Radical Islands
Take a walk on the wild side and help us celebrate Essex’s wonderful islands as part of Essex Book Festival’s ongoing Radical Essex countywide activities in 2025 / 2026.
Walks, talks, pen-friends, picnics, foraging, mud workshops, wild swims…help us to celebrate the rich heritage and history, exquisite nature and wildlife, and communities that make up this island county. After all, Essex does have the most islands of any English county.
Radical Islands Launch
Ken Worpole and Jules Pretty
The Packing Shed, West Mersea
Sunday 01 June, 2.30 – 5.30pm
Join us for an event like no other – take a boat trip to the Packing Shed at Mersea Island, a unique piece of our Essex heritage and join two fascinating talks.
Social historian and writer Ken Worpole, and poet / environmental activist Jules Pretty will be joining us as we all catch the boat from Mersea Island to The Packing Shed for what promises to be a completely fascinating afternoon.
In Brightening from the East: Essays on landscape and memory (2025), writer Ken Worpole details the unique contribution the Essex islands have made to modern notions of ‘Englishness’, not only in landscape character but also in the 20th century story of environmental and social change.
In Sea Sagas of the North, Jules Pretty uses story and saga to explore how the Essex archipelago came to be, and how the Sky People were welcomed with kindness at the shore.
Tickets for this event are very limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
How to Approach an Island: Walking the Broomway
Helen Galliano of Arbonauts
Chalkwell Hall → Great Wakering Stairs → Foulness Island
Sunday 08 June, 1:30pm – 8:30pm
Join us for a one-of-a-kind guided walk along Essex’s most legendary coastal route, the Broomway — a hauntingly beautiful path to Foulness Island, with Arbonauts artist Helen Galliano and local farmer John Burroughs. Along the walk there will be a gentle introduction to site-specific movement lead by Helen, set against the backdrop of the Estuary.
After our walk, we will gather back at Chalkwell Hall for a nourishing meal and share an evening of guided conversation and ideas for creative writing. This workshop carries on from Arbonauts’ research project How to Approach an Island
Expect to get your feet wet on a wild guided walk, followed by a nourishing dinner and guided conversation to inspire creative writing workshop at Chalkwell Hall.
Write Around The Island: A Day of Estuary Exploration
Graham Harwood, Matsuko Yokokoji and Gerolamo Gnecci
Leigh on Sea Station
Monday 16 June, 9:30am – 6:15pm
Join artists and estuary philosophers Graham Harwood, Matsuko Yokokoji and Gerolamo Gnecci for a hands-on adventure and workshop along the atmospheric foreshore and on the water. This immersive day invites writers to explore the evocative edges where land meets water.
The day begins with a morning mud walk, followed by a shared lunch and an afternoon foray by small boat into the winding creeks of Two Tree Island. Along the way, who knows what muddy relics, sunken wrecks, or flashes of wildlife you might encounter? Come prepared to get mucky in the estuary—and find inspiration.
Wild Swim + Write: Sense the Estuary
Angenita Teekens
Chalkwell Beach and Chalkwell Hall
Saturday 21 June, 8:45am – 1:00pm
Immerse 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.
We’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.