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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260628T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260628T170000
DTSTAMP:20260626T101037Z
CREATED:20260326T090027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T101037Z
UID:11439-1782662400-1782666000@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
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 (string quartet in the garden from 3pm – do join us early for that!)\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. \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. \nUniquely told from the viewpoint of the women who knew her\, including Maggi Hambling\, not the famous male artists who painted her. \nTickets:\n£15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nor both events for £25 / £18 concessions \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  \nSuma Quartet\, a string quartet will be playing at The Gibberd Garden from 3pm to 4pm. \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☕ There will be a pop-up tea room serving refreshments and snacks.\n🏠 Tickets include entry to the House and Garden. Entry to the House is limited\, timed entry passes are available\, first come first served on the day. \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: \n2.00pm – Maggi Hambling in conversation with James Cahill\n4.00pm – Darren Coffield\, Hen\, Mistress of Mayhem \n\n\n\n\n\n\nDarren Coffield\n\nPhoto of Darren Coffield © Darren Coffield \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. \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. \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. \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). \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. \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… \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. \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. \nBuy a copy of the book from bookshop.org. – released 02 April 2026
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/hen-mistress-of-mayhem-a-portrait-of-henrietta-moraes/
LOCATION:The Gibberd Garden\, Marsh Lane\, Harlow\, Essex\, CM17 0NA\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260625T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260625T200000
DTSTAMP:20260623T052515Z
CREATED:20260326T090051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T052515Z
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SUMMARY:Ever Land - SOLD OUT
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. \nAmy will be in conversation with Rachel Holmes\, author of Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel. \nTickets: £11 (includes £1 booking fee) \nBox Office: hotboxlive.co.uk \n  \nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book will be available to buy from Red Lion Books on the night.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🍷 The bar will be open serving refreshments\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n𖣘 The venue is air conditioned\n♿ The venue has step free access throughout and an accessible toilet. hotboxlive.co.uk/accessibility\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event. Please let a member of the team know if you do not want to be photographed / filmed \n  \n  \n\nAmy Abdelnoor\nPhoto of Amy Abdelnoor Author © Michelle Grant \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 \nA gripping and powerful story of connection and displacement set in 2000s Palestine. \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. \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. \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‘Ambitious and complex but handled with impressive ease.’\n– Rose Tremain \n  \nRachel Holmes\nPhoto of Rachel Holmes © Ruth Crafer \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.
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/ever-land/
LOCATION:Hot Box\, 28\, 29 Viaduct Road\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In Conversation,SOLD OUT!
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260624T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260624T210000
DTSTAMP:20260618T132355Z
CREATED:20260327T113524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260618T132355Z
UID:11691-1782327600-1782334800@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Writing and the Power of Language: Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Abdeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha
DESCRIPTION:Writing and the Power of Language: In conversation with Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Abdeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\nWednesday 24 June 2026\, 7.00pm – 9.00pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\nIn partnership with National Centre for Writing \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. \nTickets: Free\, places limited\, booking essential \nBook tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/metal. \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. \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. \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. \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. \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. \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 \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/.
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/writing-and-the-power-of-language-camilla-balshaw-emily-addeni-holman-and-boakye-d-alpha/
LOCATION:Metal at Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,FREE,In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260617T200000
DTSTAMP:20260416T074345Z
CREATED:20260326T090042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T074345Z
UID:11387-1781722800-1781726400@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
