James Canton
Nature Memoir: What Next?

Saturday 13 June 2026, 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ

In 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.

Join our panel, chaired by author James Canton, to discuss what the future holds this compelling genre.

Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
Box Office: eventbrite.co.uk

This event is part of The Writers Room

Essex 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.

The Writers Room Day Pass
Five events for £25 / £15 concessions

1. What it takes to Make a Book – Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan
2. Nature Memoir: What Next? – James Canton
3. Breaking the Mould – Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read – English PEN
5. How to Become a Peregrine – The Cabinet of Living Cinema

Book a Writers Room Day Pass here

Renaturing

When 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.

Renaturing 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.

Above all, it shows how we can all make positive change, however large or small, in caring for and restoring the natural world.

Photo of James Canton © Lawrence Cawley