Introducing WILD KEEP WEEKEND: a wondrous celebration of nature, heritage and traditional craft, all set within the unique surroundings of Hedingham Castle over the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend!

Created in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust, Hedingham Castle are turning up the volume on the natural world. Hedingham is a micro-biodiversity hotspot: a unique mosaic of ecosystems thriving within a single estate, and we’re inviting you to get hands-on in our small but mighty patch of Essex countryside.

From fascinating performances and captivating storytelling, to experiential workshops and inspiring conversations, there is something for everyone to discover. Visitors of all ages can slow down, explore the estate like never before and reconnect with the ancient skills that have shaped this landscape for generations.

Come and learn a new craft, breathe in the great outdoors, wander the makers’ market and experience Hedingham in a fresh new light. WILD KEEP WEEKEND will leave you feeling inspired, grounded and deeply connected to the wild heart of Essex.

🍃 Conversations with Authors

🍃 Makers’ & Farmers’ Market

🍃 Traditional Craft Demonstrations

🍃 Storytelling with Shane Ibbs

🍃 The Mushroom Show

🍃 Guided Nature Walks

🍃 Wild Keep Scavenger Trail

And much more…

Find out more at https://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/events/wild-keep-weekend.

The post Something wild is taking place at Hedingham this spring… appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

Essex Book Festival are delighted to be partnering with EA Festival once again on two very special events.

Renaturing: Chloe Dalton and James Canton in conversation with William Sieghart
Saturday 14 June, 10am

James Canton and fellow author, Chloe Dalton, will explore their different approaches to nature writing.

Dalton’s Raising Hare is a charming account of unexpectedly raising a leveret during lockdown and a feel-good, life-affirming treat.

Canton’s Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.

In this session, we will discover how their experiences – of nature and writing – have intersected.

Book tickets here

Always Take Notes (live podcast taping) featuring Frank Close
Sunday 15 June, 4.30pm

As the capstone of EA Festival 2025, we are taping an episode of the UK’s #1 podcast about writing, Always Take Notes, co-hosted by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd.

Besides interviewing authors about their latest work, in this case, Destroyer of Worlds by physicist and multi-award-winning science writer Frank Close, the podcast delves into the creative process, research, habits and quirks of each guest, the better to understand what makes their books so good.

Considering that Destroyer of Worlds is a new and seminal history of the atomic bomb authored by one of the world’s top science writers, strap yourself in for a fascinating look under the hood of what makes Frank Close tick.

Book tickets here

Visit eafestival.com for EA Festival 2025 Programme, Line-up and to book tickets.

The post Line-up announced for this year’s EA Festival appeared first on Essex Book Festival.