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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260516T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260516T113000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260507T145746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T145746Z
UID:24903-1778925600-1778931000@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Southend-On-Imagination: To Bless this Space between us
DESCRIPTION:By re-connecting the mind to the heart\, can we remember ourselves? How can we live harmoniously in a world crumbling through harm? How can we creatively resist Despair from entering and Hope from leaving our ‘Guest House’? \nJoin Khaver Idrees of Anam Cara Collective for a soul making\, poetic walk. Taking its name from O’Donohue\, the walk aims to  re-discover the infrastructure of the inner and outer worlds by looking through the eyes of the heart in order to imagine a beautiful future for all. \nStarting point: Starting point: 8 Manchester Drive Southend-on-Sea\, SS9 3HS (Private road of Westcliff High School for Girls on Manchester Drive) \nGathering ourselves and our senses at the private road of Westcliff High School for Girls on Manchester Drive\, the journey will cross borders and connect places through poetry. Finishing at David Amess’ memorial statue on Chalkwell Esplanade opposite the Crowstone\, we will have some time to reflect and indulge our senses further over tea and coffee at a local cafe. \nPlease bring your favourite poem to share if you would like to\, some tools/materials (paper\, pencil\, a phone\, camera\, sound-recording device etc) to hold treasures from the walk. Please come prepared for changes in weather and a 1 – 1.5 hour walk. \nThe walk will be fully outside\, so please check the weather on the day\, wear a comfortable pair of shoes\, and bring a bottle of water with you. \nAbout Southend-on-Imagination\nWhen the infrastructure for care and connection is eroded\, how does it affect our memory of a place and sense of belonging? And what happens when we come together to see places we might have never been to or might have passed by hundreds of times from a different lens and imagine their futures by sharing diverse experiences present in Southend? \n\nSouthend-on-Imagination is an artist project by Gulsen\, commissioned as part of The Unlonely City that brings people in dialogue to explore how our surroundings – beyond brick and mortar – can host and impact our emotions and sense of belonging and collectively imagine how we want Southend to look and feel like in 2050.  \nIn this walk\, you’ll explore a part of Southend from a Southend resident’s personal perspective\, enriched with your reflections\, contemplation and responses. \nAccessibility Notes \nThe distance will be approximately 1 miles with no steep gradients. The route may include some uneven surfaces. Please advise us in advance of any additional accessibility needs. If you have any additional questions\, email southendonimagination@gmail.com  \nParticipation Guidelines \nAnyone under 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult. \nThese walks aim to create a safe and respectful space for all involved. By attending the walk\, you are agreeing to be kind and welcoming to others; approach the walk with curiosity and creativity; be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences; be mindful of language that may exclude or alienate. Please do not disparage others. \nHarassment and sexist\, ableist and racist\, transphobic or other prejudicial comments or behaviours will not be tolerated. We may ask you to leave the walk if you fail to adhere to this code of conduct.  \nPlease keep noise levels low when we are in the residential area and be mindful of not obstructing entrants to buildings etc. Please ask before taking photos of other people on the walk and respect people’s privacy.  \nAbout Gulsen \nGulsen is a multi-disciplinary researcher and artist exploring collective imagination as a way to challenge\, question and interrogate how modern technologies\, systems\, and infrastructures prioritise nebulous concepts of efficiency\, growth\, and innovation instead of\, and often in opposition\, to the real world effects these pursuits have on people. With her practice\, Gulsen looks at what kinds of spaces\, activities\, rituals\, responses\, and conversations might allow us to embrace uncertainty and to come together to imagine different possible futures. \nAbout Artist Ideas to Disrupt Loneliness\nIn Autumn 2025\, artists submitted their creative project ideas as part of The Unlonely City. Since then\, and even before then\, we’ve been thinking about how we can create unlonely cities through creativity\, curiosity and just the right amount of chaos. You can find out more about what’s happening in Southend here. \nThe Unlonely City is an arts programme disrupting loneliness\, nurturing moments of solidarity\, surprise and laughter. Through a series of artistic commissions\, citizens assemblies\, parties and public conversations. The Unlonely City takes place across Liverpool\, Peterborough\, and Southend\, where Metal is based\, to imagine what an ‘unlonely’ city could be. \nThe Unlonely City programme is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Arts Award. 
