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From 2nd-4th June, a small green site in the beautiful Lake District village of Bowland Bridge will become a welly-boot-ique festival of wonder. Enter a world of playfulness, epic stories & wild enchantment… and the occasional sheep. On Saturday at 5pm, Sarah will be reading from her dazzling memoir The Raven’s Nest, newly published in paperback. Books will be available from the festival bookshop.
Join us with author Sarah Thomas in the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka. Pre-order a copy of her stunning memoir, The Raven’s Nest, which will be published in paperback on the 1st June, and receive a free ticket to our event – while spaces last! Please feel free to bring along your knitting, mending, or crafting projects as Sarah reads to us from the book in the Icelandic kvöldvaka tradition, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Tickets – SOLD OUT. Contact bookshop for waiting list
We are thrilled to welcome bookseller favourite, Sarah Thomas, to the bookshop to celebrate paperback publication of her remarkable The Raven’s Nest.Described by Robert Macfarlane as ‘fascinating’, ‘lyrical and thoughtful’ by Cal Flynn, The Raven’s Nest is a profoundly moving meditation on place, identity and how we might live in an era of environmental disruption. This event will be a mix of Q&A and a reading. Inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka, the audience is warmly invited to bring knitting and mending projects to do as Sarah reads. Doors 7.10 for 7.30 start.
Past Events
Belonging In Nature: Join authors Amanda Thompson and Sarah Thomas in conversation about their books Belonging: Natural Histories Of Place, Identity and Home and The Raven’s Nest.
Join us on Saturday, 6th of May at 4pm, when we’ll be joined by author Sarah Thomas. Please feel free to bring along your knitting, mending, or crafting projects as Sarah reads to us from her Iceland memoir, The Ravens Nest, in the Icelandic kvöldvaka tradition, followed by a chance to buy her book, and get it signed.
A session in the Icelandic kvöldvaka tradition, where attendees are highly encouraged to bring along knitting, mending, and crafting projects while Sarah reads from and talks about her debut ‘The Raven’s Nest’. Festival Pass
Join Sarah Thomas as she reads from and talks about her ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest (2022). This beautifully vivid book is an exploration of how a week-long trip can change the course of a life, of falling in love with a man, the light and language of Iceland, and the old wooden house they make their home. It is a profoundly moving meditation on place, identity and how we might live in an era of environmental disruption.
This event is inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka, and you are invited to bring along knitting, mending, and crafting projects to work on while Sarah reads from and talks about The Raven’s Nest with Dani Gill. Tickets
An author talk by Dr Sarah Thomas and Dr Fiona Gell
Authors Sarah Thomas and Fiona Gell have written about two very different places – Iceland’s Westfjords and the underwater world around the Isle of Man – but their writing has captured the landscapes, nature and heritage that have shaped their own stories. Come join them as they discuss their books The Raven’s Nest and Spring Tides.
A VERY SPECIAL EVENING with Sarah Thomas and her extraordinary ecological memoir, The Raven’s Nest, a story about resilience and learning to belong, set in the elemental landscape of Iceland’s bewitching Westfjords.
The evening is inspired by the Icelandic tradition of ’kvöldvaka’: welcome to bring your knitting, making & mending projects to do as Sarah reads throughout the evening – or just sit back and be transported to your inner landscape and the dramatic landscapes of Iceland. We’ll start the evening with a presentation of the book and a short Q&A with Sarah and Hedda from the bookshop. Free.
This is our first public event in Skolunkans, the old shoe shop, our new events space for a school called HOME. We will hold a kvöldvaka in the old shoe shop in Östervåla. Sarah will read from her book and share the stories of her time in Iceland, as well as her experiences taking the kvöldvaka tradition to different parts of Europe.
While she was working on The Raven’s Nest, Sarah held a kvöldvaka with our members over Zoom where she read a chapter of the book, so it feels deeply appropriate that we can welcome her here to Östervåla to open a new chapter in our work as a school.
We will serve fika as part of the event. Book tickets (donation)
An open ‘fika’ seminar (with cinnamon buns & coffee!) and Re-emergence/ emergency walk in the forest, with The Centre for Environment and Development Studies, Uppsala University. Sarah will talk about the ideas and structure in her ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest, and give a reading. Free.
English filmmaker, anthropologist and author Sarah Thomas will be joining us to present her book „The Raven’s Nest“ – a beautifully vivid memoir about resilience and learning to belong, set in the elemental landscape of Iceland’s Westfjords. The evening will be held in the style of an Icelandic kvöldvaka: audience members are invited to bring knitting, mending and other handicrafts to make while Sarah Thomas reads aloud.
A very special evening with Sarah Thomas and her wonderful memoir, The Raven’s Nest. The event will take place at the bookshop in the Icelandic kvöldvaka tradition, in which attendees are highly encouraged to bring along knitting, mending, and crafting projects while Sarah reads from and talks about The Raven’s Nest. Next to a warm fire and mulled wine, you won’t want to miss this cosy evening! Book Tickets
Join us for an evening with Sarah Thomas, as we discuss her extraordinary ecological memoir, The Raven’s Nest. The evening is inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka: we welcome you to bring your knitting, crochet and embroidery to do as Sarah reads or just sit back and be transported. Tickets include a signed copy which can be collected in store at the bound ahead of the event, and a welcome drink. We encourage guests to read the book before the event and join us in a ‘book club’ format discussion on the night. Book tickets
Come join us for a glass of wine as Sarah holds a festive evening reading from her beautiful new memoir The Raven’s Nest following the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka. Guests are invited to bring their knitting and mending to do as she reads, or just to sit back and be transported to Iceland’s Westfjords. Buy tickets.
From one hill farming community to another: An evening with author Sarah Thomas, as we discuss her extraordinary ecological memoir, The Raven’s Nest, set in Iceland’s Westfjords region.
The evening is inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka, where on farms in the winter months when the early darkness brought outdoor work to a close, households would gather indoors in one small room – their shared living quarters. By the light of a single fish oil lamp they would continue the necessary work of knitting and mending while someone read aloud to them. That way, even through deepest poverty, a society of book lovers flourished.
In this ‘wool town’, we welcome you to bring your knitting, crochet and embroidery or just sit back and be transported into an evening of meditation and relaxation.
Sarah joins artist Silvy Weatherall to talk about making beauty from broken things, lost things, abandoned things; gaining insight from the spaces in between. Silvy will introduce her exhibition Broken Journeys and read from her poetry which forms a part of it. And, surrounded by Silvy’s artworks, Sarah will read from The Raven’s Nest, her newly published ecological memoir set in Iceland’s Westfjords region. Book your free ticket.
Come gather by the fireside and candleglow of the Old Mill Palnackie, where Sarah’s much loved kvöldvaka began. This special reading from The Raven’s Nest will take place in the intimate surroundings of the gallery on our Christmas shopping weekend – handmade gifts, natural art materials and a truly excellent bookshop – all manner of wild, philosophical, esoteric, nature-inspired gems here. Sarah will read at 4pm and sign books afterwards. Free.
Sarah Thomas joins us to share The Raven’s Nest, a story about resilience and learning to belong, set in the elemental landscape of Iceland’s bewitching Westfjords. In Icelandic style, Sarah welcomes you to bring your knitting to do whilst listening to this talk! There will be a book signing straight after the event. Buy tickets.
Join Sarah for a special Book Week Scotland kvöldvaka in the intimate surroundings of The Botanics Cottage. Artist-in-residence Natalie Taylor will present Sarah with the ‘Keepers of the Soil Cape’ – collectively stitched, naturally dyed and containing soils gathered along a pilgrimage route to COP26 – to wear during her reading from The Raven’s Nest. Guests are invited to bring their knitting and mending projects to do as she reads. Reserve your free ticket.
Join Sarah in conversation with Scottish/Icelandic artist Elín Jakobsdóttir as they discuss Elín’s film In the First Place and Sarah’s written response to it. Join the guestlist.
Each week from October to December, Sarah will give an extended reading from her memoir The Raven’s Nest in the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka (‘evening wake’), where in the evening as the days grew shorter, someone would read aloud to their household as they knitted, darned and mended items of clothing. You are invited to bring items to make or mend during the reading and are welcome for the whole series or individual readings. Alternates locations:
Tues Oct 25 The Smiddy
Tues Nov 1 The Smiddy
Tues Nov 8 The Smiddy
Tues Nov 15 CatStrand
Tues Nov 22 The Smiddy
Tues Nov 29 CatStrand
Tues Dec 6 The Smiddy
Tues Dec 13 CatStrand
In the world’s largest map store, join us for an evening inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka. We welcome you to bring your knitting, crochet and embroidery or just sit back and be transported into an evening of meditation and relaxation, as Sarah reads from her extraordinary memoir, The Raven’s Nest. Buy tickets.
Join us for an evening inspired by the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka. We welcome you to bring your knitting, crochet and embroidery or just sit back and be transported into an evening of meditation and relaxation, as Sarah reads from her extraordinary memoir, The Raven’s Nest. Buy tickets.
A contemplative event in the style of an Icelandic ‘kvöldvaka’, in partnership with Lancaster Sewing Café. They will introduce their work, then Sarah will talk about and read from her wonderful memoir set in Iceland, The Raven’s Nest. You are welcomed to bring making and mending projects to work on during Sarah’s reading. Some materials will be provided. Buy online tickets.
Join local writer and documentary filmmaker Sarah Thomas in the McNeillie tent as she brings The Raven’s Nest – her memoir of love, language, nature and resilience set in Iceland – to Wigtown. Book now.
Join us for a special reading of Sarah Thomas’ ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest in the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka (‘evening wake’), where in the evening as the days grew shorter, someone would read aloud to their household as they knitted, darned and mended. Audience members are invited to bring items to make or mend during the reading. Register for free.
Following in the tradition of writers like Nan Shepherd, Sarah Thomas and Esther Woolfson showcase their recent work, combining travel and nature writing, memoir, and scientific study, to address some of the most pressing concerns of our time. Discussing their beautiful and transformative new books The Raven’s Nest and Between Light and Storm: Our Lives with Other Species, Thomas and Woolfson show us new ways to inhabit the earth.
Come and wind down by the fire at the end of a full day of activities as Sarah Thomas gives a reading from her new ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest, bringing day one of the festival to a close.
As their first writer-in-residence, Sarah Thomas will talk to TIDESPACE about falling in love with Iceland’s landscape, culture and an Icelander called Bjarni, and how the earth itself can help us find our way home.
Join Sarah for an Icelandic kvöldvaka (evening reading) as she reads aloud from The Raven’s Nest, her memoir set in Iceland’s Westfjords, in a place so culturally intertwined. In keeping with the tradition, guests are invited to bring their knitting and mending projects to work on as she reads. Free.
Join us for a special UK launch of Sarah Thomas’ ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest. Sarah will be in conversation with Christina Riley (The Nature Library) then will give an extended reading in the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka (‘evening wake’), where in the evening, someone would read aloud to the household as they knitted, darned and mended. Audience members are invited to bring items with them that they would like to mend during the reading. Booking necessary. A free drop-in mending workshop will take place prior to the event (2 – 4pm).
Join Sarah Thomas and writer and visual artist Amanda Thompson in the Lighthouse Garden for what promises to be a truly insightful conversation on making and finding homes. Together, they ask how the identities of places interact with our individual, cultural ones, and how the earth itself can help us find our way home. Buy tickets.
Atlantic and Sam Read Bookseller present an online author talk and Q&A with Sarah Thomas to discuss The Raven’s Nest. Thomas will be in conversation with Will Smith, a bookseller at Sam Read’s. Tickets: £2:00.
After dinner, join Sarah in the turf-roofed former home of Jón Sigurðsson, leader of Iceland’s C19th independence movement, for a kvöldvaka (evening reading) as she reads from her Westfjords memoir The Raven’s Nest. A double bill with Henry Fletcher, co-author of Walking and Wayfinding in the Westfjords (5pm). Refreshments available from 6pm.
Join Sarah in Iceland’s oldest still operating bookstore (est. 1914), where proprietor Eyþór Jóvinsson is the great-grandson of the store’s founder and second-hand books are sold by the kilo! Joined by Henry Fletcher, co-author of Walking and Wayfinding in the Westfjords, they will share extracts from their work.
After dinner, join Sarah in the cosy armchairs at bryggjubúðin as she reads from the chapters of her Westfjords memoir, The Raven’s Nest, which are set on Flatey. Bring your knitting!
Sarah Thomas transports us to the beauty and resilience of Iceland’s elemental Westfjords, its landscape and people, through a special first live reading from her new ecological memoir The Raven’s Nest. Bringing us the Icelandic tradition of kvöldvaka – ‘the evening wake’– where the household would gather to knit, darn and spin while being read to, you are warmly welcomed to bring your mending projects! Sarah will be signing books afterwards.
