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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260613T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260613T133000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260512T134218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T182617Z
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/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EWH-2026-Southend-Wandering-Saira-Niazi.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260614
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260615
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260512T135008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T182742Z
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. \n  \nMeeting point: Metal\, Chalkwell Hall\, Southend / 8.00am \nDrop off point: Metal\, Chalkwell Hall Southend / 1.00pm \n  \n £25 per person including travel and food. \n  \nBook your ticket HERE \nSee the full Essex Writers Programme here.\n \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: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/2026/05/Copy-of-Copy-of-National-Centre-for-Writings-Esculator-writers-Emily-Abdeni-Holman-and-Boakye-D.-Alpha-In-conversation-with-award-winning-author-Camilla-Balshaw-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260616T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260616T164500
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260527T160559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T160754Z
UID:25032-1781604000-1781628300@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Metal Peterborough & Creative Fenland: Open Advice Sessions
DESCRIPTION:Looking to discuss your creative practice\, explore a project idea or build relationships with local organisations? \nWe’re offering free 1:1 sessions in person for artists who live and/or work in Fenland and surrounding areas. \nHosted by Viviana Checchia\, our Director of Metal Peterborough\, and Creative Fenland. These sessions will be led by you and what you would like to discuss\, which might include:  \n– Discussing your creative practice\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  \nThere is one session available per artist and the slots are 1 hour long. \nSessions are free and will be open on a first come first served basis (to those who live and/or work in the local area). To ensure we can support as many artists and creatives as possible\, anyone who has previously booked a slot with us won’t be eligible this time. \nBook a free place here. \nWho is the offer for?\nOur team will share their experience and backgrounds with the disclaimer that that some things brought into the Open Advice Sessions might be outside of our expertise. In this instance\, we will try our best to help in the session. \nWhat you share with us in the session will stay in the meeting. We will not share your ideas outside of the session space \nAbout the Peterborough team\nIn Peterborough\, our team have a background working in community roles\, artist spaces or as practicing artists. We have experience developing and delivering participatory projects with artists\, organisations and local communities\, as well as developing activities with young people and arts for health and wellbeing. We’ve supported artists in a wide range of creative disciplines\, including artists who are in the early stages of their career and have a vast knowledge of Peterborough\, Cambridgeshire and Fenland. We have experience in supporting artists with their funding applications including Arts Council England.  \nAbout Creative Fenland\n“Creative Fenland\, Karen Alivez & Alan Seiglow\, are two artists based at the REMO Eco Hub in March. They are passionate about supporting artists\, writers\, and makers through events\, networking opportunities and creative development activity. They also run workshops and creative activities for the wider Fenland community.  The space aims to provide an accessible\, welcoming environment for creativity\, conversation and community connection across Fenland. REMO Eco Hub is a sustainability-focused community space that brings together local organisations\, creative activity and community support within the town centre of March\, Fenland.”  \nCreative Fenland has been awarded funding from Cambridge Community Foundation and the University of Cambridge to continue its work in Fenland. Following the decision to close Cambridge Community Arts\, projects will be hosted by Support Cambridgeshire which will work in partnership with 20Twenty Productions to continue a provision of arts activities in Fenland\, with artists & creative producers: Karen Avilez and Alan Seiglow. \n“We strongly believe that everyone within our community has the right to access the arts in whatever capacity that is relevant to them. A way of bringing these artistic techniques to people is to reach out to local art practitioners who are willing to share their expertise. This leads to our belief of also providing artists with ways of engaging with their communities – if they wish – and putting themselves on the spotlight so that their work is seen and valued”. 
