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?

For this special panel will be joined by Chloe Hadjimatheouo, the Observer’s Narrative Editor who broke the incredible story of the lies behind the best selling memoir and film The Salt Path, and Creative Writing student, Helen Oliver-Masters. James Canton, author of The Oak Papers and Renaturing, will be chairing the panel as they discuss what the future holds for this compelling genre.

This event is kindly funded by The Bean Trust.

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? – Chloe Hadjimatheou, Helen Oliver-Masters and James Canton
3. Breaking the Mould – Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read – Tareq Baconi, Rémy Ngamije, Khaled Alesmael and Tice Cin (English PEN)
5. How to Become a Peregrine – The Cabinet of Living Cinema

Book a Writers Room Day Pass here

Chloe Hadjimatheou

Chloe Hadjimatheou is the Observer‘s Narrative Editor. She has reported six podcast series so far, from Mayday to Lucky Boy and The Gas Man. She also focuses on stories in the Middle East, particularly Israel-Palestine and Syria.

In 2025 Chloe broke the incredible story of the lies behind the best selling memoir and film The Salt Path. She has been shortlisted for Private Eye’s Paul Foot award and the Orwell Prize for her investigative journalism. She is currently working on a new podcast series about the British first lady of Syria.

Helen Oliver-Masters

Helen is a student at University of Essex studying Creative Writing. Helen’s areas of interest are Nature writing and poetry. She also has a small dog breeding business.

Renaturing by James Canton

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

The post Nature Memoir: What Next? 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.