- 31 May -30 June 2024
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Essex Book Festival Launch: Billy Bragg
We are delighted to welcome singer, songwriter and activist Billy Bragg to launch Essex Book Festival 2018. Against a backdrop of Cold War politics, rock and roll riots and a newly assertive working-class youth, Billy charts the history, impact and legacy of Britain's original pop movement, and how Skiffle changed the world. Read more
- Non-fiction
Literary Lunch at Tymperleys: Anne de Courcy
Anne de Courcy hosts this year's literary lunch, sharing stories of social climbing American heiresses who crossed the pond to find titled husbands with power and privilege. This richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England, and what England thought of them. Read more
- CANCELLED
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
- POSTPONED
My Europe: A Patrician Press Anthology
RESCHEDULED FOR 16 MARCH. In their latest anthology, Patrician Press brings together poems, short stories and essays on the theme of Europe, advantages and disadvantages of the European Union. Writers share personal histories and discuss the consequences of leaving the EU. Read more
- Non-fiction
The East Country: Jules Pretty
In their latest anthology, Patrician Press brings together poems, short stories and essays on the theme of Europe, advantages and disadvantages of the European Union. Writers share personal histories and discuss the consequences of leaving the EU. Read more
- Non-fiction
A New Map of Wonders: Caspar Henderson
Author and journalist Casper Henderson takes us on a journey in search of modern marvels. From divine visions in whirlwinds and burning bushes, to the Romantic Era's fascination with nature, our sense of wonder has long served as a starting point for experiencing the world. Read more
- Non-fiction
Edward Lear: a life of art and nonsense – Jenny Uglow
Acclaimed biographer Jenny Uglow brings us a joyful and moving appreciation of Edward Lear’s extraordinary life and work. From troubled childhood to striving artist, she tracks his swooping moods, passionate friendships and restless travels. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Ancient Wonderings: James Canton
James Canton travels the length of Britain in a quest to discover the wonders of our natural history that occupied ancient minds, seeking the remnants left by our ancestors and weaving a beautiful tale of discovery along the way. Read more
- Non-fiction
The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating
Using insights from psychiatrists, food scientists and dietitians, Anthony Warner, aka The Angry Chef exposes diet faddery and clean-eating cobblers, giving us the tools to spot pseudoscience for ourselves. Read more
- Non-fiction
Redeemable: A Memoir of Darkness and Hope – Erwin James
Ex-offender, Guardian columnist and editor of inside time, the national newspaper for prisoners and detainees, Erwin James will be talking about his biography Redeemable: A Memoir of Darkness and Hope. Read more
- Non-fiction
Custard, Culverts & Cake: Academics on Life in the Archers
Leading scholars combine a love of The Archers with their specialist subject areas, such as food, geography, social media and faith. Archers’ fans may be relieved to hear that hours of listening to their daily dose of Ambridge is, in fact, valid academic research. Read more
- Non-fiction
M: Maxwell Knight: MI5’s Greatest Spymaster – Henry Hemming
A gripping and dramatic true story about two remarkable female spies and the maverick who ran them, an animal-loving drop-out who went on to become MI5’s greatest spymaster. Henry Hemming reveals not just the shadowy world of espionage but also an enigmatic man at its centre. Read more
- Non-fiction
Improve Your Learning: Robert Winston
One of the most instantly recognisable scientists in the country, Robert Winston is a compelling speaker, bringing complex issues to life with infectious enthusiasm and energy. This illuminating talk reveals how we can all improve our learning. Read more
- Non-fiction
A Higher Education: Andy Kirkpatrick
Top British mountaineer, climber and writer Andy Kirkpatrick has explored some of the most difficult terrains in the world, from the Alps to Patagonia, Yosemite to Greenland. He looks back at forty years of adventure, sharing stories about his expeditions. Read more
- Fiction
- For Writers
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
- Storytelling
- Workshop
Essex Authors Day
