BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Essex Book Festival - ECPv6.18.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Essex Book Festival
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/London
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20230326T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20231029T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20240331T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20241027T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20250330T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20251026T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20260329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20261025T010000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:BST
DTSTART:20270328T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20271031T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260328T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260328T104500
DTSTAMP:20260326T094455Z
CREATED:20260123T101120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T094455Z
UID:11134-1774692000-1774694700@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Humanising Climate Change - EA Sustain
DESCRIPTION:Abi Daré\, Humanising Climate Change\nSaturday 28 March 2026\, 10.00am – 10.45am\nFirstsite\, Colchester – part of EA Sustain\nAbi Daré\, the winner of the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize (2025) for And So I Roar – a novel that shows with unusual force how climate change is never “just” environmental\, but inseparable from justice\, power\, education\, and actual human lives. \nIn And So I Roar\, Daré shows how environmental breakdown is rarely experienced as an abstract crisis. Instead\, its consequences are absorbed by those with the least power\, who are then blamed and punished for systemic failures they did not create. The novel follows a young girl accused of “crimes” that are\, in reality\, the outcome of climate disruption\, poverty\, and entrenched social injustice. \nThis conversation explores why fiction can be such an effective way of opening dialogue around climate change: not because it offers easy solutions\, but because it exposes how responsibility is displaced\, how power operates\, and how environmental harm is lived at the most personal level. \n  \nThis event is part of EA Sustain – The biennial festival about Environment\, Culture & Entrepreneurship. \nIn partnership with EA Festival \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/humanising-climate-change/
LOCATION:Firstsite\, Lewis Gardens\, High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1JH
CATEGORIES:Fiction,In partnership
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Abi-Dare-and-So-I-Roar-credit-Ellie-Smith-CTA-1200-x-800-px.png
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@www.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:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/rags-ruins/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Art,In Conversation,In partnership
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Delaine-credit-Egbert-Trogemann-and-Damian-Le-Bas-credit-Tara-Darby-3x2-1.png
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@www.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:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/liquid-reflections/
LOCATION:The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:Art,In Conversation,In partnership,Memoir
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Liliane-Lijn-Liquid-Reflections-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250621T084500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250621T130000
DTSTAMP:20250520T101913Z
CREATED:20250514T120740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T101913Z
UID:10567-1750495500-1750510800@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Wild Swim + Write: Sense the Estuary
DESCRIPTION:Wild Swim + Write: Sense the Estuary with Artist and Swimmer Angenita Teekens\nSaturday 21 June\, 8.45am – 1.00pm\nSaltwater Beach Cafe\, 111 Chalkwell Esplanade\, Southend-on-Se\,a SS0 8JJ\nIn partnership with the Federation of Essex Women’s Institutes and Metal. \nImmerse yourself—body and mind—in the tidal rhythms of the Estuary. Join artist and swimmer Angenita Teekens on Saturday 21 June for a unique morning of wild swimming at Chalkwell Beach followed by breakfast and creative writing at Chalkwell Hall. \nWe’ll gather at high tide for a refreshing dip or swim in the Estuary\, followed by a walk to Chalkwell Hall\, where a nourishing breakfast awaits. Afterward\, Angenita will lead an experimental writing workshop\, inviting you to explore your sensory impressions and shared experiences of the estuarine landscape through words. \n  \n \nHow does the Estuary feel?\nCan we smell its colours\, see its sounds\, hear the tide’s rhythm?\nThis workshop is a space to explore creative writing and experience—where water\, body\, and landscape meet. \n  \nEvent Details:\nMeeting Time / 8:45am at Chalkwell Beach (by Saltwater Café)\n111 Chalkwell Esplanade\, Westcliff-on-Sea\, SS0 8JJ\nHigh Tide/ 9:06am\nSwim / 9:15 – 10:00am\nBreakfast/ 11:00 – 12:00pm at Chalkwell Hall\nWriting Workshop/ 12:00 – 1:00pm\nTickets: £20 – limited spaces available. \nPlease note: \n– Participants must be 18+ and confident swimmers.