23 Oct, 2022

As the spectre of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson haunts the Houses of Parliament, in a chaotic political drama unfolding in Westminster, London, we have an interesting selection of somewhat spooky things for you to enjoy this coming week.

Sophie Austin shortlisted for the Soundwalks September Awards in 2021 for Lore of the Wild, has written a new piece F for Farnham in which you explore 9 places in what is claimed to be the most haunted town in Surrey, UK. There is a launch event on Saturday, scroll down to read more below.

We were at the Lumen Prize Award ceremony on Thursday on the invitation of Candida Borges, a walk · listen · café guest earlier this year, when she presented Transuentis mundi that had been shortlisted for an award. There we learnt about Radio Ghost and augmented reality enhanced sound walk for three people that takes place in shopping malls in which you encounter the ghostly spectres of consumer products. Unusual that’s for sure, and much to my surprise made by a team at the University of Greenwich, just a stone's throw from where I type this newsletter.

And what's the future of media? Well, NG Bristow has a chapter about transpositional geo-located audio in a new book published this coming week, that features his bus drama ONE OH EIGHT that you can enjoy either remotely or in situ in Cape Town or London, thanks to the marvellous Echoes app. Scroll down for more details of how you can be involved in the launch.

So after Halloween....

Our next Walking Writers' Salon guest, poet Peter Finch has been exploring the ephemeral edges of Cardiff, uncovering haunted spots in a glorious psycho-geographic work called Edging the City. He has been chronicling his home city for over 50 years, and we hope you will join him to exorcise a ghost or two. Scroll down to read more.

In the early 1980s Susan Cooper wrote a best-selling, fantasy horror novel for children called The Dark is Rising in which the lead character was called "Walker". Of course, it has been read by thousands of parents too. So popular has it been, that the BBC World Service has commissioned a dramatic adaptation written by Robert Macfarlane and performed by Theatre Complicité. Released soon, it will be broadcast on the World Service and made available as a 12 part podcast on BBC Sounds.

Keep walking!

Co-founder of walk · listen · create

Free for supporting members, open to everyone

01 Nov · Tue · 19:00 (UTC) · Online
Poet and psycho-geographer Peter Finch is November's Walking Writers Salon guest, talking about “Edging the City” - his new collection inspired by his walks along t... Keep reading

New walking pieces

a self-guided audio story walk taking you on a ghostly journey around Surrey’s most haunted town. Do not walk alone. Keep reading
A sound walk experience of 5 locations along the Regent's Canal, consisting of photography, music and prose. Keep reading
I walked 800 kilometres on foot from Istanbul to Konya in Turkey. Along the way I reached out to people I met a handful of cards with quotes by Rumi and asked them to choose one. As a result, an encounter becomes actual contact. Keep reading

Upcoming events

26 - 28 Oct, 2022 · Newlyn Art Gallery, New Road, Newlyn, Penzance TR18 5PZ, UK
Join us for a series of guided walks & workshops using the 'Walk With Us' app, which focusses on the National Oceanography Centre’s monitoring project about coastal... Keep reading
27 Oct - 30 Nov, 2022 · Online
Open call for young people in the UK and Egypt to respond to water issues by connecting their places, and transforming them in collective answers, with contemplativ... Keep reading
27 Oct · Thu · 16:00 (UTC) · Professor Stuart Hall Building, Lewisham Way, London, UK
A book launch to celebrate the publication of ‘The Future of Media’, written by members of the Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmith... Keep reading
27 Oct · Thu · 18:00 (UTC) · Online
An open info session for all interested to participate, and all others interested, to find out more about the project for young people in the UK and in Egypt, with ... Keep reading
29 Oct · Sat · 15:30 (UTC) · University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham GU9 7DS, UK
Launch event for a new immersive self-guided audio story walk taking you on a ghostly journey around Surrey’s most haunted town. Keep reading

From our network

Poem published in the collection Days of Dark & Light by David Thompson, by Hobnob Press in 2021 – reproduced here with permission. Keep reading
Fabulous first opera to be staged in Theatre Royal Bath’s intimate Ustinov Studio. Read my full Broadway World review here Keep reading
Day 927 - Unusually Usual and 2.3 km drawing Keep reading
Day 927 - Unusually Usual and 2.3 km drawing Keep reading
Ce matin, lever du jour haut en couleurs, la Dordogne paisible miroite… Vu de la fenêtre de ma résidence libournaise. Les oiseaux aussi, saluent... Keep reading
Branches CraquementsCiel SifflementsOiseaux PépiementsChenille SilenceFe... Keep reading
I am very honored to give the 2022 Steve Strom Memorial Lecture at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Department of Landscape Architecture on ... Keep reading

Stuff we found

The Comox Valley Art Gallery will host three “story walks” this fall as part of its ongoing Walk With Me project, an arts-based response to the toxic drug crisis. S... Keep reading
Meet the artists giving new meaning to the way memory, identity and history play into our perception of space Source: Crafting a city through observation and memory... Keep reading
Following in the Footsteps of New York’s First Urban Explorer – Don’t Be A Tourist – Messy Nessy Chic Source: Following in the Footsteps of New York’s First Urban E... Keep reading
CHARLIE LEE-POTTER – ‘Each thudding footstep feels hypnotic and I keep my eyes on the ground as I try to think my ideas into existence.’ Source: Eyes Down: Walking ... Keep reading

Follow us on social media