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Author to discuss historical postcards at festival

Ellie Wainwright A black and white image of a woman with short dark hair wearing a hoodie and jeans crouching on some coastal rocks. She is smiling and the sea can be seen in the background. Ellie Wainwright
Lisa Wollett will give a talk at the upcoming Southwold Literary Festival

An award-winning author will discuss the stories behind a series of historic Suffolk postcards which she uncovered while writing her latest book.

Southwold Literary Festival, taking place at Southwold Arts Centre, at St Edmund's Hall, will welcome writer Lisa Wollett on the morning of the 9 November.

During the chat, beginning at 11:30 GMT, she will delve into the contents of her most recent hardback, Lost To The Sea: A Journey Round the Edges of Britain and Ireland.

The book explores how the “sea has forged, shaped and often overwhelmed” costal landscapes and communities, including those in Pakefield, Dunwich and Slaughden.

Contributed An aged image of a group of men standing and sitting in front of a building on an eroded coastline. Contributed
Southwold's Long Island Cliff Watch House which, during the 1800s, acted as a lookout for ships in distress before it was eventually ruined by tidal surge.

The tailored talk will see the writer predominantly speak about the Suffolk postcards she found and collected while researching her book.

One of them, for example, depicted Slaughden’s former Three Mariners Inn which succumbed to the North Sea in the 1920s.

Another showed Southwold's Long Island Cliff Watch House which, during the 1800s, acted as a lookout for ships in distress before it was eventually ruined by tidal surge.

Contributed A sepia image of the ruins of All Saints Church, in Dunwich, on an eroded coastContributed
The remains of All Saints Church, in Dunwich

A spokesperson for Southwold Literary Festival, which runs from 8-10 November, said: “Join us for an author talk with award-winning novelist Lisa Woollett.

“Lisa will be talking to us about her career so far and her latest book, Lost to the Sea.

“In Lost to the Sea on a series of coastal walks, she takes us on an illuminating journey, bringing to life the places where mythology and reality meet.

“Lisa draws together archaeology, meetings with locals and tales from folklore to reveal how the sea forged, shaped and overwhelmed landscapes and communities.”

Southwold Literary Festival, a partnership between Southwold Library and Southwold Arts Centre, first launched in 2023.

This year’s festival will boast 12 events with 14 authors, including Richard Mabey, Rachel Hore, Kate Sawyer and many more.

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