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/metal-peterborough-creative-fenland-open-advice-sessions/
LOCATION:3 Commercial Road\, March\, Peterborough\, PE15 8QP
CATEGORIES:Peterborough
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Open-Advice-Sessions-2024-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260616T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260616T203000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260604T180856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T154309Z
UID:25070-1781636400-1781641800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: In Conversation with award winning author\, artist\, fossil hunter and mudlark J.R. Carpenter
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an in-conversation event with award-winning author\, artist\, fossil hunter\, and PLA licensed mudlark J. R. Carpenter sharing new works and exploring themes of walking\, meandering\, writing\, place\, environment and deep time.  \nThere will be discussion and sharing of JR’s recent works: Shore Thing\, a poetry pamphlet about mudlarking on the River Thames; p a u s e.\, a poetry collection about walking\, writing\, and attention on the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton; and Measures of Weather\, a finalist for the Laurel Prize 2025. JR is also well-known for digital projects which explore questions of place\, displacement\, climate\, and deep time.   \n  \nBook your ticket HERE  \n  \nAbout J.R. \nJ.R. Carpenter is an artist\, writer\, and researcher working across performance\, print\, and digital media. The Gathering Cloudwon the New Media Writing Prize 2016. An Ocean of Staticwas highly commended by the Forward Prizes 2018. This is a Picture of Wind was listed in The Guardian’s best poetry books of 2020 and featured in the Digital Storytelling exhibition at the British Library 2023. Measures of Weather was The Observer’s poetry book of the month and a finalist for the Laurel Prize 2025. Carpenter is a Lecturer in Performance Writing at University of Leeds. 
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/ewh-in-conversation-with-award-winning-author-artist-fossil-hunter-and-mudlark-j-r-carpenter/
LOCATION:Metal Southend\, Chalkwell Hall\, Chalkwell Avenue\, Southend on Sea\, Essex\, SS08NB\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Copy-of-Copy-of-National-Centre-for-Writings-Esculator-writers-Emily-Abdeni-Holman-and-Boakye-D.-Alpha-In-conversation-with-award-winning-author-Camilla-Balshaw-9.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260617T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260617T173000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
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:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260512T135443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T181006Z
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/Timber_21-5-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260620T063000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260620T213000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260620T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260620T143000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260611T163725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260611T163725Z
UID:25115-1781953200-1781965800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Walk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz
DESCRIPTION:Walk and Explore Prittlewell Greenway with Lora Aziz\n\n20 June\nPrittlewell Greenway\nFree (spaces are limited)\n\n \n\n \n\nBook your ticket HERE \n\n \n\n \n\nJoin 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.\n\n \n\n \n\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.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/walk-and-explore-prittlewell-greenway-with-lora-aziz/
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/2026/06/Copy-of-Copy-of-National-Centre-for-Writings-Esculator-writers-Emily-Abdeni-Holman-and-Boakye-D.-Alpha-In-conversation-with-award-winning-author-Camilla-Balshaw-10.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260621
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260622
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260512T140118Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T183215Z
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. \nJames is working on a book following his 400km adventure on the Essex Way.  \nBook your tickets here. Tickets are £10 and include lunch. \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/Copy-of-National-Centre-for-Writings-Esculator-writers-Emily-Abdeni-Holman-and-Boakye-D.-Alpha-In-conversation-with-award-winning-author-Camilla-Balshaw.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260624T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260624T173000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260624T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260624T210000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260512T141212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T094346Z
UID:24956-1782327600-1782334800@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:EWH: Writing and the Power of Language: In conversation with Camilla Balshaw\, Emily Abdeni-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. Book your tickets here. \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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/National-Centre-for-Writings-Esculator-writers-Emily-Abdeni-Holman-and-Boakye-D.-Alpha-In-conversation-with-award-winning-author-Camilla-Balshaw-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260627T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260627T170000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260617T154029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260617T154029Z
UID:25131-1782554400-1782579600@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:A Poet in Every Port – Day 2
