We are offering a captioned performance at our event with Gyles Brandreth at Chelmsford Cathedral on Friday 19 June. Book early, tickets are selling quickly.

Gyles Brandreth, Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear
Friday 19 June, 2.30pm
Chelmsford Cathedral
Find out more and book tickets at essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/somewhere-a-boy-and-a-bear/.

Stagetext is a deaf-led charity that’s been providing live subtitles and captions at arts and cultural events across the UK for 25 years. Find out more at stagetext.org

For more information about captioned performances, live subtitled events and how you can support Stagetext and Deaf Awareness Week, please visit: stagetext.org/.

Find your nearest accessible event at the Stagetext What’s On page: stagetext.org/whats-on/.

#DeafAwarenessWeek
#AccessibleArts
#DAW2026

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This includes a series of free drop-in eco-workshops taking place in Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Clacton and Harlow as part of the wider Essex Book Festival June programme; the creation of the Essex Book Worm Podcast for young people aged 13-19 years in partnership with Chelmsford Community Radio and SPARK! Young Cultural Change-makers, and new for 2026, our MY PLACE: Speaking Out Spoken Word Project, which will be taking place in Clacton.

Find out more about The Young Ones programme at essexbookfestival.org.uk/young-essex-book-festival-2026/.

The Young Ones Project 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.

#CultureEssex
#CreativeIndustriesFund

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Joining the Festival’s board at an exciting moment of growth, these new trustees bring a wealth of experience, fresh perspectives and a shared commitment to literature, creativity and community engagement. Their appointments will strengthen the Festival’s governance as it continues to evolve as one of the East of England’s leading cultural events, presenting more than 100 events annually across over 40 venues throughout Essex.

Founded in 1999 and now an independent charity, Essex Book Festival has built a reputation for reaching diverse audiences across the county, connecting readers and writers through an ambitious programme spanning books, performance, workshops and interdisciplinary arts.

The new trustees will play a vital role in shaping the Festival’s future, supporting its mission to celebrate storytelling in all its forms while expanding its reach, partnerships and year-round activity for communities of all ages and backgrounds.

Festival Director Ros Green said: “We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of new trustees. Their collective insight, energy and commitment will help us build on our strong foundations as a truly county-wide festival, championing bold ideas, diverse voices and creative expression in every corner of Essex.”

Find out more about The Festival Team here.

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If you are in any doubt please do not respond to any suspicious emails. If you need to contact us please do so via our contact page.

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This includes author talks, workshops, specialist panel discussions, and The Pitch, an opportunity to do a five-minute pitch to an industry professional.

We are hosting this event in collaboration with the University’s Lakeside Theatre, Special Collections Archive and Centre for Creative Writing, English PEN, the British Council, and leading publishers: Granta Books and Simon & Schuster. There will also be an opportunity to explore the J.A. Baker Archive (including The Peregrine notebooks), which is based within the University’s library.

And keeping with the J.A. Baker theme, there is also the chance to attend the world premiere of The Cabinet of Living Cinema’s new film How To Become A Peregrine, which will be accompanied by a soaring and immersive live soundscape, and followed by a panel discussion.

This is a rare opportunity for new and aspiring writers, and one to be seized with both hands!

For more information head to essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-writers-room/.

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Launching with leading sportswriters Jonathan Wilson (Guardian) and Simon Kuper (The Telegraph) at Colchester Community Stadium on Thursday 28 May – a new festival venue for 2026 and a giant nod to FIFA World Cup 2026 – this year’s Essex Book Festival is taking place in over 40 venues across Essex, from Manningtree to Harlow between 28 May and 30 June, and will be involving over 250 writers and artists from as far afield as Windhoek, Namibia, and as close to home as Great Dunmow.

Every year the festival has a different theme. This year it is Common Ground. Festival Director Ros Green explains why.

“We are living in turbulent and challenging times. Certainly, one of the most difficult times in my life. And while it’s easy to focus on what divides us, it’s much more important to focus on what binds us together as a community. We can’t think of a better way to bring everyone together than a month-long celebration of storytelling in all its forms, whether it’s on the written page or stage, on foot or under sail. Everyone has a story to tell. The key thing is to listen.”

Festival Highlights include Traitors’ ‘Faithful’ Harriet Tyce who will be appearing alongside award-winning husband-and-wife crime-writing duo Nicci French at the festival’s Criminally Good Night, to be hosted at Foakes Hall in Great Dunmow on Friday 13th June. This is the launch event for the fabulous new Great Dunmow BookFest, which will be Great Dunmow – ‘the town without a bookshop’ – into the Essex Book Town for a day! More info here: https://www.talliston.com/great-dunmow-bookfest.

The festival is delighted to be welcoming broadcaster, former MP and national treasure Gyles Brandreth to Chelmsford Cathedral on Friday 19 June. Gyles will be talking about his new book Somewhere, A Boy and A Bear, a biography of A.A. Milne, which marks the 100th birthday of another national treasure: Winnie the Pooh, who turned 100 on Christmas Eve.

The festival will also be celebrating one of Essex’s very own home-grown ‘national treasures’: Chelmsford-born children’s author Kes Gray, who is probably best known for his internationally acclaimed book series Oi Frog and Others. Kes will be appearing at the Museum of Chelmsford on 30 May as part of the festival’s very own Oi Chelmsford Family Day.