This exciting day of seminars and workshops brings together Essex-based authors, writers and aspiring writers. Listen to author readings at the Pop Up Podium, pick up top tips, meet other writers, and find out more about getting published and publicising your book. Read more
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
- Storytelling
Pop-up Podium: Meet the Authors
A fascinating and enlightening day for all book-lovers. Visit our Pop-up Podium and meet a whole host of Essex based writers and published authors. Talk to them about their work and inspirations, and listen to pop-up readings through the day. Read more
- Non-fiction
Rochester to Richmond: A Thames Estuary Sailor’s View – Nick Ardley
Brought up on a Thames spritsail barge, lifelong sailor Nick Ardley shares a reflective river journey between Rochester and London. A beautifully illustrated book for lovers of sailing amongst salt, marsh and mud, Nick was recently featured in BBC One’s Britain Afloat, a history of the Britain’s boats and waterways. Read more
- Non-fiction
Sovereign, Squire & Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh – Peter Bance
A talk by Sikh author and historian Peter Bance, charting the fascinating journey of Maharajah Duleep Singh, from his time on the golden throne of the Punjab, to his exile to Britain and eventual stand against the establishment. Read more
- Non-fiction
Armageddon and Paranoia: The Nuclear Confrontation – Rodric Braithwaite
Nuclear weapons exist and so does the possibility of worldwide annihilation. Sir Rodric Braithwaite, ex British Ambassador in Moscow during the fall of the Soviet Union, draws on original sources from Russia and the US to paint a vivid and thought-provoking portrait of the Cold War. Read more
- Non-fiction
Over and Out: Henry Blofeld
Henry Blofeld is a cricket broadcasting legend, his voice the sound of summer to thousands of cricket lovers. His autobiography is packed with entertaining stories as he relives his favourite moments and shares behind the scenes anecdotes. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Dorothy L Sayers Lecture: Tony Medawar
The Golden Age is experiencing a resurgence with many great titles and some not-so-great ones back in print. Tony Medawar, writer and fan, takes us on an entertaining sight-seeing tour of the genre, encompassing giants like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
What’s Next? Jim Al-Khalili
Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE is a physicist, author and broadcaster, and host of Radio 4’s The Life Scientific. In What’s Next? he brings together the writings of eighteen top scientists and experts who explore what’s in store for the human race. Read more
- Non-fiction
Nathen Amin
The Wars of the Roses were a tumultuous period in English history, with family fighting family for the greatest prize in the kingdom – the throne of England. The story of the Beauforts, with their rise, fall and rise again, is the story of England during the period, a dramatic century of war, intrigue and scandal. Read more
- Non-fiction
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
Robin Ince
Award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince examines the world through the eyes of the stand-up, exploring some of life’s biggest questions. Birth, death, social anxiety, creativity and other meaty subjects are playfully picked apart... Read more
- Non-fiction
Sue Nelson
In 1961, Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to pass the Woman in Space programme. None of the women ever went to space. In this offbeat odyssey, journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson travels with Wally as she races to make her own giant leap. Read more
- Memoir
- Non-fiction
Staunch
Honest, funny and poignant, Staunch follows Eleanor as she journeys to India with her grandmother and two great aunts in the wake of a painful break-up. As she spends time with the older women in her family, in the country they fled over fifty years before, Eleanor learns what it truly means to be staunch in the face of true adversity. Read more
- Non-fiction
Murray’s Cabaret Club: Discovering Soho’s Secret
Today, 16-18 Beak Street is a burger bar but it was once filled with dancing showgirls in glitzy costumes as Murray's Cabaret Club forged fantasies for deadened aristocrats, served dishes of dreams to Arab businessmen, and provided refuge for hounded celebrities. Read more
- Non-fiction
Because we are worth it! On changes in advertising, gender and society.
Celebrating International Women’s Day. How have men and women been portrayed in advertising and does it matter? Dr Magdalena Zawisza-Riley will take you on her research journey into the land of psychology. Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Threads of Life – A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
An eloquent history of the language of sewing over centuries and across continents. Clare Hunter's Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we all have to tell our story. Read more
- Discussion
- Non-fiction
- POSTPONED
All at Sea?
The unusually long coastline of Essex makes it especially vulnerable to flooding. Writer and social historian Ken Worpole will be in conversation with Hana Loftus. The talk will be illustrated with archive and contemporary photographs, and graphic material opening out to a discussion of the wider issues raised for the Essex coast as a result of Climate Change. Read more
- Non-fiction
Apples, Orchards and Community
Two different talks with a common thread. Hear Adrian May discuss how apples are closer to human life than Nature. Marina O’Connell will talk about how the back to the land movement is still relevant today with our climate crisis and in re-creating local food supplies. Followed by an open discussion, hosted by Ken Worpole around the subjects of apples, orchards and community. Read more
- Non-fiction
- POSTPONED
Smashing It – Working Class Artists Making It Happen
Smashing It celebrates the exceptional works and words of 30 leading working-class artists in Britain including reflections on how class has impacted these creators’ careers and offers guidance for those looking for a way into the creative arts industry. Read more
- Discussion
- Non-fiction
The power of protest: where should we draw the line?
Join Observer columnist Kenan Malik, legendary LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell and actor Stella Odunlami for a debate on whether we should stand up for the right to protest. Chaired by Index on Censorship editor in chief Rachael Jolley. Read more
- Non-fiction
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE
Come along to hear Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, a space scientist whose passion is presenting science to a general audience. Her BBC 2 programme “Do We Really Need the Moon?” earned Maggie the talkback Thames new talent award. Read more
- CANCELLED
- Non-fiction
Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement
An event to celebrate the launch of Mike Chinoy's latest book Are You With Me? Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement. He tells the remarkable story of the late Prof. Kevin Boyle, one of the world's great human rights lawyers. Read more
- Non-fiction
- Online
Essex Girls: For Profane and Opinionated Women Everywhere
Red Lion Books are hosting this online event with Sarah Perry who will be in conversation with Ros Green (Essex Book Festival Director). A defence and celebration of the Essex girl by the author of The Essex Serpent. Read more
- Book Club Event
- Non-fiction
Essex Book Festival and the African and Caribbean Books and Writers Group present a digital book club with Toby Green – A Fistful of Shells
A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution. Described a s a book "that shakes history", Winner of the Historical Writers Association Non-Fiction Crown, the Jerry Bentley Prize in World History and the Nayef Al-Rohdan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding amongst many many other accolades. Toby Green, historian joins the Essex Book Festival and African and Caribbean Book and Writers Group digital book club to discuss, share his outstanding book.… Read more
- Essex Writers House
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Radical Marshes – Wat Tyler Country
Tom King has an unsurpassed knowledge and passion for walking the Thames Estuary coastline. On this outing Tom takes us across the radical marshes into Wat Tyler country, leading us to where The Peasants Revolt began, through the lowlands and across the marshes to the White Lion Pub in Fobbing (which is thought to be haunted by previous occupants) for some respite. Meeting 11am Pitsea Station Length: up to 4/5 Hours Difficulty: Flat terrain but mixture of footing Read more
- Discussion
- Festival Launch
- Non-fiction
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
Festival Launch – We need to talk about Essex Girls
Join us for the Launch event of the 2021 festival with the amazing Women of Essex: Sarah Perry, Patron of Essex Book Festival, Syd Moore, Writer, Co- founder of the Essex Girls Liberation Front, Sadie Hasler, Playwright, Journalist and Director of Old Trunk Theatre Company, and honorary Essex Girl, Festival Director Ros Green, who will be discussing what it means to be an Essex Girl: the jokes, the misconceptions, and the strengths and growing movements that are starting to challenge… Read more