DESCRIPTION:We’re shining a spotlight on Southend’s coastal stories as part of A Poet in Every Port – a national initiative celebrating the UK’s diverse dialects and languages\, marking Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary. We’re partnering with Southbank Centre as one of 11 coastal hosts welcoming the mobile National Poetry Library! On 27–28 June\, Chalkwell Hall will come alive with poetry and creativity. \nThe mobile poetry library will be parked in Chalkwell Park\, outside of Chalkwell Hall where Essex Writers House will also be taking place\, on Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 June. Across the weekend\, as well as exploring the poetry bus\, you can get involved in free workshops and poetry readings. See the timings and details below. \nSunday 28 June \n– 10am – 12pm: Workshops with specially selected community groups\n– 12pm – 1pm: Workshops for all (open to the general public)\n– 1pm – 2pm: Lunchtime performance slot (local writers and members of the public invited to read their poem)\n– 2pm – 4pm: Workshops for all (open to the general public)\n– 4pm – 5pm: Final performance slot (local writers and members of the public invited to read their poems) \nCheck out what’s happening on Saturday 27 June here.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/a-poet-in-every-port-day-2/
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/2025/07/1080-x-1080-3.png
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260627T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260627T210000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260617T152553Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260617T154056Z
UID:25127-1782554400-1782594000@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:A Poet in Every Port - Day 1
DESCRIPTION:We’re shining a spotlight on Southend’s coastal stories as part of A Poet in Every Port – a national initiative celebrating the UK’s diverse dialects and languages\, marking Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary. We’re partnering with Southbank Centre as one of 11 coastal hosts welcoming the mobile National Poetry Library! On 27–28 June\, Chalkwell Hall will come alive with poetry and creativity. \nThe mobile poetry library will be parked in Chalkwell Park\, outside of Chalkwell Hall where Essex Writers House will also be taking place\, on Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 June. Across the weekend\, as well as exploring the poetry bus\, you can get involved in free workshops and poetry readings. See the timings and details below. \nSaturday 27 June \n– 10am – 12pm: Workshops with specially selected community groups\n– 12pm – 1pm: Workshops for all (open to the general public)\n– 1pm – 2pm: Lunchtime performance slot (local writers and members of the public invited to read their poem)\n– 2pm – 5pm: Workshops for all (open to the general public)\n– 7pm – 9pm: Poet Social: Evening event inside Chalkwell Hall\, curated by Maddi Crease \nBook your free ticket for the Poet Social HERE \nCheck out what’s happening on Sunday 28 June here.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/a-poet-in-every-port-day-1/
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/2025/07/1080-x-1080-3.png
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260629T180000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260629T200000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260527T162804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T163109Z
UID:25038-1782756000-1782763200@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Peterborough Festival Network: Marketing with Nazma Noor
DESCRIPTION:Join arts marketing professional Nazma Noor for a relaxed\, informal Festival Network session with discussions that will help you think like your target audiences and generate ideas for how to use marketing to reach them. \nTogether\, we’ll explore questions such as:\n– What types of things do your audience care about?\n– What does good marketing look like?\n– What kind of budget should you be spending? \nCome along on Monday 29 June from 6-8pm at Peterborough Museum. Book your free place here. \nAbout Nazma Noor\nNazma Noor is a marketing specialist working in the Arts and Culture sector. She was the Digital Communications Manager at HOME Manchester and more recently has specialised in helping arts organisations use their marketing data to make decisions and inform strategies. \nOutside of her marketing roles\, she was one of the community co-curators for Manchester Museum’s award-winning South Asia Gallery and volunteers with Manchester International Festival and Manchester Literature Festival. \nShe is Co-Chair of the Board at Z-arts\, an arts centre dedicated to children and families\, and is a Trustee at Future Arts Centres\, a national network of more than 180 arts centres\, working together to champion the unique role these creative spaces play at the heart of their communities. \nShe is passionate about widening participation in the arts\, audience development and championing lesser known stories and narratives.
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/25038/
LOCATION:Peterborough Museum and Gallery
CATEGORIES:Peterborough
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Peterborough-festival-Network-June-26.png
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260722T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260722T170000
DTSTAMP:20260625T070529
CREATED:20260610T142659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T142753Z
UID:25085-1784714400-1784739600@metalculture.com
SUMMARY:Metal Liverpool: Open Advice Sessions
DESCRIPTION:Our Metal Open Advice Sessions for creatives of all levels and art forms are back again on Wednesday 22 July. \nWant to discuss your creative practice\, explore a project idea or build relationships with local organisations? You can! We’re offering free 1:1 advice sessions for artists who live and/or work in our local area. \nSessions will be led by you and whatever you’d like to discuss\, which might include: \n– Talking through your creative practice\n– Developing or sense-checking a project idea\n– Advice or signposting to funding routes and opportunities\n– Building relationships with organisations\, voluntary groups\, partners or venues\n– Budget development or reading draft applications \nSessions are available in person from Metal’s base at Edge Hill Station or online. You can book one session and sessions last 1 hour. Places are offered on a first come\, first served basis (for those who live and/or work in our local area). \nBook your free slot here. \nWe look forward to seeing you!
URL:https://metalculture.com/whats-on/metal-liverpool-open-advice-sessions-3/
LOCATION:Metal Liverpool\, Platform 1\, Edge Hill Station\, Tunnel Road\, Liverpool\, L7 6ND\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Liverpool
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Open-Advice-Liverpool-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Metal Liverpool":MAILTO:edgehill@metalculture.com
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