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/southend-on-imagination-to-bless-this-space-between-us/
LOCATION:8 Manchester Drive\, 8 Manchester Drive\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS9 3HS\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Futures-of-Southend-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260531T103000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260531T120000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260507T142731Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T142731Z
UID:24899-1780223400-1780228800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Southend-On-Imagination: Futures of Southend
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a creative session to dream into how we want Southend to look and feel like in 2050. \nCollective imagination enables us to listen to\, engage with and embody different perspectives\, weave together diverse values and worldviews\, and rethink what we believe is possible for now and in the future. In this imagining space\, time softens and expands\, stories and dreams are shared\, people come together with their own worlds and leave with the gift of our shared\, desired futures. \nIn this session\, we will make space to share our memories\, feelings\, reflections\, stories related to places\, buildings\, roads\, infrastructure\, and objects in Southend that are important to you\, as well as collectively imagine and create visions for what it might look and feel like to be here in 2050. \nBring a photo or a drawing of your favourite bench if possible.  \nWhat we create together in this workshop will become a mini booklet and we will host a reading session at a further date to share it more widely.  \nThis session will be hosted by Gulsen as a part of her Southend-on-Imagination commission. Please e-mail southendonimagination@gmail.com for questions. \nAbout Southend-on-Imagination\nWhen the infrastructure for care and connection is eroded\, how does it affect our memory of a place and sense of belonging? And what happens when we come together to see places we might have never been to or might have passed by hundreds of times from a different lens and imagine their futures by sharing diverse experiences present in Southend?  \nSouthend-on-Imagination is an artist project by Gulsen\, commissioned as part of The Unlonely City that brings people in dialogue to explore how our surroundings – beyond brick and mortar – can host and impact our emotions and sense of belonging and collectively imagine how we want Southend to look and feel like in 2050. \nParticipation Guidelines \nAnyone under 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult.  \nThis session is organised to create a safe and respectful space for all involved. By attending this event\, you are agreeing to be kind and welcoming to others; approach the walk with curiosity and creativity; be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences; be mindful of language that may exclude or alienate. Please do not disparage others.  \nHarassment and sexist\, ableist and racist\, transphobic or other prejudicial comments or behaviours will not be tolerated. We may ask you to leave the session if you fail to adhere to this code of conduct.  \n\nAbout Gulsen \nGulsen is a multi-disciplinary researcher and artist exploring collective imagination as a way to challenge\, question and interrogate how modern technologies\, systems\, and infrastructures prioritise nebulous concepts of efficiency and growth\, instead of\, and often in opposition\, to the real world effects these pursuits have on people. With her practice\, Gulsen looks at what kinds of spaces\, activities\, rituals\, responses\, and conversations might allow us to embrace uncertainty and to come together to imagine different possible futures.  \nAbout Artist Ideas to Disrupt Loneliness \nIn Autumn 2025\, artists submitted their creative project ideas as part of The Unlonely City. Since then\, and even before then\, we’ve been thinking about how we can create unlonely cities through creativity\, curiosity and just the right amount of chaos. You can find out more about what’s happening in Southend here.  \nThe Unlonely City is an arts programme disrupting loneliness\, nurturing moments of solidarity\, surprise and laughter. Through a series of artistic commissions\, citizens assemblies\, parties and public conversations. The Unlonely City takes place across Liverpool\, Peterborough\, and Southend\, where Metal is based\, to imagine what an ‘unlonely’ city could be.  \nThe Unlonely City programme is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation as part of the Arts Award. 