\n– It is recommended to bring sea shoes\, a towel\, and any personal writing materials you’d like to use.\n– The walk from Chalkwell Beach to Chalkwell Hall takes approximately 20 minutes uphill. Free parking is available at Chalkwell Park.\n– Please specifiy any dietary requirements to chalkwell@metalculture.com\n– Come with curiosity and leave with salt on your skin\, stories in your hands\, and a deeper sense of place. \n  \n  \nAbout Artist Angenita Teekens:\nAngenita Teekens is an established artist with 25 years of experience in facilitating community art projects. She studied at the Art academy in Tilburg\, Netherlands gaining a teaching qualification in Art\, Design and Dutch. Later she gained a Master’s degree in Sculptural Practice from the University in Essex\, England. Her own practice includes\, mixed media\, drawing\, clay works\, photography\, writing and a combination of all. Angenita’s work revolves around the Blackwater Estuary in Essex and carefully considers the ethos that a socially and environmentally sustainable world can be achieved by using creative expressions to connect people of all backgrounds to their communities and natural environment.\nWebsite: https://arteekens.weebly.com/\nInstagram: @angenita_teekens \nImage By: Philippa Stewart \n  \n  \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 \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/wild-swim-write-sense-the-estuary/
LOCATION:Saltwater Beach Cafe\, 111 Chalkwell Esplanade\, Southend-on-Sea\, Essex\, SS0 8JJ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Essex Writers House,In partnership,Swim,Writing Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Wild-Write-Swim-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250520T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250520T200000
DTSTAMP:20250225T143546Z
CREATED:20250226T103220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T143546Z
UID:9921-1747767600-1747771200@www.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:http://www.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:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/James-Birch-Gilbert-and-George-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250125T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250125T153000
DTSTAMP:20241209T145428Z
CREATED:20241209T114327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241209T145428Z
UID:9828-1737799200-1737819000@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Manifesto For Essex Climate Action Youth Summit 2025
DESCRIPTION:Manifesto For Essex Climate Action Youth Summit 2025\nSaturday 25th January 2025\, 10.00am – 3.30pm\nVenue: Headgate Theatre\, 14 Chapel Street North\, Colchester CO2 7AT\nTickets: Free\, places limited so booking essential\nGet involved\, share ideas\, and make a difference in your local community and beyond.\nWe are delighted to be holding our fourth Climate Action Youth Summit in January 2025. Aimed primarily at 13-25 year olds\, this is your chance to engage in thought-provoking discussions\, participate in interactive creative workshops and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for climate action\, culture\, and nature. \nIn partnership with Headgate Theatre\, Colchester. \n  \nThe Climate Action Youth Summit is part of Manifesto For Essex\, a multi-form creative platform run by Essex Book Festival for young people living in Essex and beyond to express their ideas about climate action. \nThe Climate Action Youth Summit will include a Panel Discussion led by Marina Cusi\, Artistic Director at Mad\, Who? with panellists representing young eco-writers\, environmental activists and eco-theatre-makers . \nAttendees can also choose to participate in two environmental-themed workshops: \nEco-Podcasting Workshop led by radio producer/presenter Michelle Durant\nEco-Performance Workshop led by theatre director Sofia Bagge\nEco-Scriptwriting led by writer\, dramaturg and lecturer Andrew Burton\nEco-Poetry led by artist\, activist and theatre-maker Marina Cusi \nFree soft drinks and biscuits will be available on arrival. \nAttendees will also have the opportunity to take part in some creative drop-in workshops during the lunch break. We recommend you bring a nut-free packed lunch. \nPlaces are limited so reserve your place today to avoid disappointment.\nIf you have any queries about the Climate Action Youth Summit or other Manifesto For Essex activities\, just get in touch: hello@essexbookfestival.org.uk. \nFollow us @manifesto4essex \nFunded by Arts Council England \n  \n  \n \n  \n \n  \n \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/manifesto-for-essex-climate-action-youth-summit-2025/
LOCATION:Headgate Theatre\, 14 Chapel St North\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO2 7AT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:FREE,In partnership,Manifesto For Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Launch-Radical-Procession-Banner-Group-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241128T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241128T203000
DTSTAMP:20241015T130204Z
CREATED:20241014T185010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241015T130204Z
UID:9737-1732820400-1732825800@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Tattoos