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\n\nTickets: £10 / £8 (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\nEllie Levenson\n \nEllie Levenson is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared across many national newspapers and magazines. She lives in London with her family. \nellielevenson.com/about/ \nRoom 706\n \nIf she knew it would end this way\, would it ever have begun? \nNobody knows she’s checked into Room 706. \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. \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. \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? \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? \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. \nOrder a copy of the book from bookshop.org. \n  \nPraise for Room 706\n‘A tense\, riveting read about the unpredictable ripple effects luck and choices can have’\n– Tracy Sierra \n‘I could not stop reading’\n– Sarah Easter Collins \n‘I devoured it… I haven’t stopped thinking about it’\n– Jennie Godfrey \n‘An ending that demands to be talked about’\n– Erin Kelly \n‘Poignant\, heart-breaking and utterly human’\n– Joanna Cannon \n\n  \n\n  \nTony Fisher\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. \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. \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. \nhttps://tonyfisherbooks.com/ \n \n  \n \n \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/room-706/
LOCATION:Manningtree Library\, High Street\, Manningtree\, CO11 1AD
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260613T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260613T120000
DTSTAMP:20260514T153647Z
CREATED:20260326T090053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T153647Z
UID:11484-1781348400-1781352000@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
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. \nThis event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust. \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. \nThe Writers Room Day Pass – Five events for £25 / £15 concessions – Book a Writers Room Day Pass here\n  \n\nEva Verde\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  \nThem Girls\n \nTwo sisters\, a lifetime of secrets\, and the chance to set the record straight… \nMeet Goldie and Vee: sisters\, dreamers\, grafters. In their forties\, both appear to have it all… \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. \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. \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… \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 . . . \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‘I loved Verde’s debut\, LIVES LIKE MINE\, and this is just as raw and insightful’\n– Good Housekeeping \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 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/what-it-takes-to-make-a-book/
LOCATION:Lakeside Theatre\, University of Essex\, Wivenhoe Park\, Colchester\, CO4 3SQ
CATEGORIES:In Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260224T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260224T200000
DTSTAMP:20260202T131724Z
CREATED:20260105T114946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T131724Z
UID:11068-1771959600-1771963200@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Rags & Ruins:
DESCRIPTION:Rags & Ruins:\nDamian and Delaine Le Bas in conversation\n24 February 2026\, 7pm\nThe Minories\, Colchester\nIf rags are the shreds of culture inhabited by the unfortunate\, are ruins the shells of their oppressors’ power? Ancient prophets observed that all garments\, whether imperial purple or hermit brown\, are torn to shreds by the ages; every hut or castle becomes fluid as sand in time. What of we who are alive now\, clinging to our holdfasts\, menaced by waves of weaponised information? \n— Damian Le Bas \n  \nIn art and words\, mother and son\, artist and writer\, Delaine Le Bas and Damian Le Bas (jr) come together to reflect on shared themes that run through their work across visual art\, writing\, and lived experience. Drawing on Romani history and culture\, as well as broader questions of power\, marginalisation\, survival\, and memory\, they will discuss how materials\, stories\, and landscapes carry the traces of human conflict and endurance. \nThis event\, which forms part of a series of art-themed events\, a partnership between EA Festival\, Essex Book Festival and The Minories\, is a rare opportunity to hear two internationally acclaimed artists in dialogue\, reflecting on inheritance\, identity\, and the role of art and language in navigating a world shaped by history\, violence\, and renewal. Expect a thought-provoking evening that moves between the personal and the universal\, rooted in deep cultural knowledge. \n  \nAbout Delaine Le Bas\nDelaine Le Bas is a British artist whose work spans textile\, collage\, assemblage\, installation\, and performance. Of Romani heritage\, her practice explores Romani history\, language\, and lived experience\, addressing themes of displacement\, survival\, memory\, and cultural resilience. Using found fabrics\, clothing\, photographs\, and hand-worked materials\, her work is marked by layering and accretion\, reflecting both nomadic traditions and the fragility of inherited histories. Her work has been shown widely in the UK and internationally\, including participation in the Prague Biennale (2005 and 2007) and the first Roma Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize in 2024\, with her installation shown at Tate Britain as part of the prize exhibition. Le Bas’ practice challenges stereotypical representations of Romani identity\, asserting its complexity\, modernity\, and political urgency. \nAbout Damian Le Bas\nDamian Le Bas (jr) is a writer and artist. His first book\, The Stopping Places\, A Journey Through Gypsy Britain\, won the prestigious Somerset Maugham Award in 2019 amongst other literary awards. His visual art has been shown internationally\, and his poetry and essays are widely published. His second book\, The Drowned Places\, was released in 2025 and nominated for the Maritime Foundation Best Book Award. Damian read Theology at Oxford University and is a native speaker of the Romani language. He grew up in Sussex\, where he lives with his partner and their two daughters\, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. \ndamianlebas.com/ \n  \nPhoto of Delaine Le Bas by Egbert Trogemann at Maxim Gorki Theatre\, 2025\nPhoto of Damian Le Bas by Tara Darby\n  \n  \n  \n  \n \n  \n \n  \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/rags-ruins/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Art,In Conversation,In partnership
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250930T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250930T200000
DTSTAMP:20250812T100213Z
CREATED:20250812T100123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250812T100213Z
UID:10751-1759258800-1759262400@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Liquid Reflections
