About this Event
English PEN
Freedom to Read, Freedom to Write, Freedom to Move
Saturday 13 June 2026, 4.00pm - 5.00pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Join English PEN, in partnership with Essex Book Festival, for a conversation between writers on the relationships between literature, place, and movement. How do experiences of home, migration, diaspora, and safety inform and shape what, how, and why we write? And how do they shape what, how, and why we read?
Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)
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? - James Canton
3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry
4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read - English PEN
5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema
Book a Writers Room Day Pass
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex , Colchester, United Kingdom
GBP 5.00 to GBP 8.00