- In Conversation
- In partnership
- Non-fiction
How Britain Ends
Award-winning TV and Radio presenter, Scottish novelist and Journalist Gavin Esler will be discussing his latest book How Britain Ends to Professor Lorna Fox O’ Mahoney. Essential reading for anyone interested in how the UK has become so fractured, and how it might be put back together. This is a partnership event with University of Essex. Tickets : £10/ £8 /£5 Read more
- In Conversation
- In partnership
- Non-fiction
1, 2, 3, 4 The Beatles in Time
From the bestselling author of Ma’am Darling comes a kaleidoscopic mixture of history, etymology, diaries, autobiography, fan letters, essays, parallel lives, party lists, charts, interviews, announcements and stories. Best known for his parodies in Private Eye, critic and satirist Craig Brown’s One Two Three Four: The Beatles In Time, Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2020. This a partnership event with Anglia Ruskin University. Tickets are £10/ £8 / £5. Read more
- In My Steps - Radical Walks in Essex
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
Witch Trail – Manningtree to Mistley
Syd Moore leads a guided walk from Manningtree to Mistley the setting for one of the biggest witch hysteria’s the county has ever seen, and which are mentioned in several of her books. The walk promises a discussion about witchfinder general and associates and their motivations, and a commemoration to some who the lost their lives. The walk brings the villages to life, where the participants are transformed back to the time of the witch trials. Read more
- Non-fiction
100 Great Black Britains
A pivotal investigation into the role Black Britons have played in the island’s history over the past thousand years, that brings many unjustly neglected figures vividly to life. This book is in collaboration with the 100 Great Black Britons campaign founded and run by Patrick Vernon OBE. In the wake of the 2018 Windrush scandal, and against the backdrop of Brexit, the rise of right-wing populism and the continuing inequality faced by black communities across the UK, the need for this… Read more
- Non-fiction
The Oak Papers
THE ESSEX READ 2021 James Canton spent two years sitting with and studying the ancient Honywood Oak. A colossus of a tree, it would have been a sapling when the Magna Carta was signed. Blending personal experience with cultural legacy, The Oak Papers is a meditative and healing book about the lessons we can learn from the natural world, if only we slow down enough to listen A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. A homage to the oak… Read more
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
How Spies Think; Ten lessons in Intelligence
Recounting the lessons learned from a career at the very top of the espionage tree, former GCHQ director David Omand demonstrates how the techniques employed by spies can prove hugely beneficial when tackling crises in everyday life. Join David at Shenfield Library to learn the methodology used by the British intelligence agencies to reach judgements, establish the right level of confidence and act decisively. “An invaluable guide to avoiding self-deception and fake news” - Melanie Phillips, The Times Tickets: Box… Read more
- Non-fiction
- ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
Thames Estuary Trail – A Journey Round the End of the World
Writer Tom King will be discussing the new edition of his now legendary book Thames Estuary Trail, complete with new chapters and adventures. Join us for what is sure to be an educating and illuminating night full of Tom’s many musings from along the trail, together a discussion around the two additional chapters with the opportunity to see and purchase the newly designed edition published on 30th May 2021 as part of Estuary 2021. Read more
- In Conversation
- In person
- Layer Marney Tower
- Non-fiction
Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Volume 1): 1918-38
Born in Chicago in 1897, Henry 'Chips' Channon settled in England after the Great War, married into the immensely rich Guinness family, and served as Conservative MP for Southend-on-Sea from 1935 until his death in 1958. His political career was unremarkable. His diaries are quite the opposite. Elegant, gossipy and bitchy by turns, they are the unfettered observations of a man who went everywhere and knew everybody. Whether describing the antics of London society in the interwar years, or the… Read more
- Memoir
- Non-fiction
Why Can’t We All get Along : Shout Less and Listen More
