- Katja Hoyer\, bestselling author of Blood and Iron\n\n\n‘The Traitors Circle rivals Freedland’s superb The Escape Artist. A revelatory account of heroism and treachery in Nazi Germany\, it based on original research and reads like a thriller. Totally gripping and timely’\n- Jonathan Dimbleby\n\n\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11458" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photo of Layer Marney Tower © Red Carpet Video[/caption]\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/the-traitors-circle/
LOCATION:Layer Marney\, Essex\, CO5 9US
CATEGORIES:History,The History Books
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T160000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260628T170000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260326T090027
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T191604
UID:11439-1782662400-1782666000@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes
DESCRIPTION:Darren Coffield in conversation with James Cahill\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\nSunday 28 June 2026\, 4.00pm\nThe Gibberd Garden\, Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\nDarren Coffield will be exploring his book\, Hen Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\, providing  a unique insight into 1950-60s Bohemia and the key players of the fashion\, music and art scene.\n\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem takes you to the epicentre of Soho’s Golden Age; stage by stage it forms a complete guide to a hell-raising companion.\n\nUniquely told from the viewpoint of the women who knew her\, including Maggi Hambling\, not the famous male artists who painted her.\n\nTickets:\n£15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nor both events for £25 / £18 concessions\n\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948\nPart of our Harlow weekend - Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops\, author and artist talks\, family games\, and poetry. Find out more at essexbookfestival.org.uk/harlow-weekend/.\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event.\n\n\nTicket Deal\n\nMake an afternoon of it with our Gibberd Garden ticket deal - Tickets £15 per event or both events for £25 (Concessions £12 per event or both events for £18).\nDiscount automatically applied at checkout when tickets for both events are booked:\n\n2.00pm – Maggi Hambling in conversation with James Cahill\n4.00pm – Darren Coffield\, Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDarren Coffield\n\n\n[caption id="attachment_11440" align="alignnone" width="214"] Photo of Darren Coffield © Darren Coffield[/caption]\n\n\n\nDarren Coffield studied at Goldsmiths College\, Camberwell School of Art\, and the Slade School of Art in London\, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Art in 1993. He has exhibited widely in the company of many leading artists\, including Damien Hirst\, Howard Hodgkin\, Patrick Caulfield and Gilbert and George.\n\nIn 2014\, his contributions were recognised by ‘100 Painters of Tomorrow’. He is the author of Tales from the Colony Room: Soho’s Lost Bohemia (2021) and Queens of Bohemia (2024).\n\n\n\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem\nA Portrait of Henrietta Moraes\nDarren Coffield\, foreword by Sarah Lucas\n\n\nPaints a vivid portrait of a Bohemian legend.\n\nHenrietta Moraes first discovered Soho when she was eighteen – or so she tells us. Her favourite sport was social climbing (heaven knows she enjoyed the exercise) and she was good at it\, going to all the right parties and simply gate-crashing others.\n\nFrom the summit of the 1950s bohemian scene she surveyed the life and times of those who broke all the rules\, such as the artists Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon (for whom she became a muse).\n\nBut that’s not all she did – as a key counter-culture figure in the 1960s Chelsea Set\, no other woman was more indefatigable in becoming a bohemian legend.\n\nThrough Hen\, you’ll learn how to steal your best friend’s boyfriend; enchant and ensnare a husband; blossom into a magnificent muse; dress like a comic book superhero; become a connoisseur of every illicit drug known to medical science and dose a Rolling Stones concert with them; join the caravan set and head along the gypsy trail in search of the Holy Grail\, before rematerialising as the minder for a mind-blowing pop icon…\n\nAlong the way you’ll indulge in the gentle art of cadging drinks; the feline felony of cat burglary; the canny craft of charity shop shoplifting and the haphazardness of steamy sex in second-hand bookshops.\n\nHen\, Mistress of Mayhem takes you to the epicentre of Soho’s Golden Age; stage by stage it forms a complete guide to a hell-raising companion.\n\nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org. - released 02 April 2026\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/hen-mistress-of-mayhem-a-portrait-of-henrietta-moraes/
LOCATION:Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,In Conversation
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20260718T100000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20260718T190000
DTSTAMP:20260518T143811
CREATED:20260420T095205
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T095205
UID:11786-1784368800-1784401200@35.176.91.154
SUMMARY:DOSE Fest
DESCRIPTION:DOSE Fest - A Festival of Joy\, Connection & Wellbeing\nSaturday 18 July 2026\, 10am – 7pm\nAngel Meadow\, Main Road\, Broomfield\, Chelmsford\, CM1 7AH\n✨ Live music | Workshops | Movement | Mindfulness | Family-friendly experiences\n\nFour immersive zones. One powerful experience. One unforgettable day.\n\nExplore creativity in the Dopamine Lab\, connect in the Oxytocin Hut\, reset in the Serotonin Studio\, and energise in the Endorphin Arena - all brought together at the vibrant Equation Stage.\n\nWith live performances from the Black Jax (a 6 piece pop and rock band) talks and engaging moments throughout the day.\n\nAn array of creative activities that support better mental and emotional health\, in turn making us happier.\n\nLearn about the opportunities on your doorstep by meeting a selection of local group leaders.\n\nPerhaps you have wanted to give Salsa dancing a little go or wondered if Bollywood was more than just twisting the lightbulb.\n\nThere really is going to be so much going on that you cannot miss out on it.\n\nFind out more at dosefest.co.uk.\n\nSecure your place at DOSE Fest — limited first release now live at zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/dose-fest-tickets.\n\n \n\n
URL:http://35.176.91.154/event/dose-fest/
LOCATION:Main Road\, Broomfield\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 7AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event
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