About this Event
We are delighted to welcome our Walthamstow neighbour, writer Will Ashon back to talk about his new extraordinary book, The Passengers.
Between October 2018 and March 2021, Will Ashon collected voices – people talking about their lives, needs, dreams, loves, hopes and fears – all of them with some connection to the British Isles. He used a range of methods including letters sent to random addresses, hitchhiking, referrals from strangers and so on. He conducted the interviews in person, on the phone, over the internet or asked people to record themselves. Interview techniques ranged from asking people to tell him a secret to choosing an arbitrary question from a list.
The resulting testimonies tell the collective story of what it feels like to be alive in a particular time and place – here and now. The Passengers is a book about how we give shape to our lives, find meaning in the chaos, acknowledge the fragility of our existence while alleviating this anxiety with moments of beauty, love, humour and solidarity.
‘A magical mystery tour of Britain . . . extraordinary.’
DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘Ashon’s gloriously polyphonic book scales the heights. A deeply felt and humane portrait of where we are.’
NIVEN GOVINDEN, author of Diary of a Film
‘This book couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. It’s a guiding mate. It enters like a cat through a window, ready to take your attention and show you what it needs to.’
TICE CIN, author of Keeping the House
Will will be in conversation with Nine Hervé of Rough Trade Books, there will be time for audience questions and book signing. Doors from 3pm with Golden Atoms providing a suitable Sunday afternoon soundtrack.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 3.50 to GBP 19.00