About the event

From the Brontës to The Book of Bogs, moors, bogs and marshes have given rise to some of our finest writing. This is a day to revel in those words...

The audience are invited not just to listen but to respond by creating their own Book of Bogs: a handmade pamphlet containing words, drawings and found materials. Afterwards, participants will be invited to share their work through an open mic. 

Events run from 10am: you can join for all or part of the day. 

Expect a friendly and accessible event where you can be as active and creative as the performers. There's also a warm welcome to audience members who prefer to sit quietly and listen!  

10am-12pm: Voices from the moor: a lively morning workshop with Clare Shaw and Anna Chilvers.

1-4pm: readings from the UK and Ireland’s best contemporary eco-poets: Jane Clarke, Michael Malay, David Morley, Harriet Tarlo, Victoria Gatehouse.

4-5pm: Open mic

5pm: Big Bog Disco 

Anna Chilvers (Bluemoose) and Clare Shaw (Bloodaxe) are popular writers and facilitators who have authored and edited 14 books between them - including poetry, novels and creative non-fiction. In 2025, they co-edited “The Book of Bogs: Stories of a Yorkshire Moor and other Peatlands” (Little Toller), featuring over 43 leading writers of ecology, nature and place. Book of Bogs is a model for what happens when poetry and ecology meet — when words help us look more closely at the natural world, feel it more deeply — and take action to defend it.