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/southend-on-imagination-futures-of-southend/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Futures-of-Southend.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260701
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260513T113945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T113945Z
UID:24958-1780272000-1782863999@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Hot Desks
DESCRIPTION:Book a free desk in our Attic Studio and take some time to focus on your work. You are guaranteed a changing view across the Estuary too. \nWriters Hot Desks\n10am – 5pm\nEvery weekday Monday – Friday\, 01 – 30 June. \n\n\n\nBook a free desk in our Attic Studio and take some time to focus on your work. Whether you’re on the east or west side of the building\, you are guaranteed a changing view across the Estuary\, along with some space to think. \nThere are three desks available per day. If you miss out on booking one\, please check back regularly here on Eventbrite for cancellations. \nPlease note – we are restricting bookings to a maximum of two days per writer\, to ensure that the opportunity is afforded to as many writers as possible. \nBook a hot desk here.\nSee the full Essex Writers House programme here. \nAccess to the Writers Hot Desks\nThe desks are all located in our Attic Studio\, accessible via lift or stairs from our ground floor. There are gender neutral W/Cs on both the attic and ground floor. Chalkwell Hall has a ramp at the front entrance. There is a free car park on site\, which is open 24/7.\nPlease ring our doorbell on arrival so we can greet you.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-hot-desks/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EWH-2026-Co-Writing-Spaces-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260701
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260513T114218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T114423Z
UID:24961-1780272000-1782863999@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Wild Writers Hot Desk
DESCRIPTION:Book a Wild Desk – A unique\, outdoor writing spot set up in our garden area\, away from digital distractions. \nWild Writers Hot Desks\n10am – 5pm every weekday\, 01 – 30 June. \nWe’re offering one ‘Wild’ Desk – a unique\, outdoor writing spot set up in our enclosed Peacock garden area. You will be surrounded by plants\, bird song and open air\, it’s a quiet invitation to slow down and reconnect with your ideas in nature. \nPlease note – this desk is for analogue writing only – So please bring a notebook\, a journal\, or sketchbook. A quiet spot to put pen to paper\, without digital distractions.\nThis desk is also subject to the weather. \nBook a Wild Desk here.\nSee the full Essex Writers House programme here. \nAvailability\nThere is only one desk available per day. If you miss out on booking one\, please check back regularly here on Eventbrite for cancellations.\nPlease note – We are restricting bookings to a maximum of two days per writer\, to ensure that the opportunity is afforded to as many writers as possible. \nAccess to the Wild Writers Hot Desk\nThe garden area is only accessible via a step and includes uneven ground. Unfortunately\, it is not currently suitable for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility. \nThere are gender neutral W/Cs on the ground floor of our main building. Chalkwell Hall has a ramp at the front entrance. There is a free car park on site\, which is open 24/7.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-wild-writers-hot-desk/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Essex-Writers-House-26-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260603T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260603T173000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T132223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140149Z
UID:24915-1780480800-1780507800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Open Advice Sessions with Dean Atta
DESCRIPTION:Come along to one of our artist advice and support sessions for artists\, with the Metal Southend team and special guest writer Dean Atta. \nWe are offering free 1:1 sessions for writers\, creatives and artists who live and/or work within our local areas. They will be led by you and what you would like to discuss. Sessions may include:\n– Discussing your creative practice or writing\n– Talking through a project idea\n– Advice or sign posting to different funding routes or opportunities\n– Building relationships with different organisations\, voluntary groups\, partners or venues\n– Budget development or reading draft applications \nWe’re offering these sessions in person at Chalkwell Hall\, as well as the option to discuss your work with us online. There is one session available per artist and the slots are 1 hour long.\nIf you would like for your session to be online\, please contact us directly via phone or email to confirm and we will arrange a video link. \nBook a free slot here. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nWho is the offer for?\nOur Open Advice Sessions are open to writers artists and creatives working in any artform\, at any stage of their career. Individuals\, collaborations or collectives can book a slot.\nAny artist that has previously booked a slot with us won’t be eligible this time.