Talking of Essex’s home-grown authors, multi-award-winning author (The Essex Serpent) and festival Patron Sarah Perry will be appearing at Colchester Samaritans Community Hall on Saturday 6 June as part of the festival’s special Love & Loss Day.

Meanwhile, Essex Writers House will be based at Chalkwell Hall in Westcliff-on-Sea for the 9th year running. An inspirational month-long collaboration between Essex Book Festival and Metal Southend, the Writers House promises a fabulous array of writing events, walks, workshops and other writerly activities. This includes the opportunity to book a complimentary Hot Desk for a day overlooking the Thames, and, for the more adventurous, a day of wild writing in the revamped peacock enclosure. Who can resist that! There is also the chance to get involved in the Southbank Centre’s A Poet in Every Port project as the National Poetry Library lands at Essex Writers House to help us celebrate Essex’s unique coastal stories and more.

With another national treasure artist Maggi Hambling in conversation with novelist and art critic James Cahill at the stunning The Gibberd Garden in Harlow; Guardian journalist and BBC Radio 4 presenter Jonathan Freedland appearing at Layer Marney Tower; crime-writer Vaseem Khan introducing readers to his new series of books that has a distinctly James Bond flavour; plus multiple opportunities to explore the county on foot via our ongoing programme of Radical Walks in Essex, including a talk and a walk from Wrabness Community Shop and Bar to A House for Essex with architect and writer Charles Holland, co-designer and collaborator with Grayson Perry, the challenge is going to be fitting it all in this June.

Download the digital brochure here.

All events listings will go live and tickets go on sale at essexbookfestival.org.uk/events at 10am on Thursday 26 March.

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With another special ‘countdown’ well underway by the end of May, we’re thrilled to be hosting this year’s Festival Launch at Colchester Community Stadium on Thursday 28 May, featuring two of the UK’s leading sportswriters, Jonathan Wilson and Simon Kuper, who will have one thing and one thing only on their minds: FIFA World Cup 2026.

For those who fancy stretching their legs, we have two excellent Radical Walks in Essex in the mix. The first led by architect and writer Charles Holland, who will be talking about his new book How to Enjoy Architecture at Wrabness Community Shop and Bar, before leading audiences on a ‘grand tour’ towards A House for Essex, which he co-designed with Grayson Perry.

The next one will be led by writer Michael J Warren, author of The Cuckoo’s Lea, who will be leading our intrepid adventurers around Northey Island, walking in the steps of the great nature writer J.A. Baker of The Peregrine fame, and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author, journalist and Labour MP Sir Norman Angell (1872-1967), who built a house and a turreted garden wall on the island.

Heading over to the other side of the county, Essex Book Festival is teaming up with The Gibberd Garden in Harlow to hosts a very special Artist’s Day.

Nine acres of intricately landscaped gardens, adorned with an eclectic collection of sculptures and architectural salvage, The Gibberd Garden is the perfect venue to welcome trail-blazing British artist, queer icon and pioneer Maggi Hambling to talk to art critic, novelist and close friend James Cahill about the new monograph Maggi Hambling, which marks her 80th birthday. Followed by British painter/writer Darren Coffield who will be talking about his latest book Hen, Mistress of Mayhem, A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, famously the muse of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and later on, Maggi herself.

The full festival programme and Box Office will go live on
Thursday 26 March at 10am
at essexbookfestival.org.uk/events/.

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Created in collaboration with the district’s communities, ‘A Poem for Chelmsford’ highlights our city and the people and places that make it a great place to live, work and visit.

Produced by filmmakers Andy Delaney and Rich With, the video is centred around a poem about Chelmsford written by local up-and-coming spoken word artist, Rebecca Carter.

Rebecca’s aim for the poem was to get to the heart of what Chelmsford means to its people; exploring and celebrating what residents, workers and visitors love most about it. To prepare for this, she spoke with community members across the district to get a sense of Chelmsford’s best qualities.

The outcome is a poem that spotlights the blend of modern and historic spaces that make up the Chelmsford of today; the hardworking communities and growing families that will shape our city in the years to come; and the big and small moments to be enjoyed every day – from the busy to the peaceful.

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Introducing WILD KEEP WEEKEND: a wondrous celebration of nature, heritage and traditional craft, all set within the unique surroundings of Hedingham Castle over the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend!

Created in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust, Hedingham Castle are turning up the volume on the natural world. Hedingham is a micro-biodiversity hotspot: a unique mosaic of ecosystems thriving within a single estate, and we’re inviting you to get hands-on in our small but mighty patch of Essex countryside.

From fascinating performances and captivating storytelling, to experiential workshops and inspiring conversations, there is something for everyone to discover. Visitors of all ages can slow down, explore the estate like never before and reconnect with the ancient skills that have shaped this landscape for generations.

Come and learn a new craft, breathe in the great outdoors, wander the makers’ market and experience Hedingham in a fresh new light. WILD KEEP WEEKEND will leave you feeling inspired, grounded and deeply connected to the wild heart of Essex.

🍃 Conversations with Authors

🍃 Makers’ & Farmers’ Market

🍃 Traditional Craft Demonstrations

🍃 Storytelling with Shane Ibbs

🍃 The Mushroom Show

🍃 Guided Nature Walks

🍃 Wild Keep Scavenger Trail

And much more…

Find out more at https://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/events/wild-keep-weekend.

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Colchester is being transformed into a giant game, encouraging active travel.

Take a look at a short video explaining how you play the game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMS6rQPIt0o&t=2s

Visit https://beatthestreet.me for full details

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