Join us for the last event of this Africa Writes – Exeter Book Club series as visual artist Phoebe Boswell journeys with Elizabeth-Jane Burnett through her experimental and confident command of lyrical prose and poetry, exploring the ways language and story compel us to connect deeper to the world around us, on land and beneath the sea.
In a celebration of language, nature and place, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett’s memoir The Grassling (2019) and poetry collection Of Sea (2021) centre the emotional resonance of human and nonhuman interconnectedness.
The Grassling intimately delves into Elizabeth-Jane’s family and local history of a small Devon village. Through layers of memory, language and natural history, the memoir tells a powerful story of how the land shapes and speaks to us; exploring what it means to belong when the soil beneath our feet constantly shifts, and when the people and places that nurtured us slip away.
Turning to the marine fauna, Of Sea dives into a poetic expedition of creatures living beneath, beside and above the water: in wetlands, salt marshes and the intertidal zone with precise and dynamic lyric.
This event is part of Africa Writes Exeter – Book Club which has previously hosted award-winning authors Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Maaza Mengiste and Abdulrazak Gurnah.
The event will take place on Crowdcast, the details will be shared 48 hours ahead of the event via email.
Accessibility Statement: This is an online event which will be recorded and those who register can also watch after the event.
FREE (suggested donations: £2 / £5 / £10)
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