Events, Festivals and Workshops
I regularly speak at literary festivals both in the UK and internationally, most recently talking at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Dénia Festival of the Humanities in Spain, and the Festival of the Century in Aarhus, Denmark. My solo book talks are always supported by substantial photography and film.
I’m a fluent interviewer and panel moderator. Recent engagements have included the Royal Geographical Society, American Express, Time Inc, the FT Weekend Festival, and How To Academy.
I speak about travel and literature for live and recorded radio and TV interviews, including the BBC, Times Radio, Economist, Tortoise, and NPR.
I also collaborate on photography gallery shows, as a co-curator on storytelling, with recent exhibitions in New York (Le Blanc) and London (Foyles).
I teach non-fiction travel writing twice a year, at Arvon in the UK, and at the Happy House in Solukhumbu in Eastern Nepal.
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Bridport Literary Festival, Dorset
07.11.2025
This talk about A Training School for Elephants is a highlight for me this year: Bridport is my home town. I’ll be bringing my travels to life with behind-the-scenes video, audio, and photography from Iraq, Ireland, Tanzania, DRC and Ireland. This event will be held at Bridport’s Electric Palace at 4pm.
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Folkestone Literature Festival, Kent
19.11.2025
In this head-to-head, I’ll be joining Adam Weymouth, author of Lone Wolf and Kings of the Yukon, in to talk about immersive, literary non-fiction: driven by curiosity, guided by instinct. Together, we’ll explore what it means to travel and write slowly and attentively. The event is at 2.30pm
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Kendal Mountain Festival, Cumbria
22.11.2025
At this iconic festival in Cumbria, I’ll be talking about my new book, A Training School for Elephants, with BTS footage from the various journeys I made to research it, in Iraq, DRC, Tanzania and India. I’m looking forward to discussing the genre of travel writing (and its limitations) in conversation with author and environmentalist, Kate Rawles.
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The Travellers Club, London
19.01.2026
This Monday night lecture at The Travellers Club in London will combine storytelling from my two books: The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020), and A Training School for Elephants (2025). I’ll talk about how I approach travel writing, weaving my journeys with a narrative arc driven by historical events.
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Arvon Plus Non-Fiction Writing Course, Shropshire
02.05.2026 — 09.05.2026
On this non-fiction writing course co-tutored with Adam Weymouth — recently shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Lone Wolf — we will be looking at how to blur the boundaries between nature and travel, between travel and memoir, reportage and history, to find the best way to tell the best story.
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Writing and Photography Workshop, Nepal
October 2026
After a sell-out inaugural workshop in spring 2025, we’re offering a second travel writing and film photography retreat in Nepal, co-led by my colleague, Michael Turek. Our base will be The Happy House east of Mount Everest, with an optional extension to Upper Mustang.