\nYou must live or work in\, or have a strong connection to South Essex (Basildon\, Brentwood\, Castle Point\, Rochford\, Southend-on-Sea\, Thurrock) \nAbout the Southend team\nIn Southend\, we have a wide range of expertise and practices from art history\, museums and heritage\, to fashion and video art. We have strong skills around project management\, event production and between us\, a thorough understanding of the creative ecosystem in South Essex. We are interested in supporting projects and ideas which have a strong social and/or social justice purpose and are interested in broadening diversity in the sector. We have skills around participatory practice and co-design and are keen to support practitioners in building connections with the wider community. We are able to offer a range of support from funding applications and business planning to connecting and marketing. Learn more about our Southend site and our access in the space here. \nAbout Dean Atta\nDean Atta is an award-winning Black British writer based in Ealing\, West London. His heartfelt storytelling draws on his Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage as well as his queer identity. He writes poetry\, fiction\, and nonfiction for all ages. Dean Atta has published award winning novels for young adults and younger readers as well as his memoir Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body\, earning praise from Michael Rosen as ‘wonderfully original’. Additionally\, Dean is a screenwriter and executive producer of the stop-motion animated short film Two Black Boys in Paradise\, which won the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Award.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-open-advice-sessions-with-dean-atta/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/02-Dean-Atta-Headshot-2024-by-Josimar-Senior-scaled-e1778592217491.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260610T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260610T173000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T132909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140200Z
UID:24917-1781085600-1781112600@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Open Advice Sessions with Saira Niazi
DESCRIPTION:Come along to one of our artist advice and support sessions for artists\, with the Metal Southend team and special guest writer Saira Niazi. \nWe are offering free 1:1 sessions for writers\, creatives and artists who live and/or work within our local areas. They will be led by you and what you would like to discuss. Sessions may include: \n\n\n\n– Discussing your creative practice or writing\n– Talking through a project idea\n– Advice or sign posting to different funding routes or opportunities\n– Building relationships with different organisations\, voluntary groups\, partners or venue\n– Budget development or reading draft applications \nWe’re offering these sessions in person at Chalkwell Hall\, as well as the option to discuss your work with us online. There is one session available per artist and the slots are 1 hour long.\nIf you would like for your session to be online\, please contact us directly via phone or email to confirm and we will arrange a video link. \nBook a free slot here. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nWho is the offer for?\nOur Open Advice Sessions are open to writers artists and creatives working in any artform\, at any stage of their career. Individuals\, collaborations or collectives can book a slot.\nAny artist that has previously booked a slot with us won’t be eligible this time.\nYou must live or work in\, or have a strong connection to South Essex (Basildon\, Brentwood\, Castle Point\, Rochford\, Southend-on-Sea\, Thurrock) \nAbout the Southend team\nIn Southend\, we have a wide range of expertise and practices from art history\, museums and heritage\, to fashion and video art. We have strong skills around project management\, event production and between us\, a thorough understanding of the creative ecosystem in South Essex. We are interested in supporting projects and ideas which have a strong social and/or social justice purpose and are interested in broadening diversity in the sector. We have skills around participatory practice and co-design and are keen to support practitioners in building connections with the wider community. We are able to offer a range of support from funding applications and business planning to connecting and marketing. Learn more about our Southend site and our access in the space here. \nAbout Saira Niazi\nSaira Niazi is a writer\, renegade guide and founder of Living London. Creative and Life Writing MA Graduate from Goldsmiths College\, Saira was shortlisted for the Art Foundation Futures Award for Place Writing and published multiple publications including Renegade Guides: the places we go and the stories we share and On Belonging\, Reflections of a Renegade Guide out now.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-open-advice-sessions-with-saira-niazi/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Saira-Nazi-copy.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260613T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260613T133000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T134218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140208Z
UID:24926-1781348400-1781357400@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Southend Wandering with Saira Niazi
DESCRIPTION:Discover Southend through a different lens on this social neighbourhood wandering. Beginning at Southend Forum and heading towards Southchurch Park\, this guided walk invites you to explore the area’s hidden gems\, from colourful street art and secret gardens to sun shelters and seaside views. \nAlong the route\, you’ll hear stories about the local people and places that make Southend unique\, while also having the opportunity to document your own journey through words and images. \nThe stops on the tour will be: Southend Central Library / Focal Point Gallery / Prittlewell Gardens / Shrubbery Gardens / Southend Pier / Beach / Southchurch Park \nMeeting point: Southend Forum\, Elmer Ave\, Southend-on-Sea\, SS1 1NS\nFree\, spaces limited so booking essential. Includes a packed lunch. \nBook your free place here. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nAbout Sairi Niazi\nSaira Niazi is a writer\, author and renegade guide\, passionate about discovering new places\, collecting stories and connecting communities. Saira has collaborated with grassroots groups across the UK on various oral history\, art\, film\, food\, environment and heritage projects.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-southend-wandering-with-saira-niazi/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Southend-Wandering.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260615
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T135008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140219Z
UID:24931-1781395200-1781481599@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Intertidal Walking and Writing Workshop with JR Carpenter and Sylak Ravenspire
DESCRIPTION:Join artist\, writer\, fossil hunter\, and Port of London Authority (PLA) licensed mudlark J. R. Carpenter with local Essex based artist Sylak Ravenspine for an intertidal walking and writing workshop in the Thames Estuary. As we move between high and low tide\, mud flats and marshland\, fresh and salt water\, we will navigate the creative space between noticing and noting\, where writing happens. \nTickets to be released soon. £25 per person. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here.\n \nJ.R. Carpenter will share her journey around her new book p a u s e. which is out now. In p a u s e. J. R. turns the simple act of going for a walk into a radical practice of attention. Written over the course of a year of daily encounters with kisiskâciwanisîpiy (the North Saskatchewan River) as it runs through amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Written in short\, breath-like fragments\, p a u s e. drifts between field note\, love poem\, and land acknowledgement\, refusing to settle as a genre. Fossils\, wildfire haze\, trumpeter swans\, city traffic\, and pandemic loneliness all pass through its pages\, as the poem keeps returning to one insistent question: what happens when we treat noticing as a form of care and listening as a way of giving something back? \nSylak Ravenspine Sylak Ravenspine is an Essex-based eco-artist whose practice is rooted in the local landscape. Drawing deep inspiration from the tidal marshes and eroding coastlines of Essex\, Sylak forages material from the area\, imparting a sense of fragility\, ecological stewardship\, and renewal into everything he creates. His ‘Inks of Essex’ provide a fluid representation of the environment\, while his work on recording soil structures redefines field data as an artform. Sylak’s work responds to the land with an intentional surrender to natural cycles that challenges traditional notions of permanence and control in art.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-intertidal-walking-and-writing-workshop-with-jr-carpenter-and-sylak-ravenspire/
LOCATION:TBC
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Southend-Wandering-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260617T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260617T173000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T133333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140226Z
UID:24921-1781690400-1781717400@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Open Advice Sessions with Lora Aziz
DESCRIPTION:Come along to one of our artist advice and support sessions for artists\, with the Metal Southend team and special guest writer Lora Aziz \n\n\n\n\nWe are offering free 1:1 sessions for writers\, creatives and artists who live and/or work within our local areas. They will be led by you and what you would like to discuss. Sessions may include: \n– Discussing your creative practice or writing\n– Talking through a project idea\n– Advice or sign posting to different funding routes or opportunities\n– Building relationships with different organisations\, voluntary groups\, partners or venues\n– Budget development or reading draft applications \nWe’re offering these sessions in person at Chalkwell Hall\, as well as the option to discuss your work with us online. There is one session available per artist and the slots are 1 hour long.\nIf you would like for your session to be online\, please contact us directly via phone or email to confirm and we will arrange a video link. \nBook a free slot here. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nWho is the offer for?\nOur Open Advice Sessions are open to writers artists and creatives working in any artform\, at any stage of their career. Individuals\, collaborations or collectives can book a slot.\nAny artist that has previously booked a slot with us won’t be eligible this time.\nYou must live or work in\, or have a strong connection to South Essex (Basildon\, Brentwood\, Castle Point\, Rochford\, Southend-on-Sea\, Thurrock) \nAbout the Southend team\nIn Southend\, we have a wide range of expertise and practices from art history\, museums and heritage\, to fashion and video art. We have strong skills around project management\, event production and between us\, a thorough understanding of the creative ecosystem in South Essex. We are interested in supporting projects and ideas which have a strong social and/or social justice purpose and are interested in broadening diversity in the sector. We have skills around participatory practice and co-design and are keen to support practitioners in building connections with the wider community. We are able to offer a range of support from funding applications and business planning to connecting and marketing. Learn more about our Southend site and our access in the space here. \nAbout Lora Aziz\nLora Aziz is an interdisciplinary artist\, storyteller\, land-based cultural producer\, and creative strategist based inland near the river Stour\, UK. Her work weaves together ecology\, memory\, and storytelling through workshops\, residencies\, foraging walks\, and community rituals. With a background in anthropology and visual ethnobotany\, she explores themes of belonging\, slow economies\, and cultural care — from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms to international climate platforms. Some of Lora’s most recent work has been published in Thirst: In search of Fresh Water\, which accompanied her collaborative community-based projects in the Wellcome Collection exhibition Thirst from 2025-2026.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-open-advice-sessions-with-lora-aziz/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-23-at-18.57.21.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260620