DESCRIPTION:Liquid Reflections – in conversation with Liliane Lijn\nTuesday 30 September\n7.00pm (doors open 6.30pm)\nThe Minories\n74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nBook tickets at eafestival.com/lilianelijn \nJoin us for an evening with trail-blazing contemporary artist\, Liliane Lijn\, whose seminal kinetic artworks redefined the possibilities of creative and artistic expression. \nFrom her motorised Poem Machines of the early 1960s that infused language with additional meaning through movement\, to her iconic spinning Koans and mesmerising masterwork\, Liquid Reflections\, Lijn merged industrial materials\, movement\, myth\, and poetry in ways that were decades ahead of their time. \nCurrently the subject of a major retrospective at Tate St Ives—Liliane Lijn: Arise Alive—Lijn will be at The Minories to discuss her acclaimed new memoir\, Liquid Reflections\, in conversation with Emma Howe\, Director of The Minories. \nBased on her diaries from 1958 to 1966\, the book charts her formative years in bohemian Paris and Athens\, her fearless experiments with new materials\, and her navigation of love\, motherhood\, and an art world deeply resistant to women. Critics have hailed it as “utterly gripping\, enraging\, entertaining—and important” (Jennifer Higgie) and a portrait of “a unique and self-renewing force of creativity for six decades” (Marina Warner). \nDon’t miss this chance to hear\, in her own words\, the story of an artist who refused to be categorised. \nBook tickets at eafestival.com/lilianelijn \nThis event is part of a series of art-themed events which are a partnership between EA Festival\, Essex Book Festival and The Minories. \n  \n  \n \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/liquid-reflections/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Art,In Conversation,In partnership,Memoir
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250618T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250618T203000
DTSTAMP:20250514T162606Z
CREATED:20250514T162454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T162606Z
UID:10576-1750273200-1750278600@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Find Your Writing Community with National Centre for Writing 
DESCRIPTION:Find Your Writing Community with National Centre for Writing\nWednesday 18 June\, 7.00pm – 8.30pm\nChalkwell Hall\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB\nFree event\nLooking to find your writing people? Come along to a FREE evening of conversation inspired by the Escalator New Writing Fellowships—a programme that champions underrepresented voices from the East of England\, in partnership with the National Centre for Writing. \nJoin acclaimed author Ashley Hickson-Lovence in conversation with writer Seema McArdle as they explore the power of mentorship\, representation\, and the journey to finding (and building) your writing community. \n  \nTickets: Free\, booking recommended \nBox Office: eventbrite \n  \n  \nPart of Essex Writers House\nEssex Writers House is back this June 2025 – and it’s bigger\, bolder\, and bursting with creative opportunities. \nAn inspiring lineup of events including wild swimming\, wild hot desks\, estuary mud walks\, writing walks\, film screenings\, open advice sessions and collaborative co-writing spaces. \nCome write\, connect\, and get muddy with us. \nVisit metalculture.com/projects/essex-writers-house-2025/ for full programme details. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/find-your-writing-community-with-national-centre-for-writing/
LOCATION:Metal at Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,For Writers,FREE,In Conversation
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Find-Your-Writing-Community-3x2-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250520T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250520T200000
DTSTAMP:20250225T143546Z
CREATED:20250226T103220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T143546Z
UID:9921-1747767600-1747771200@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Gilbert & George and the Communists
DESCRIPTION:In conversation with James Birch\nGilbert & George and the Communists\nAn event presented in partnership with EA Festival and The Minories\nTuesday 20th May\, 7.00pm\nVenue: The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE\nTickets: £15.00\nBox Office: eafestival.com\nOn 20 May\, EA Festival will kick off a new event series in partnership with Essex Book Festival and The Minories\, with all the talks taking place at the latter. If you don’t know The Minories\, it is located directly opposite Firstsite in Colchester and the exhibition space for the superb art collection of the Victor Batte Lay Foundation\, in addition to being a vibrant hive of art and community activity. \nTo inaugurate the series of art-themed talks\, James Birch\, the curator\, gallerist and art impresario with many ties to East Anglia\, will introduce his newest book\, Gilbert & George and the Communists. \nThe book memorialises James’ experience of mounting major art exhibitions in Moscow and China for the irreverent and iconic art duo\, Gilbert & George\, after the great success of bringing Francis Bacon to Russia in 1988. (The latter experience was documented by James in his book\, Bacon in Moscow\, published in 2022.) \nThe reader is propelled forward by Birch’s sensitive retelling of his relationship with Gilbert and George\, and his quest to understand the moorings of their art\, while negotiating the black box decision making processes of his Communist patrons\, all during one of the most tumultuous eras of political upheaval in those two countries (perestroika and Tiananmen). \nIt’s a multi-faceted romp through the art world and politics of the late 80s and early 90s that James will bring to life when he joins us on stage at The Minories. \n  \nAbout James Birch\nJames is a curator who has promoted modern art exhibitions around the world for over 30 years. He opened his first gallery in 1983\, followed by two more in London over the next two decades. James has exhibited artists including Grayson Perry\, Francis Bacon\, Gilbert & George\, Genesis P Orridge\, Austin Osman Spare and Denis Wirth-Miller. \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/gilbert-george-and-the-communists/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:In Conversation,In partnership
