Shorelines: Literary Festival of the Sea
Shorelines: literary festival of the Sea is hosted by arts organisation Metal and curated by Rachel Lichtenstein. To date there have been 3 series of the festival (2011, 2013 and 2016) taking place in multiple outdoor and indoor venues on the banks of the Thames Estuary. This thought-provoking festival has celebrated some of the great writing across the ages, that has the sea as a central theme including the work of many contemporary British place writers. The festival aims to provoke discussion, re-awaken senses, excite the adventurous spirit and discover new and classic texts about the sea.
Highlights have included: multi-award winning nature writer Robert Macfarlane; Mercury Award winning folk singer Sam Lee; Man Booker shortlisted Deborah Levy; award winning author and broadcaster Philip Hoare; a multi-media performance of Swandown with Iain Sinclair, artist Andrew Kötting & musician Jem Finer; French-Norwegian writer and artist Caroline Bergvall with DRIFT; an afternoon of readings and talks by contemporary non-fiction writers exploring the unique landscape of the Thames Estuary, including Ken Worpole, Jules Pretty, Rachel Lichtenstein and Greek-based writer Julian Hoffman and many more readings, events and performances.
Guardian Books Podcast: Water Words – Claire Armistead interviews Rachel Lichtenstein with Iain Sinclair about Shorelines
