We’re delighted to welcome Katrina Naomi to Exeter Custom House for the launch of Battery Rocks. Battery Rocks is Katrina’s first full poetry collection since the critically acclaimed Wild Persistence (Seren) in 2020. Battery Rocks is a meditation on nature, risk, swimming and the sea. The title refers to a Cornish swimming spot in Katrina’s home town…

A collaborative event between our two writers-in-residence Olive and Billy will perform and read from their work, followed by a conversation and Q&A to discuss shared themes that have arisen during their time in residence at Exeter Custom House. They will explore the season theme of heritage in relation to their work, the individual, and wider…

We’re thrilled to welcome prize-winning novelist Claire Fuller to the Custom House. Claire will be reading from a selection of her work including her latest novel The Memory of Animals. She’ll be supported on stage by a handful of talented emerging writers who will be taking part in our three-day intensive Hothouse workshop, come along to enjoy new voices reading…

We’re thrilled to welcome Monique Roffey back to the Custom House, after her time as writer-in-residence, with her new novel Passiontide. Four women spark a revolution on a Caribbean island – the electrifying new novel from the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch. Early one morning, at the close of St Colibri’s carnival, a young…

This June we welcome Joelle Taylor to the Custom House, for a reading from her debut novel The Night Alphabet followed by a Q&A. ‘The Night Alphabet is a glorious jewel of a novel, rich with language and story, that glows in your mind’s eye long after you have set it down. Taylor manages to combine her…

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…