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/James-Birch-Gilbert-and-George-3x2-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T140000
DTSTAMP:20240418T085552Z
CREATED:20240404T090038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240418T085552Z
UID:8826-1718283600-1718287200@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Taking the Long View - Rural
DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Smith\, Rural\nIn this beautifully observed book\, Rebecca Smith paints a picture of the working class lives that often go overlooked. Living in rural areas means being surrounded by natural beauty\, but for many it also demands hard work\, precarity\, fewer opportunities and – increasingly – being pushed out of the place your family might have called home for generations. \nIn conversation with Festival Director\, Ros Green\, (who grew up in Charsfield in East Suffolk in 1960s and 1970s: the inspiration for Ronald Blythes’s Penguin Classic Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village) they will discuss the relations between nature and human nature\, the land\, education\, class and welfare. \nThis event will include an audience Q&A. After the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by the author. \n  \nThursday 13 June\, 1.00pm \nVenue: Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \n  \n\n  \nRural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside by Rebecca Smith\nPublished 6 June 2024 (William Collins) \n \nOrder a copy of Rural at bookshop.org \nWork in the countryside ties you\, soul and salary\, to the land\, but often those who labour in nature have the least control over what happens there… \nIn this beautifully observed book\, Rebecca Smith traces the stories of foresters and millworkers\, miners\, builders\, farmers and pub owners\, to paint a picture of the working class lives that often go overlooked. \nLiving in rural areas means being surrounded by natural beauty\, but for many it also demands hard work\, precarity\, fewer opportunities and – increasingly – being pushed out of the place your family might have called home for generations. \nIn Rural\, Rebecca Smith brings together the reasons we all love nature with the histories of life in its midst\, and a prescient look at the dynamics for rural areas today. Why are our farmers struggling to make a profit on a pint of milk? What has Airbnb done to small communities in places like the Lake District? \nIn a gorgeous tour of Scotland\, England and Wales\, this is a book for anyone who loves and longs for the countryside\, whose family owes something to a bygone trade\, or who is interested in the future of rural Britain. \n  \nAbout the Author\nRebecca Smith worked for BBC Radio for over a decade\, producing live and pre-recorded programmes and researching titles for BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week and The Fiction Serial. In 2021\, she was shortlisted for the Scottish Book Trust’s Ignite Fellowship. She currently writes for various publications and reviews for BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show. \n  \n \nPhoto of Rebecca Smith © Lina Hayes \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/rural/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:In Conversation,Non-fiction
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Rebecca-Headshots_credit-Lina-Hayes-Rural-3x2-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240207T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240207T190000
DTSTAMP:20240103T094631Z
CREATED:20231218T160917Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240103T094631Z
UID:8634-1707328800-1707332400@dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Authors in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Authors in Conversation: Holly Pester & Keiran Goddard\nWednesday 7th February\, 6pm\nVenue: Red Lion Books\, High Street\, Colchester\nTickets: £5 (ticket price is redeemable against either book\, on the evening.)\n  \nKeiran Goddard grew up in Shard End\, Birmingham. He is the author of two poetry collections\, and two novels: Hourglass\, which was widely acclaimed and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott prize\, and I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning\, which will be published in February 2024. \nHolly Pester is a poet and writer. She has worked in sound art and performance\, with BBC Radio\, Women’s Art Library and Wellcome Collection. \n  \nI See Buildings Fall Like Lightning\nFive friends. Five lives. Countless hopes. \nPatrick\, Shiv\, Rian\, Oli and Conor grew up together. They played together\, skipped school together\, and dreamt of everything they’d do with their lives. \nNow they are thirty\, and only Rian has made it out of the estate and moved away to another city\, but his money doesn’t stop him clinging to a vision of the past that is quickly slipping away. Oli is fading by the day\, drinking and snorting his way through the endless boredom\, while Conor has a baby on the way and a business plan he hopes will change everything. Patrick and Shiv are as in love as ever\, but even they are rocked when an old secret opens up new wounds. \nBold\, ambitious and stylistically striking\, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning asks what happens when all the things we expect from our lives end up not happening. It lays bare the ways that place and circumstance shape us\, explores the redeeming and transforming beauty of friendship and examines the true limits of hope and forgiveness \n  \nThe Lodgers\nA stunning first novel from Holly Pester – a writer already hailed as one of the best poets of her generation. \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.” \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. \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. \n  \nWednesday 7th February at 6pm\nVenue: Red Lion Books\, Colchester\n£5 ticket price is redeemable against Holly’s book\, on the evening. \nBook tickets: redlionbooks.co.uk \n  \nRegrettably\, the event space is not accessible to wheelchair users
URL:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/the-lodgers/
LOCATION:Red Lion Books\, 125 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1SZ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In Conversation
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://dev.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Holly-Pester-and-Kieran-Goddard-3x2-1.png
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