09-05-2025
Essex Book Festival announces Shami Chakrabarti in its line-up
A month-long book festival has announced its line-up, including writers and rights activist and Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, novelist Abi Daré and Labour MP Diane Abbott are among the writers who will appear at the Essex Book across the county, the event is set to feature about 250 writers and Green, festival director, said: "It is an opportunity for people to visit some truly intriguing - some might say unusual - locations for a book/literary festival."
The annual festival is taking place in more than 35 venues across Essex. Ex-University of Essex student Sir Ben Okri will be launching the festival at Harwich's Electric Palace Cinema on 28 Green said: "Given the nature of the 'beast', it's almost impossible to encapsulate the huge range of festival events and activities that will be taking place across Essex."
Daré is set to talk about her latest book And So I Roar at Grays Library on 3 June. Chakrabarti will be speaking to Pam Cox, Labour MP for Colchester, about her book Human Rights: The Case for The Defence at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford on 5 Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, will be visiting the University of Essex in Colchester the following day to talk about her new memoir A Woman Like Me. The events are due to be held in Harwich, Thurrock, Colchester, Chelmsford, Shenfield and Maldon from 28 May to 30 June.
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