Enjoy over 100 events this summer with the Essex Book Festival

Running from Thursday 1 June to Saturday 1 July, the festival will feature 250 artists in 100 events across 40 venues.

This year the Essex Book Festival takes ‘The Great Tide’ as one of its major themes, relating to the 70th anniversary of The Great Flood which devasted communities on the east coast in 1953 and the reprint of Hilda Grieve’s book (read more on pages 20 and 21). The theme continues in ‘The Great Tide’ of festival events, featuring authors and activities at a variety of venues, from heritage sites and universities to Essex Libraries. As the festival goes from strength to strength we’ve picked out some highlights for summer 2023.

Radical Pilgrimage: The Saffron Trail

Thursday 15 to Wednesday 21 June.

Join artist, writer and wildcrafter Lora Aziz as she sets off on a seven day, 70mile Radical Pilgrimage as part of the series, ‘In My Step: Radical Walks in Essex’.

Starting at Southend Pier, The Saffron Trail hugs the River Thames until it reaches Hadleigh Country Park. It then turns inland towards Hockley Woods where it pivots north towards Danbury, Chelmsford and Great Dunmow, before finally arriving at the historic market town of Saffron Walden, the one-time capital of saffron in the United Kingdom.

Legend has it that a pilgrim smuggled a saffron corm into England in his hollow staff. This corm swiftly took root in Essex, so much so, that by the 1500s the village of Chepyn Walden had transformed into Saffron Walden.

With some incredible sessions along the way, including Saffron Literary Salon hosted by Talliston House and Gardens, the pilgrimage will culminate in a Midsummer Night’s concert at Saffron Hall on Wednesday 21 June, featuring Moroccan performers Mohamed Errebbaa and Gnawa Bristol.

Manifesto for Essex

Midsummer Madness Family Day

Sunday 25 June, Cressing Temple Barns, free entry. Enjoy a free family day in the beautiful and atmospheric grounds of the Knights Templar site, with restored Tudor walled garden and 13th century timbered barns. Explore The Earthlings Tent, a dedicated ‘green’ area led by award-winning Essex children’s author and environmentalist Ray Star. Sessions will include free eco-writing, crafts, rewilding and podcasting workshops. You will also be able to enjoy more Forest School and nature-based activities throughout the site. Join children’s theatre company, Ensonglopedia, for their performance of ‘The Puddle at the End of the World’ followed by a workshop. Also, discover a very special event led by celebrated Afro-Guyanese playwright, poet and children’s author John Agard. You will also be able to enjoy touring exhibitions from the Creative Writing Schools Project and Harlow College Photography students on the theme of ‘The Rising Tide’. Make a day of it and bring a picnic.

Essex Libraries

Essex Book Festival are hosting 20 events in Essex Libraries throughout June. Some highlights include events with Booker Prize Winner Eleanor Catton (Chelmsford library), bassist for rock band Suede turned novelist Mat Osman (Colchester), Guardian journalist/writer Madeleine Bunting (Frinton-on-Sea), Ben Aitken (Harwich), Kate Worsley (Manningtree) and Kate Hamer (Canvey Island) amongst many others. Chelmsford library will be hosting the Essex Writers Day on Saturday 24 June which includes author in residence Syd Moore, and the Human Library will be in attendance on Saturday 1 July. Lastly don’t miss the family fun day at Harlow library.

Historic Essex

In 2020 Essex Book Festival (EBF) launched the Manifesto for Essex, an innovative new cultural platform for young people living in the county to express their thoughts about climate change.

EBF have been working on a range of projects and activities that will be part of this year’s festival programme and supported by Essex Climate Action Fund and EASustain Festival, which hosted the second Essex Youth Summit earlier this year.

Projects include: Hear my Voice, The Book Project and Myself, Others and the Land.

Find out more: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk/manifesto-for-essex

Discover events in some of the county’s most historic and atmospheric places, including a ‘one-day history special’ at Layer Marney Tower featuring historian Alison Weir. Also, you can see Tim Burrows discussing his new book: ‘The Invention of Essex: How a County Became a Caricature’ at Hedingham Castle in partnership with EAFestival. Other venues include Harwich’s Electric Palace Cinema, Hylands House and Gardens, Chapel of St. Peter’s on the Wall at Bradwell-onSea, Firstsite, Mercury theatre and Gibberd Gallery in Harlow.

All events can be booked by visiting: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk