Poet and novelist Sir Ben Okri to launch Essex Book Festival

Poet, novelist and former University of Essex student Sir Ben Okri will open the 2025 Essex Book Festival in Harwich this month as he discusses his latest book.

Sir Ben, who is also an Honorary Graduate of the University, will discuss Madame Sosostris & the Festival for the Broken-Hearted at Harwich’s Electric Palace cinema, with University of Essex literature lecturer Dr Jak Peake.

The ‘in conversation’ event on 28 May, kicks off a month of events around the county celebrating art and literature, many featuring researchers from Essex’s Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies (LiFTS).

Matthew De Abaitua, Head of LiFTS, said: “Essex Book Festival provides our research community with exciting opportunities for public engagement. The Festival allows us to exchange knowledge and ideas with new audiences which not only enriches the lives of people in our local community, it also enriches our teaching and research in the arts.”

Sir Ben Okri is best known by many for his Booker Prize winning novel The Famished Road, about pre-Independence Nigeria. In 2017 his poem Grenfell Tower, June, 2017 was featured in the Financial Times and on Channel 4 News.

The launch event will be followed on 6 June by a visit to the University’s Essex Business School by Mother of the House, The Right Honourable Diane Abbott MP.

Ms Abbott was the first Black woman to become a Member of Parliament when she was elected in 1987. The former Shadow Home Secretary, who represents Hackney North and Stoke Newington, will be talking about her memoir A Woman Like Me, with politics researcher Professor John Bartle.

Researchers from across LiFTS will contribute to the Festival programme throughout June.

Writer, poet and songwriter Professor Adrian May will host weekly community writing workshops at St Leonard at-the-Hythe Church, starting 3 June.

On 21 June, Professor Philip Terry will discuss his latest work, Dante’s Purgatorio, a reworking of Dante’s masterpiece which transports the story to Mersea Island, in an event hosted by acclaimed author Marina Warner.

On the same date, Dr Holly Pester will be talking to award-winning poet and playwright, Clare Pollard, about her latest book The Modern Fairies.

On 14 June, Dr James Canton will be talking about his latest book, Renaturing, which was recently featured on ITV Anglia News, in an event focusing on nature writing.

The University’s Art Exchange gallery will welcome budding poets on 19 June for ART:UP!, the first event in a collaborative poetry project involving writers and performers across Essex. The open mic and poetry reading event, hosted by Dr Jordan Savage and Dr Holly Pester, launches a year of poetry events delivered in partnership between Essex Book Festival, Waxes Lyrical Chelmsford, Poetry Plus, Manningtree and the University.

Emeritus Professor Jules Pretty will also be talking about his latest book Sea Sagas of the North, in an exclusive event at the Mersea Island Packing Shed on 1 June.

Ros Green, Essex Book Festival Director, said: “As an independent charity based within the Centre for Creative Writing at the University of Essex, we are always delighted to work with the University on a range of eclectic and diverse events as part of our annual Essex Book Festival programme. 2025 is no exception. With Sir Ben Okri and the Right Honourable Diane Abbott, amongst others, in the mix, there is plenty to look forward to and celebrate this June.”