Nature Memoir: What Next?

In the last decade from H is for Hawk to Raising Hare via The Salt Path, nature memoir has witnessed a meteoric rise. Where does the genre go from here?

For this special panel will be joined by Chloe Hadjimatheouoin, the Observer's Narrative Editor who broke the incredible story of the lies behind the best selling memoir and film The Salt Path, and Creative Writing student, Helen Oliver-Masters.

James Canton, author of The Oak Papers and Renaturing, will be chairing the panel as they discuss what the future holds for this compelling genre.

Tickets: £8 / £5 concessions (students, under 27s and unwaged)

Essex Book Festival and the University of Essex are hosting an exciting 1-day programme of writers’ and writing events. Events include author talks and workshops, multi-genre panel discussions, and The Pitch (a 10-minute speed-date with an industry professional). Plus, an opportunity to engage with and explore the J.A. Baker Archive.

1. What it takes to Make a Book - Eva Verde in conversation with Sabah Khan

2. Nature Memoir: What Next? - Chloe Hadjimatheou, James Canton

3. Breaking the Mould - Holly Pester, Ben Pester and Rebecca Perry

4. Freedom to Write, Freedom to Read - English PEN

5. How to Become a Peregrine - The Cabinet of Living Cinema

Book a Writers Room Day Pass here

Chloe Hadjimatheou is the Observer's Narrative Editor. She has reported six podcast series so far, from Mayday to Lucky Boy and The Gas Man. She also focuses on stories in the Middle East, particularly Israel-Palestine and Syria. In 2025 Chloe broke the incredible story of the lies behind the best selling memoir and film The Salt Path. She has been shortlisted for Private Eye's Paul Foot award and the Orwell Prize for her investigative journalism. She is currently working on a new podcast series about the British first lady of Syria.

Helen is a student at University of Essex studying Creative Writing. Helen’s areas of interest are Nature writing and poetry. She also has a small dog breeding business.

When James Canton moved to a farm labourer's cottage, he knew that the two-acre patch of earth behind it held potential as a place for nature to return and flourish. While 'rewilding' requires vast landscapes to become self-sustaining, he wondered what might be possible on the scale of his field - or even that of a garden or a window box.

Renaturing is the story of how he learned to dig a pond, forge meadowlands, create habitats for birds and insects and encourage plants that support wildlife. Gradually, what was once just a grassy space was buzzing with life. The process revealed that rather than rewilding, we could all 'renature': even on the smallest scale we can create habitats to support diverse ecosystems. Above all, it shows how we can all make positive change, however large or small, in caring for and restoring the natural world.