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260621
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T135443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140241Z
UID:24935-1781913600-1781999999@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Walk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz
DESCRIPTION:Join artist Lora Aziz exploring the Prittlewell Greenway through landscape\, observation and language. How can we pull inspiration from the backstreet places and welcome in wonders we might pass every day? Walk a familiar pathway and discover new perspective through storytelling\, local histories\, layers of intuitive plant knowledge\, and creative encounters with place. \nTogether we’ll slow down and tune into what is often passed by\, from tree canopies to plants pushing through tarmac to running water sources\, fragments of story held in hedgerows\, footpaths and back lanes. Through guided prompts\, gentle conversation and nature journalling\, we’ll explore how memory\, ecology and imagination intertwine through sensory mapping and writing\, letting language and symbols move as freely as the landscape itself. \nFree. Tickets to be released soon. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-walk-and-explore-prittlewell-greenway-with-lora-aziz/
LOCATION:Prittlewell
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Benfleet-mud-flats-photo-credit-Philippa-Stewart-scaled-e1778594178970.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260620T063000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260620T213000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T140809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140809Z
UID:24952-1781937000-1781991000@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: The Essex Ways: Film screening at Chalkwell Hall
DESCRIPTION:Discover the many ways of Essex with a screening of ‘The Essex Ways’\, a feature length documentary by filmmaker Thomas Winward. \nThe film follows Essex-born storyteller James Lawrence on an epic 400km walking journey around the county to discover its places\, people and stories. Over 21 days\, James adventures through rural Essex from Epping to Harwich\, and then down the coast to Tilbury Docks. Along the way\, he explores the many beautiful natural landscapes of Essex\, while delving into the history\, folklore and stereotypes that make Essex the fascinating county it is today. Expect thrills\, chills\, myths\, modern retellings of 2000 years of history\, and a lot of love for trees and mud. \nAfter the film\, there will be an open Q&A with James Lawrence\, who will answer questions about the walk and project. \nBook your ticket here. Tickets are £10. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-the-essex-ways-film-screening-at-chalkwell-hall/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Southend-Wandering-2.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260621
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260622
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T140118Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140304Z
UID:24940-1782000000-1782086399@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Walk and Talk around Canvey Wick with Man About Country
DESCRIPTION:Join James Lawrence\, AKA Man About Country\, for a special guided walk around Canvey Wick\, one of Essex’s (and England’s) most fascinating nature reserves. In this brownfield rainforest you’ll discover wildlife\, hear stories from over 2\,000 years of Canvey Island history\, and explore how these incredible places can supercharge your creative practice in unexpected ways. \nTickets to be released soon. £10 per person. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-walk-and-talk-around-canvey-wick-with-man-about-country/
LOCATION:Canvey Wick
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Man-About-Country-image-credit-James-Laurence-e1778594467815.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260624T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260624T173000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T133855Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T140248Z
UID:24924-1782295200-1782322200@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Open Advice Sessions with Camilla Balshaw
