We’re thrilled to welcome Fiona to the Custom House to celebrate the launch of her debut novel The House of Broken Bricks. Fiona will read from her novel, followed by a Q&A chaired by memoirist and past writer-in-residence Davina Quinlivan. Lyrical and powerful –  a tender debut about family, loss and life in the countryside….

Not a run-up to midwinter, but a slow-down. Poet Caleb Parkin and Electroacoustic harpist Scarlett Smith present an interactive event focused on rest, recovery and stillness. We’ll keep in mind nature’s rhythms and the need for recuperation at the time of year when days are shortest. Around a ‘campfire’, Caleb will share a selection of…

 “On the role of love in our connections to the natural world.”   Bookended by the sunset and sunrise, writer-in-residence William Henry Searle will guide participants on a reflective weekend workshop, foregrounding the role of personal emotion and love in our nature writing practice.   Over a series of walks, personal time to write and guided workshops…

Quayside Walk and Creative Writing Workshop  Join writer-in-residence William Henry Searle for an introductory nature writing workshop. The workshop will start with an accessible walk around the quayside to gather inspiration followed by a workshop at Exeter Custom House.   This workshop is perfect for beginners to the form or for people who are looking to…

We’re pleased to welcome A.K. Blakemore to the Custom House to celebrate the launch of her new book The Glutton, with reading and Q&A. Sister Perpetue is not to move. She is not to fall asleep. She is to sit, keeping guard over the patient’s room. She has heard the stories of his hunger, which…

“When we looked out our bedroom window, there was Pearce rag stores, with all the rabbit skins hanging in the window.  If I had a stick I could have poked them!” The People of the Quarter lived cheek by jowl with the industries of the river and Quay. JoJo Spinks dives into their testimony in…

From seals’ frisky behaviour to red squirrels making their last stand in the battle against the greys, here are the mammals of Britain as you’ve never seen them before. Wild boar that don’t exist – at least officially. Eccentric hedgehog behaviour. Mines inhabited by greater horseshoe bats (along with cavers, ravers and teenagers smoking unusual…

We’re thrilled to welcome Natasha Carthew back to the Custom House after her time as writer-in-residence in 2020. Natasha will be reading from her new memoir, Undercurrent: A Cornish Memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience, followed by a Q&A chaired by Sophie Pierce. You can also ‘save a seat’ to watch the live stream from…

We’re thrilled to welcome John Wedgwood Clarke back to the Custom House for the launch of his new collection Boy Thing. John will read from his latest work, followed by a Q&A chaired by Fiona Benson. Praise for Boy Thing “Boy Thing is a thing of wonder. These are poems that negotiate anew the tender, hurt territory…

Join us and Quay Words writer-in-residence Davina Quinlivan at Exeter Custom House for an unique literary salon event with Noreen Masud and William Henry Searle on stories of place and finding profound narrative ‘threads’ through objects, puppetry and the everyday. During our Threads season this March and April we’ll be delving into text and the textile, pulling…