Dr James Canton
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Email
jcanto@essex.ac.uk -
Location
5NW.4.4, Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
James Canton is Director of Wild Writing at the University of Essex. He has taught the MA Wild Writing: Literature, Landscape and the Environment since its inception in 2009. His books include Out of Essex: Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape (2013) which was inspired by rural wanderings in the county and Ancient Wonderings: Journeys into Prehistoric Britain (2017) that tells some remarkable tales of life in ancient Britain. The Oak Papers (2020) – Radio 4’s Book of the Week – explores some of the ties between humans and oaks since prehistory, meditating on our need to connect with the natural world. Grounded (2023) tells of rediscovering the most sacred spaces in our landscapes – both natural sites and human places – seeing the lessons we can learn from our ancestors and their relationship with the land. His forthcoming book, Renaturing (due out in March 2025) investigates ways of democratizing rewilding, how we can all be involved in nature restoration. Twitter: @jamescanton Instagram: @jrcanton1 Website: jamescanton.co.uk
Qualifications
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BA Exeter
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MA Open
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PhD Essex
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Nature writing and the New Nature Writing movement
creative non-fiction
ecocriticism
psychogeography and the rural derive
writing on the Essex landscape
the writers of Essex
British travel writing on Arabia
travel writing and theory
the work of W.G. Sebald
the interface between colonial history and postcolonialism
Conferences and presentations
Ancient Wonderings
Invited presentation, The Grant Arms Wildlife Book Festival, Grant Arms Hotel, Grantown-on-Spey, United Kingdom, 30/3/2018
J. A. Baker: His Life and Legacy
Invited presentation, Keynote presentation, The Burroughs Lecture, Nov 2017, Lakeside Theatre, Colchester, United Kingdom, 29/11/2017
The Burroughs Lecture 2017
Keynote presentation, The Burroughs Lecture 2017, Lakeside Theatre, Colchester, United Kingdom, 29/11/2017
Wigtown Literary Festival
Invited presentation, Wigtown Literary Festival, Wigtown, Wigtown, United Kingdom, 9/2017
Essex Radical Writing Retreat April 5-7 2017
United Kingdom, 2017
Roger Deakin event, Norwich Writers Centre, April 30th 2017
Norwich, United Kingdom, 2017
'The Oak Papers', The Memory of Trees Conference, University of Liverpool, April 20th 2017
Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2017
'The Rout of the Gipsey: John Clare In and Out of Essex, ' John Clare Society, Epping Hall, Epping, 8th October 2016
Epping, United Kingdom, 2016
Co-ordinating and Introducing J. A. Baker: Official Launch of the Archive -- A Day of Talks and Discussions on J. A. Baker's Life, Work and Legacy, Albert Sloman Library, University of Essex, 6th July 2016
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2016
On John Clare introductory talk for showing of By Our Selves, Wivenhoe, April 2016
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2016
Wild Writing Laboratory: writing workshop, University of Essex, March 2016
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2016
Back into the Wild: Towards a New Nature Writing ( March 2016), University of Essex.
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2016
Lecture series on Wild Writing, Moscow University of Economics, May 2015
Moscow, Russia, 2015
Green Knowledge, Association for the Study of Literature in the Environment (ASLE) conference, Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge (September 2015). Chairing panel on New Nature Writing comprising four MA Wild Writing students from Essex.
Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2015
Bones: Essex Book Festival, (8 March 2014), University of Essex
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2014
Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London (23 April 2012)
London, United Kingdom, 2012
Wigan Literary Festival (12 April 2012)
Wigan, United Kingdom, 2012
Essex Book Festival: Trees Shall be Our Books (3 March 2012), University of Essex.
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2012
Out of Essex: Re-imagining the Literary Landscape (1 March 2012), Hedingham Heritage Society, Hedingham, Essex.
Hedingham, United Kingdom, 2012
Tidal Margins at The Peter Peers Gallery, Aldeburgh (21-26 September 2012)
Aldeburgh, United Kingdom, 2012
Book launch: From Cairo to Baghdad (1 December 2011), University of Essex.
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2011
Essex Book Festival: A Conference of Birds (12 March 2011), University of Essex.
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2011
Out of Essex (10 March 2011), Halstead Heritage Society, Halstead, Essex.
Halstead, United Kingdom, 2011
Oriental Expressions: British Visions of Arabia in a Post-Colonial World at British Abroad: from the Grand Tour to Mass Tourism, University of Newcastle, 1-2 April 2010
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 2010
Essex Book Festival: J. A. Baker: A Wild Essex Writer (20 March 2010), Colchester Library, Colchester, Essex.
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2010
On J. A. Bakers The Peregrine (18 March 2009), Halstead Library, Halstead, Essex.
Halstead, United Kingdom, 2009
BBC Essex, On J. A. Baker, 12 March 2009
2009
No Camels; No Little Brown Boys: Seeing Arabia after Suez, Aden and Thesiger at After Empire? Leeds Humanities Research Institute, University of Leeds, 26-7 September, 2008
Leeds, United Kingdom, 2008
Imperial Eyes: Imperial Spies. British Travel and Espionage in Southern Arabia, 1891-1946 at Perspectives Postgraduate Conference, University of Essex, 10 May 2008
Colchester, United Kingdom, 2008
Imperial Eyes: Imperial Spies. British Travel and Espionage in Southern Arabia, 1891-1946 at New Directions in Travel Writing II Postgraduate colloquium, Nottingham Trent University, 4 January 2008
Nottingham, United Kingdom, 2008
Surveying the Scene: Towards an Understanding of British Travel Writing on Arabia since 1882 at New Directions in Travel Writing Postgraduate colloquium, Nottingham Trent University, 6 January 2006
Nottingham, United Kingdom, 2006
Leading a series of writing workshop events at this inaugural Radical Writing Retreat based at the Othona Centre at Bradwell On Sea
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Creative Non-Fiction (LT245)
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Climate Emergency: Narrating the Environment and Writing the Wild (LT269)
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Placement Year (LT702)
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Independent Creative Writing Project (LT832)
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Dissertation Preparation: Postgraduate Research and Writing Skills (LT901)
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The New Nature Writing (LT904)
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Memory Maps: Practices in Psychogeography (LT909)
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Wild Writing Work-Based Placement (LT975)
Current supervision
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Creative Writing
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 9/11/2021
Degree subject: Creative Writing
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 14/5/2021
Publications
Books (5)
Canton, J., (2023). Grounded A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors. Canongate Books. 1838855882. 9781838855888
Canton, J., (2020). The Oak Papers. Canongate Books. 1838851526. 9781838851521
Canton, J., (2017). Ancient Wonderings: Travels in Prehistoric Britain. Harper Collins. 9780008175207
Canton, J., (2014). From Cairo to Baghdad British Travellers in Arabia. I.B.Tauris. 0857735713. 9780857735713
Canton, J., (2013). Out of Essex Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape. Andrews UK Limited. 1908493860. 9781908493866
Book chapters (1)
Canton, J., (2016). 'Throwing Off the European': Marmaduke Pickthall's Travels in Arabia 1894-96. In: Marmaduke Pickthall Islam and the Modern World. Editors: Nash, G., . Brill. 216- 230. 9789004327580
Other (1)
Canton, JR., (2016).Review of The Moth Snowstorm. The Conversation
