We’re excited to host two workshops as part of our Future Network programme with artist Kelly Briggs on Sunday 26 March!   The first is a natural paint workshop from 10am-12pm, where you’ll discover the secrets of making paints and their creative potential. You’ll learn how to make paints using natural pigments and gain valuable […]

Come along to Lucky Dip on Wednesday 29 March from 7pm! Taking place 4 times a year, each with different guest hosts, this programme exists to connect local creatives with each other, celebrate the joy in art, platform cross-disciplinary artists and bring people together here at Chalkwell Hall.  Formerly known as Future Park, Lucky Dip […]

Watch this space! For the month of June, Metal Southend will be inviting you to be part of the sixth edition of Essex Writers House, a much-loved strand of Essex Book Festival.  Hosted at Chalkwell Hall in Southend on Sea, this programme will be a great chance to engage with interesting stories and to meet […]

In partnership with Peterborough Pride, we are hosting an open banner and flag-making workshop! Book here. The workshop is designed to provide a safer space for young LGBTQIA+ people to express themselves creatively while also learning new making skills. The workshop will be delivered by experienced facilitator Ramona Zadissa  (they/them), who is knowledgeable about the […]

Book a free desk here! Book a free writing desk in our Attic Studio and take some time to focus on your work, whether it be a short story, coursework or your memoirs. You are guaranteed a changing view across the Estuary and the grounds of Chalkwell Park, along with some space to think.  The desks are accessible […]

Book a free place here! RLF Reading Round is a unique network of reading groups, each run by a published author. The group leaders, or ‘Lectors’, may be playwrights, poets, writers of fiction or non-fiction: all are able to offer a unique ‘insider’s’ perspective’ on the texts under discussion.   For almost 2 years, Metal have […]

Book a family ticket here for Storytime Picnic! Every Wednesday in June - 12:00pm - 12:45pm For children aged 6 months - 4 years and their grown ups. Bring your own picnic lunch and join us at Metal’s Chalkwell Hall for some storytime fun, every Wednesday lunchtime in June. It’s free to come along and everyone […]

Simon Says/Dadda is a collaborative three-screen film exploring father/daughter relationships together with Black and Asian women and non-binary individuals from four host cities across the UK (Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and London). The ambitious largescale film project was developed during a Metal residency and highlights the deep impact that structural inequalities have within wider society.  The […]

One Side Only: From then to now, Southend's alternative press Book a free ticket here!  If you’re interested in making your own publication, collaborating with other local creatives or digging into Southend’s history of DIY culture, this is the night for you!     We’ll start in the 70s.   Artist/writer Graham Burnett will share an insight to […]

Join Yvonne Hercules for a creative lyric writing and poetry workshop on Monday 12 June from Chauffeurs Cottage! Book here. The workshop will be based on creating lyrical work that references identity, background and the nuances surrounding the experiences of marginalised communities. There is no requirement to have any previous experience with lyric writing or […]

FREE (Suggested donation for pilgrimage stages) Join Lora along the way here! Stage 1 – Southend to Belfairs / Hadleigh  Artist, writer, wild-crafter Lora Aziz will be taking part in a 7-day 70-mile Radical Pilgrimage along The Saffron Trail as part of our series of In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex. You can join […]

Join Yvonne Hercules for a musical journey through Black Femininity and its nuances referencing alternative folk, alternative soul, jazz and rock genres, as she showcases songs from her EP entitled ‘Olive’. Book here. ‘Olive’ is partly inspired by the life & work of feminist activist Olive Morris and will be released 9 June 2023 on […]

Book a workshop ticket here! Limited spaces A walking workshop exploring place-based writing through techniques such as concrete poetry, psychogeography and mark-making. Led by Bella and Elaine from London based publishing project Fieldnotes, this session will focus on process and conversations, capturing our settings through a blend of writing and drawing. All levels of experience […]

Book a workshop ticket here! Limited spaces If you have an interest in writing or performing, this is for you! Dig into your roots with Jake and Hazel, part of the poet led team behind lively spoken word night Words In Chalk. Together, we’ll be exploring self-expression, emotive language, figurative phrases and performance tips, with […]

A lively and popular spoken word poetry event which brings together an eclectic line-up of writers and performers from Essex and beyond. Come along and see who takes the stage at this Essex Writers House special, hosted by Southend born and bred poet Hollie Dee and headlined by Hazel Mehmet and Bethany Down. With many […]

Book a ticket here through Essex Film Collective! £5 for non-members of Essex Film Collective Everyone has a story to tell. Come and explore how you can shape your personal stories for screen.  Essex Film Collective is collaborating with George Morgan of Essex Visual Arts to bring you a dynamic workshop on on dramatising personal […]

Book here to join    Join us at Chalkwell Hall for the Southend launch of Daniel Kramb’s new book of poetry — Little Estuaries, published by the brand new UK imprint of Amsterdam’s HetMoet, HetMoet-Menard, and featuring cover art by Louisa Albani. “Gloriously spare and strange and compendious and tender, like a hymn.” — Sara […]