Entangled Roots – To The Sea, The Hills and The Garden is a series of three fortnightly reading/walking circles for folk who identify as women of colour or non-binary people of colour led by Francine Hajilou and supported by Emily Ghassempour. In preparation for each walk we invite you, during the week prior to the walk, to read a variety of selected pieces of online nature writing by women of colour in the form of links that make up an ‘e-reader’ of a collection of short texts, extracts from longer works and videos, featuring memoir, reportage and poetry on themes of identity, home, belonging, food, and community. Written by emerging and established women writers of Black African, Caribbean, South Asian and Asian heritage, this writing firmly locates women of colour within nature, community projects and food systems; it also amplifies our voices as agents of change and resistance. The three autumnal walks will be followed by further family gatherings in the new year.

Alongside reflecting on themes from the reading list, these walks will be a safe place for us to consider and to share , if we so wish, our embodied knowledge of living as women and non-binary people of colour in the UK and more specifically Folkestone, providing an opportunity to gather together to enjoy nature and the act of walking for physical and mental wellbeing.

Entangled Roots Reading and Walking Circles will be ideal for women and non-binary folk who enjoy or are curious about walking in the local landscape, and who are interested in reading contemporary writing by womxn of colour about nature, food and community, and a desire to strengthen community within Folkestone’s Black and Brown diaspora. It is really important to us that this experience is accessible to all womxn/non-binary people of colour who would like to take part. Whilst the tickets are free, we know that there may be other barriers such as transport or childcare costs. For this reason, we have a small budget to support anyone who would like to attend but feels unable to do so - just select 'admission with support required' at checkout or get in touch access@customfoodlab.org

Entangled Roots is part of Seeding the Commons, a long term programme from Custom Food Lab funded by Arts Council England, exploring art-making as a practice of commoning knowledge systems around food.

Who will be leading the walks?

Francine Hajilou is an emerging writer of dual English and Jamaican heritage, originally from Coventry she lives in Folkestone and is currently researching for her upcoming PhD in Creative Writing. Her interests are Black British identity, notions of race and the reality of racism, embodied knowledge, writing gender and the body, racial justice, surviving trauma, nature writing, life writing, short fiction and poetry, land justice and community food growing.

Emily Ghassempour is an Iranian-British writer and social justice activist. She is a founder of local campaign Books for Change which is on a mission to bring depth and diversity to childrens' reading choices by introducing books by diverse authors to libraries, engaging through storytelling and leading creative anti-racism and social justice workshops.

What should I expect and what do I need to bring?

Each walk is approx. 1.5 hrs long including approx 30 minutes to sit, reflect and share ideas related to the reading and to respond to our surroundings. Bring a drink, suitable footwear and weather proof clothing. The walks can be experienced as series of three or individually. Please book as places are limited to 12 people per walk.

Where will the walks take place?

All the walks will take place in and around Folkestone. When you book, you will receive directions to an easy to reach meeting place for each walk.