About this Event
Saturday 13 June 2026, 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ
Step into the wild world of How to Become a Peregrine at Essex Book Festival.
Help graphic novelist Hannah Eaton craft a sky backdrop and bring bird puppets to life, or explore the project’s creative output by young people from Dorset and Somerset, inspired by J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine, before the premiere of the project’s film, accompanied by live music, an immersive soundscape by composer Kieron Chissik, and narrators invited to share their favourite passages. The evening concludes with a panel discussion.
How to Become a Peregrine is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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 here
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex , Colchester, United Kingdom
GBP 5.00 to GBP 8.00












