Guy Shrubsole and Amy-Jane Beer among headliners for Shaftesbury’s nature-themed book festival

James Cropper Wainwright Prize-winners Guy Shrubsole and Amy-Jane Beer are among the authors that will headline Shaftesbury’s nature-themed book festival, Reading the Land.

The festival, which will take place at the Grosvenor Arms over the weekend of 15th to 17th March, features authors such as Leif Bersweden, Keggie Carew, Charles Foster and Stephen Moss, as well as Sophie Pavelle, Anita Roy, Chris Smaje and Brett Westwood – a number of whom have been nominated for the Wainwright Prize. Nature writer, author and journalist Richard Mabey will continue his role as the festival’s patron.

The theme of the festival is a celebration of nature writing and the landscape, and aims to encourage people to find "ways to connect with the natural world". 

"We hope to stimulate positive ways of living with nature, and encourage the audience to share our passion for nature and the land around us," said organising committee member Sue Clifford, who is also a co-founder of the environmental charity Common Ground. "Our authors will share their insights, observations and encounters to explore subjects such as intricate ecosystems, conservation issues, the joy of time spent in nature, and much more.”

In addition to the main talks programme, the festival features some free events for children.The events will take place at Shaftesbury Library and Shaftesbury Arts Centre over the weekend. These include an art and craft session with children’s author and illustrator Yuval Zommer, and a storytelling session with local folk musician and actor Tim Laycock. There will also be a series of events taking place in local primary schools in the week before the festival – coinciding with World Book Day – featuring local children’s authors Angela McAllister and Hannah Shuckburgh.

Shaftesbury School will also be getting involved, running its own writing competition, interviewing author Keggie Carew, and creating its own nature-themed page for the festival’s website. Moreover, the nature writing bookshop Folde Dorset is providing a pop-up bookshop over the festival weekend.