Festival Patron Sarah Perry, our Finale event for the day, summed up the magic of the day in the following words:

“Just the most extraordinary day at University of Essex for the launch event of the Essex Book Festival…I couldn’t be more proud and honoured to be an Essex Girl, the Essex Chancellor, an Essex Book Festival patron and an Essex novelist. The time of mockery is over: the era of Essex has begun!”

What an amazing endorsement!

And that’s just the start. We have so much more to come with events taking place in venues across the county over the coming month. View all upcoming events at essexbookfestival.org.uk/events/.

The post What a start, and still so much to come… appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

University of Essex are celebrating 60 years of making change happen. 60 years of boldness and bravery from their students past and present. 60 years of creating change.

Over six decades they have nurtured thinkers and doers who’ve changed our world for the better.

So, to celebrate, they are showcasing “Sixty Stories” that shed light on how their students, staff, research, and partnerships are creating global impact.

Find out more at 60stories.essex.ac.uk.

The post Sixty Stories for Sixty Years – University of Essex appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

Saturday 1st June – Mark the diary now.

How to get involved

We’re looking for volunteers to join us on the day, If you would like to come along and hold a Beach of Dreams pennant, register your interest by completing this form.

The post Fancy being a flagbearer? appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

Co-curated by Chelmsford Museum and the University of Essex, Restless Brilliance: The Story of J.A. Baker and The Peregrine will be the first exhibition to explore the life and works of the influential yet relatively unknown nature writer. It will share his story through more than 60 objects, mostly loaned from the university’s extensive J.A. Baker archive.

Restless Brilliance will highlight Baker’s prominence in Chelmsford’s history. Born in Chelmsford in 1926, John Alec Baker lived in the district for most of his life. He was an enthusiastic bird watcher and environmental campaigner. The author is best known for his first and most successful work, The Peregrine, widely considered to be a literary masterpiece.

Baker was passionate about the Essex countryside. Over many years he recorded his observations of the landscape during frequent walks and cycles around the Blackwater estuary, Danbury Hill, and Chelmsford.

Published in 1967, The Peregrine summarises ten years of his obsessive observations of the bird, especially around Chelmer Valley and the Essex coast. The uniquely poetic book won the prestigious Duff Cooper Memorial Prize for the “evocative power and sheer beauty” of Baker’s writing.

The Peregrine quickly became a cult classic in British nature writing, and over the years it has attracted a remarkable list of famous advocates and admirers. Nature writer Robert MacFarlane described it as “a masterpiece of twentieth-century non-fiction”, while filmmaker Werner Herzog includes it as one of three texts that his film students must read. Broadcaster and national treasure, David Attenborough, is also a fan, having narrated the audiobook in 2019.

The post Chelmsford Museum exhibition to explore legacy of legendary local nature writer appeared first on Essex Book Festival.

Project organisers are inviting you to take inspiration from any moment on walk or the surrounding area to create content under the 2024 theme of ‘Memories’. Submissions could be in the form of, but are not limited to, poems, riddles, local advice, anecdotes, short stories, photography, short films or spoken word.

This competition is open to all ages and abilities, we encourage you to share your memories in your own way. This could be clips from home videos along the route, a spoken account of your first memory of the area or a haiku written about a moment on your journey.

Participating not only offers you the opportunity to be featured on our digital platform but also a shot at the grand prize of £300! Runner up prizes of £200 and £100 will be rewarded to 2nd and 3rd place. Learn more and submit your work by February 29th February 2024 (deadline was originally January 31st) by visiting www.walkwithwords.co.uk.

For exciting updates, excerpts and inspiration be sure to follow @walkwithwordscolchester on Instagram

This project has been commissioned and curated by Colchester City Council and Dallas–Pierce–Quintero.

The post Competition deadline extended: Share your story – win £300 appeared first on Essex Book Festival.