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along: Shout Less and Listen More is part-memoir, part-polemic about the state of public discourse in Britain and the world today. LBC radio presenter and political commentator Iain Dale talks about our increasingly divided society, and explores the reasons behind why we have all become so disrespectful and intolerant. Tickets: £15 / £12 Read more
- A Criminally Good Day
- Non-fiction
Patricia Highsmith Centenary Discussion
Patricia Highsmith, who was born in the USA, spent much of her life in Europe and lived for some time in Suffolk. She was a complex person and there were many who did not like her character or her views. However no one is in doubt that she wrote some brilliant psychological thrillers, notably Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr Ripley, both of which have been made into successful films. Read more
- A Criminally Good Day
- Non-fiction
Dorothy L Sayers Lecture: Crime Fiction – A Readers Guide
Barry Forshaw, the UK’s leading crime fiction expert, examines – in lively detail – how female writers have energised the genre from the Golden Age to the present. Barry has met most of the key women writers from Patricia Highsmith to Patricia Cornwell and has a fund of fascinating anecdotes. Barry’s Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide covers everything from the beginnings of the genre to current bestselling writers from America, Britain, and all across the world. Read more
- Discussion
- Festival Finale
- Fiction
- For Writers
- In Conversation
- In partnership
- In person
- Non-fiction
- Outside
- Storytelling
- The Children's University
- Workshop
- Young Essex
Essex Book Camp
Join in the fun at the Essex Book Camp With a huge range of events for all ages, from author events with the likes of Good Morning Britain’s Dr Hilary Jones through to our fabulous storytelling yurt; woodland crafts and meditation walks; drop-in family yoga sessions and more, Cressing Temple Barns is the place to be this August Bank Holiday Sunday. Free Drop-In Activities for all ages we just need one large image of Shane Ibbs telling stories for this… Read more
- Non-fiction
Palace of Palms: Tropical Dreams and the Making of Kew
Daringly innovative when it opened in 1848, the Palm House in Kew Gardens remains one of the most beautiful glass buildings in the world today. Kate Teltscher tells the extraordinary story of its creation and of the Victorians' obsession with the palms that filled it. Read more
- Non-fiction
The Fairy Tellers: A Journey into the Secret History of Fairy Tales
The surprising origins and people behind the world's most influential magical tales: the people who told and re-shaped them, the landscapes that forged them, and the cultures that formed them and were formed by them. Read more
- Non-fiction
Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy
Look back at the history and evolution of the monarchy from 1066 to the present day, feeding the renewed interest not just in the modern royals but in the predecessors who helped shape the institution into what it is today Read more
- Non-fiction
A History of Delusions: The Glass King, a Substitute Husband and a Walking Corpse
Based on the Radio 4 series of the same name, A History of Delusions is a ground-breaking history which uncovers stories of delusions from medieval times to the present day. Read more
- In partnership
- Non-fiction
The Invention of Essex
Essex. A county both famous and infamous: the stuff of tabloid headlines and reality television, consumer culture and right-wing politicians. Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, The Invention of Essex shows that there is more to this fabled English county than meets the eye. Read more
- In Conversation
- Non-fiction
- SOLD OUT!
SOLD OUT – The Seaside
Journeying clockwise around England from Scarborough to Morecambe, The Seaside is Madeleine Bunting’s exploration of England’s great seaside resorts to understand their origins and their heyday, their ongoing influence, and their current struggle. Read more
- Non-fiction
Ravenous
Henry Dimbleby, founder of the Leon restaurant chain, government adviser and author of the radical National Food Strategy delves behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms that act together to shape the modern diet and explain not just why the food system is leading us into disaster, but what can be done about it. Read more
- Non-fiction
The Marmalade Diaries
Ben Aitken tells the story of an unlikely friendship during an unlikely time. One of the pair a grieving and inflexible former aristocrat in her mid-eighties. The other a working-class millennial snowflake. What could possibly go wrong? What could possibly go right? Read more
- In Conversation
- Non-fiction
Taking the Long View – Rural
Work 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… In this beautifully observed book, Rebecca Smith paints a picture of the working class lives that often go overlooked. Read more