DESCRIPTION:Come along to one of our artist advice sessions for artists\, with the Metal Southend team and special guest writer Camilla Balshaw. \nWe are offering free 1:1 sessions for writers\, creatives and artists who live and/or work within our local areas. They will be led by you and what you would like to discuss. Sessions may include: \n– Discussing your creative practice or writing\n– Talking through a project idea\n– Advice or sign posting to different funding routes or opportunities\n– Building relationships with different organisations\, voluntary groups\, partners or venues\n– Budget development or reading draft applications \nWe’re offering these sessions in person at Chalkwell Hall\, as well as the option to discuss your work with us online. There is one session available per artist and the slots are 1 hour long. If you would like for your session to be online\, please contact us directly via phone or email to confirm and we will arrange a video link. \nBook a free slot here. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nWho is the offer for?\nOur Open Advice Sessions are open to writers artists and creatives working in any artform\, at any stage of their career. Individuals\, collaborations or collectives can book a slot.\nAny artist that has previously booked a slot with us won’t be eligible this time.\nYou must live or work in\, or have a strong connection to South Essex (Basildon\, Brentwood\, Castle Point\, Rochford\, Southend-on-Sea\, Thurrock) \nAbout the Southend team\nIn Southend\, we have a wide range of expertise and practices from art history\, museums and heritage\, to fashion and video art. We have strong skills around project management\, event production and between us\, a thorough understanding of the creative ecosystem in South Essex. We are interested in supporting projects and ideas which have a strong social and/or social justice purpose and are interested in broadening diversity in the sector. We have skills around participatory practice and co-design and are keen to support practitioners in building connections with the wider community. We are able to offer a range of support from funding applications and business planning to connecting and marketing. Learn more about our Southend site and our access in the space here. \nAbout Camilla Balshaw\nCamilla Balshaw is an award-winning author. She has been published in numerous journals\, and her essays have featured in the Guardian\, Therapy Today and the Observer. Camilla’s debut memoir\, Named: A Story Of Names And Reclaiming Who We Are (2025)\, has been described by Diana Evans as a ‘valuable meditation on the origins of what we call ourselves\, packed full of rich storytelling’ and by Bonnie Burke-Patel as an ‘utterly fascinating\, insightful and meaningful memoir.’ In 2025\, Namedwon the best Memoir & Biography category in the East Anglian Book Awards.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-open-advice-sessions-with-camilla-balshaw/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Camilla-Balshaw.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260624T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260624T210000
DTSTAMP:20260515T135630
CREATED:20260512T141212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T141212Z
UID:24956-1782327600-1782334800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Writing and the Power of Language: In conversation with Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Addeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an evening with the National Centre for Writing’s Escalator Writers Emily Abdeni-Holman and Boakye D. Alpha\, in conversation with award-winning author Camilla Balshaw about writing and the power of language\, with discussion rooted in cultural histories\, oppression and identity. \nFree. Tickets to be released soon. \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here. \nThe panel: \nCamilla Balshaw is an award-winning author. She has been published in numerous journals\, and her essays have featured in the Guardian\, Therapy Today and the Observer. Camilla’s debut memoir\, Named: A Story of Names and Reclaiming Who We Are (2025)\, has been described by Diana Evans as a ‘valuable meditation on the origins of what we call ourselves\, packed full of rich storytelling’ and by Bonnie Burke-Patel as an ‘utterly fascinating\, insightful and meaningful memoir.’ In 2025\, Named won the best Memoir & Biography category in the East Anglian Book Awards. \nNamed is a fascinating exploration of names\, global naming conventions and identity politics woven into a moving\, personal narrative about the finding of family and self. At the intersection of memoir and social and cultural history it is a truly fascinating book about the seemingly ordinary and every day. \nEmily Abdeni-Holman was raised in England and Lebanon\, and is particularly interested in crossing-points\, of identities\, languages\, and places. She enjoys experimenting with different kinds of style and form and is currently working on a couple of projects: a collection of short stories\, mostly converging around Lebanon; and a more hybrid work about Arab-European identity\, pre- and post-October 2023. \nHer first book\, Body Tectonic\, on Lebanon’s socioeconomic crisis\, is an experiment in approaching structural disaster through poetry (Broken Sleep Books\, 2024). In 2025\, she was one of five writers shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. \nBoakye D. Alpha is a Ghanaian interdisciplinary creative whose works include poetry\, prose\, screenplays\, creative nonfiction\, and filmmaking. His writing has appeared in Lolwe\, The Shallow Tales Review\, and elsewhere. In 2025\, his short story was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Although a versatile writer\, his heart lies in literary fiction\, and continues to explore experimental\, layered narratives that provoke reflection on society and the experiences of underrepresented voices. \nHis work in progress explores the reality for some women in Ghana who endure violence and systemic oppression rooted in superstition. Through intergenerational narratives\, the novel exposes the haunting effects of gendered violence.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-writing-and-the-power-of-language-in-conversation-with-camilla-balshaw-emily-addeni-holman-and-boakye-d-alpha/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Southend
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