DESCRIPTION:Tattoos – Matt Lodder\nEA Festival\, Essex Book Festival and Firstsite are excited to present a talk with Matt Lodder\, author of a new book entitled\, Tattoos\, published by Yale University Press. \nThursday 28th November 2024 7pm – 8pm\nVenue: Firstsite\, Lewis Gardens\, High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1JH\nTickets £15 / £12 concessions (Over 65 or student)\nBox Office: Online at https://ea-festival.eventcube.io/events/67749/tattoos-matt-lodder\nThis important book is the first to examine the history of tattoo in the west as both a serious profession and an art form. \nThere is a pervasive stereotype of tattoo culture as relating to an underworld of scoundrels\, sailors\, and ne’er-do-wells\, yet it has existed in the West as a professionalized art practice for centuries. Drawing on extensive new research and unprecedented access to largely unpublished private archives of photographs\, art\, and ephemera\, Matt Lodder offers a new perspective on the history of commercial tattooing in Europe and the United States\, beginning even before it emerged as a recognizable profession in the mid-nineteenth century. \nIn the process\, he shows that the art of tattoo has long been both practiced and commissioned by individuals across economic\, gender\, and class divides; he also examines the stylistic trends that have shaped tattoo’s development as an art form over its history. \nMatt Lodder will introduce the many artists and professionals who have shaped tattoo history\, including early figures like Martin Hildebrandt\, the first-known professional tattoo artist in the West; prominent woman artists like Grace Bell and Jessie Knight; mid-twentieth-century icons like Sailor Jerry and Les Skuse and the Bristol Tattoo Club; and contemporary industry stars including Ed Hardy\, Davy Jones\, and the Leu family. \nTattoos will be available to purchase on the evening and a book signing will follow the talk. \nDoors open at 6:30 pm and the one-hour talk commences at 7 pm. \n  \nAbout the Author\nMatt Lodder is a senior lecturer in art history and theory and director of American Studies at the University of Essex. \n  \n \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/tattoos/
LOCATION:Firstsite\, Lewis Gardens\, High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1JH
CATEGORIES:Author talk,In partnership
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Matt-Lodder-credit-to-Amit-Lennon-with-Tattoos-cover-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241115T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20241115T203000
DTSTAMP:20241022T181819Z
CREATED:20240925T114226Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241022T181819Z
UID:9661-1731697200-1731702600@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Blythe Spirit
DESCRIPTION:Blythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe\nIan Collins in conversation with Ros Green\nRonald Blythe (1922-2023) lived all his life in East Anglia and is considered one of the greatest writers on the English countryside. \nAuthor of Blythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe\, Ian Collins was a close friend of Blythe’s. Drawing on unparalleled access to letters\, notebooks\, published works\, drafts\, and conversations from decades of friendship\, he tells the full story of Ronald Blythe for the first time. The result is a sensitive\, revelatory portrait which celebrates a fascinating\, complex man and casts new light on one of our greatest writers. \nThis event will take place at the Old Library\, Colchester Town Hall\, where Blythe worked for 10 years as a reference librarian and where he founded the Colchester Literary Society. \nIan will be in conversation with Essex Book 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. \nThe bar in the Old Library will be open for this event. Card payments only. \nThis event is in partnership with Red Lion Books. \n  \nFriday 15th November 2024\, 7.00pm\nVenue: Colchester Town Hall – Old Library\, High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1PJ\nTickets: £8 event only or £28 for event and a copy of the book (RRP £26)\nBox Office: Red Lion Books\nEvent only redlionbooks.co.uk/product/blythe-spirit-event/\nEvent + book redlionbooks.co.uk/product/blythe-spirit-eventwithbook/\n  \n\n  \nBlythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe by Ian Collins\n \n‘An intimate and insightful portrait of the peerless observer of rural life’\n– Richard Mabey \n‘Moving\, candid\, vivid\, it is all that we could hope for in a memoir of this unique and treasured writer’\n– Rowan Williams \n‘As a boy I dreamed of scholars and saints wandering around markets and cornfields\, and of artists and poets sitting under the trees.’ \nRonald Blythe (1922-2023)\, author of the inimitable Akenfield\, was a prolific and poetic chronicler of rural and spiritual life\, nature and literature. He spent a joyful century close to his Suffolk roots\, time travelling in his imagination and publishing forty books and thousands of essays. His wide creative network included John and Christine Nash\, Cedric Morris\, Benjamin Britten\, E. M. Forster\, Patricia Highsmith and Richard Mabey. \nFrom finding Thomas Hardy in February rain and John Clare in country tracks\, to talking to his white cat and reading through a dragonfly’s wings\, the Blythe gift was to marvel in the everyday. His writing was intimate\, meditative and often laced with a wry humour\, inviting readers to share his enchanting perspective on the world. Yet few knew the ‘real’ Ronald Blythe. Leaving school at 14\, he educated himself in libraries\, churches and walks in the East Anglian landscape. He never spoke about early poverty and traumatic experience in the war\, while his sexuality was kept private except from those closest to him. \nDrawing on unparalleled access to letters\, notebooks\, published works\, drafts\, and conversations from decades of friendship\, Ian Collins tells the full story of Ronald Blythe for the first time. The result is a sensitive\, revelatory portrait which celebrates a fascinating\, complex man and casts new light on one of our greatest writers. \nRonald Blythe’s work\, which has won countless awards\, includes Akenfield\, a Penguin 20th Century Classic and a feature film. \n  \n\n  \nIan Collins\nIan Collins is a writer and curator. He has written numerous biographies and monographs\, including the Runciman Award-winning John Craxton: A Life of Gifts and James Dodds: The Blue Boat which won the Creative Suffolk Author Award. He had a long career as an arts writer for the Eastern Daily Press and has worked with the Aldeburgh Festival\, Sainsbury Centre in Norwich\, British Museum\, Yale Center for British Art in New Haven\, Benaki Museum in Athens and Meşher Istanbul. He lives in Suffolk and Greece. \n  \n  \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/blythe-spirit/
LOCATION:Colchester Town Hall\, High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1PJ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:In partnership,Memoir
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ian-Collins-with-Ronnie-and-cover-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240614T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240614T213000
DTSTAMP:20240612T150406Z
CREATED:20240612T150406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240612T150406Z
UID:9483-1718391600-1718400600@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Essex - A County of Contrasts
DESCRIPTION:Essex – A County of Contrasts\nEssex Hundred Publications and Metal present\nas part of Essex Writers House\nin partnership with the Essex Book Festival\nA fast moving programme not to be missed – Author talks\,interviews\,video shorts and poetry readings.\nFriday 14th June 7.00 – 9.30pm\nVenue: Metal\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Park\, Westcliff on Sea\, SS0 8NB\nTickets: £3\, book in advance or pay on the door subject to availability\nBox Office: https://www.essex100.com/product/essex-a-county-of-contrasts-ticket/\nTelephone enquiries 01702 557828 \nFor more information including programme line-up visit:\nhttps://www.essex100.com/essex-a-county-of-contrasts-event/ \n  \n  \nPart of Essex Writers House \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/essex-a-county-of-contrasts/
LOCATION:Metal at Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS0 8NB
CATEGORIES:Author talk,Essex Writers House,In partnership,Poetry,Video
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-12-at-16.00.18.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240302T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240302T130000
DTSTAMP:20240130T205637Z
CREATED:20240130T205225Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T205637Z
UID:8722-1709373600-1709384400@www.essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:National Saturday Club - Writing & Talking
DESCRIPTION:Led by Creative Writing Tutor Emma Kittle-Pey\, our exciting Year 9 and Year 10 Writing & Talking National Saturday Club programme offers a multi-discipline communication project that encourages Club members to articulate their ideas and develop their skills\, all centred on this year’s Festival theme: This Land. \nClub members will explore a breadth of activities including writing and performing poetry\, short-fiction\, blogging\, zine-making\, podcasting and illustration. They will visit a local museum and a radio station\, take part in national events such as Masterclasses\, and exhibit their work nationwide at Essex Book Festival and the Summer Show at the Somerset House. \nGenerating new and exciting work\, Club members will find themselves creating media that helps them find their voice and share their ideas. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say! \nOpen to all 13-16 year olds living in and around the Chelmsford area\nClub dates:\nEvery Saturday\, 10:00-13:00\, 02 March – 06 July 2024\nFree but spaces are very limited so booking essential. Book your place at Saturday-club.org\nVenue:\nARU\nChelmsford Campus\nBishop Hall Lane\nChelmsford\nCM1 1SQ\n  \n  \n \n 
URL:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/national-saturday-club-writing-talking/
LOCATION:Anglia Ruskin University\, Bishop Hall Lane\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1SQ
CATEGORIES:FREE,In partnership,Workshop,Young Essex
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:http://www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/National-Saturday-Club-3x2-1.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR