Wednesday 13 July 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Join award-winning writer, Wyl Menmuir and Quay Words for the Exeter launch of his book, The Draw of The Sea. In his first foray into non-fiction, Booker Prize nominated author Wyl Menmuir examines the lives of people whose worlds are inextricably shaped by sea. In thirteen interlinked chapters of beautifully-written prose, Wyl investigates what it is that draws us to the water’s edge, portraying the lives of fishermen, surfers, sailors, boatbuilders, free-divers, swimmers and artists on the coasts of the South West. In the specifics of these livelihoods and their rich histories and traditions, he captures the universality of our connection to the sea. Wyl will be in conversation with the Literature Works team about his new work, followed by an audience Q and A. Join us for this fitting highlight in the Quay Words Maritime season.

You can also ‘save a seat’ here to watch the live stream of this event from home, free of charge.

Pre-order your copy of The Draw of the Sea from The Bookery, Crediton here.

NICE WORDS ABOUT THE DRAW OF THE SEA

Winner of the Roger Deakin Award.

“A beautiful portrait of lives shaped by the swell of ocean and tide – a powerful salt-thread of connection.” Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path.

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 Wyl Menmuir is an award-winning author based in Cornwall. His 2016 debut novel, The Many was longlisted for the Man-Booker Award and was an Observer Best Fiction of the year pick. His second novel Fox Fires was published in 2021 and his short fiction has been published by Nightjar Press, Kneehigh Theatre and National Trust Books and appeared in Best British Short Stories. Wyl’s first full-length non fiction book, The Draw of the Sea, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors and is published in 2022. A former journalist, Wyl has written for Radio 4’s Open Book, The Guardian and The Observer, and the journal Elementum. He is co-creator of the Cornish writing centre, The Writers’ Block and lectures in creative writing at Falmouth University. Born in Stockport in 1979, Wyl now lives on Cornwall’s north coast with his wife and two children. When he is not writing or teaching writing, Wyl enjoys messing around in boats.

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This event will be in-person at Exeter Custom House. We have increased capacity at Quay Words events, so you may be sitting next to someone who is not in your household. We are still taking precautions to ensure our audiences are protected from Covid 19. For this reason we ask that you please consider wearing a mask when not seated and moving around the building. We will be keeping windows open to ensure good ventilation in the building so you may want to bring an extra layer. Please do not attend Quay Words events if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or are feeling unwell.This event is going to be filmed for live broadcast on Crowdcast. You may appear on screen. Please only book if you are happy with this.

Tickets are limited and available on a first come-first served basis. Please only book if you intend to be part of the invited audience on 13th July 2022 . Please provide your full name, email address and phone number when booking. We can accommodate free tickets for carers or personal assistants if needed. Please email us on customhouse@literatureworks.org.uk after booking to let us know if you would like to book one of these tickets.

Book with confidence, any changes in guidance that prevent the event from going ahead in person will result in a refund of the ticket price and the event will take place digitally.