Virginia Astley Website

Virginia and Florence Astley: A Thomas Hardy Evening
2020-08-16 19:00 - 20:00 (Europe/Paris)
Virginia and Florence Astley perform outdoors for a short online event via Facebook Live.
Staged in the woods behind Thomas Hardy’s cottage in Dorset, the performance will feature poems and music as well as talk about Hardy’s life.
A lot of the choice of music is compositions that have connections with Thomas Hardy’s history, with some being directly referenced in his novels.
The performance is scheduled for 7:30pm (BST) via Florence’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FlowAstley

Virginia and Florence Astley: A Thomas Hardy Evening
2020-08-02 08:00 - 17:00
Virginia and Florence Astley perform outdoors for a short online event via Facebook Live.
Staged in the woods behind Thomas Hardy’s cottage in Dorset, the performance will feature poems and music as well as talk about Hardy’s life.
A lot of the choice of music is compositions that have connections with Thomas Hardy’s history, with some being directly referenced in his novels.
The performance is scheduled for 7:30pm (BST) via Florence’s Facebook page.

Virginia and Florence Astley: A Thomas Hardy Evening
2020-07-19 19:30 - 20:00
Virginia and Florence Astley perform outdoors for a short online event via Facebook Live.
Staged in the woods behind Thomas Hardy’s cottage in Dorset, the performance will feature poems and music as well as talk about Hardy’s life.
A lot of the choice of music is compositions that have connections with Thomas Hardy’s history, with some being directly referenced in his novels. The idyllic location also seems a perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.
The performance is scheduled for 7:30pm (BST) via Florence’s Facebook page.
(Please note that this performance will be dependent on the strength of the mobile connection in the woods)

Flute and harp with Virginia and Florence Astley
2019-12-21 12:00 - 15:00 | Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset,, DT1 2FN, United Kingdom
Music, stories and poetry with a Hardy theme bring Max Gate’s Victorian Christmas to life.
Gather round the warmth of the fire in the Drawing Room to enjoy the sounds of harp and flute filling Hardy’s home.
We recommend you arrive early as there is limited seating available.
There are two performances scheduled at the following times:
12:00 – 12:45
14:00 – 14:45

2 x day writing workshop with Virginia Astley
2019-08-08 12:00 - 2019-08-09 17:00 | Kestle Barton, Manaccan, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6HU, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley is hosting a two day writing workshop taking place this summer at Kestle Barton Art Gallery, Cornwall.
Virginia was Artist-in-Residence at Kestle Barton in 2010. She is interested in putting the spoken word and music together and in using the natural world as inspiration and a means of reflection. Virginia returns this summer to offer a series of writing workshops that foster creative expression, as well as celebrating the natural beauty of the Helford River area.

Flute and harp with Virginia and Florence Astley
2019-06-15 11:00 - 15:30 | Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset,, DT1 2FN, United Kingdom
Music, stories and poetry from Hardy’s time bring his home to life. There will be three performances, each lasting approximately 25 minutes.
Performances will be at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:00.
£3.00 donation is kindly requested for the performers.

Thomas Hardy Confidential
2019-06-12 16:00 - 2019-06-16 14:30 | Othona Community, West Dorset Coast Road, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 4RN, United Kingdom
Thomas Hardy is known mostly for his powerful novels set here in Dorset. But what do you know of his literary first love, his poetry? And what about the ‘secret’ love affair of his youth that haunted and helped shape his writing for decades to come?
We’ll learn about these lesser-known aspects of Hardy from two experts, Graham Fawcett and Nicholas Hillyard. On Saturday evening the New Hardy Players folk band Tatterdemalion come to lead us in a ceilidh evening (caller Angela Laycock) with dance tunes Hardy himself knew and played. (If dancing isn’t your thing, just enjoy the tunes!)
Add to all this walks and visits to the key places he lived, we can look forward to a fascinating fresh appreciation of a great writer and the people and places he immortalised.
Convening the event is Virginia Astley, who has been deeply involved with Hardy’s Cottage (as writer in residence) and with Max Gate, the house he designed for himself in later life.

The English River reading, East Coker
2019-05-28 19:30 | Helyar Arms, Moor Ln, East Coker, Yeovil, BA22 9JR, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley will recite poems from her new book The English River accompanied by Florence Astley on the harp.
Her first book-length collection, The English River combines both photographs and poems to paint a vivid picture of the river Thames and the community that surrounds it.
Virginia grew up by the river’s upper reaches, knew the old lock-keepers and was familiar with all aspects of the Thames and its hinterland: both the natural world and the people whose lives are intimately connected with the river.
In recent years, she has returned to the Thames, working for a summer as an assistant lock-keeper, and walking its length to record and respond to its landscapes, river life and river folk as a poet and photographer.
You can read more about the book, and order copies, here: http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/the-english-river-1180

The English River reading, Sea Change Festival
2019-05-24 12:00 - 12:45 | Sea Change Festival, High Street, Totnes, TQ9 5SN, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley will recite poems from her new book The English River accompanied by Florence Astley on the harp.
Her first book-length collection, The English River combines both photographs and poems to paint a vivid picture of the river Thames and the community that surrounds it.
Virginia grew up by the river’s upper reaches, knew the old lock-keepers and was familiar with all aspects of the Thames and its hinterland: both the natural world and the people whose lives are intimately connected with the river.
In recent years, she has returned to the Thames, working for a summer as an assistant lock-keeper, and walking its length to record and respond to its landscapes, river life and river folk as a poet and photographer.
You can read more about the book, and order copies, here: http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/the-english-river-1180
Curated and presented by the award-winning Drift Record Shop, Sea Change is a festival based in Totnes town and the historic Dartington Estate.

The Stories Behind The Woodlanders
2019-02-23 12:00 - 15:00 | Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset,, DT1 2FN, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley presents the stories behind Hardy’s novel The Woodlanders.
There will be three short performances of around 20 minutes duration at 12 Noon, 2pm and 3pm. The performances will take place in the First Study at Max Gate, where the novel was written.
Numbers limited to 15 people per performance and suggested donations of £2.00.

The English River reading, Beaminster
2019-02-21 12:00 - 12:45 | St Mary’s Church, Church Street, Beaminster, DT8 3BA, United Kingdom

Virginia and Florence Astley at Max Gate
2018-12-21 12:00 - 16:00, 2018-12-16 12:00 - 16:00, 2018-11-04 12:00 - 16:00 | Max Gate, Alington Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset,, DT1 2FN, United Kingdom
Flute and harp with Virginia and Florence Astley.
Music, stories and poetry from Hardy’s time bring his home to life. There will be three performances, each lasting approximately 25 minutes.
This event is free, but normal admission charges apply for the venue.

12:00 – 12:30
14:00 – 14:30
15:30 – 16:00

SEVENOAKS LITERARY FESTIVAL
2018-10-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Methodist Church, 6 The Drive, Sevenoaks, TN13 3AE, United Kingdom
On National Poetry Day, Virginia Astley will be celebrating the English river in poetry, photographs and music.
Virginia has been a much admired songwriter and musician since the 1980s, and this is her first book-length poetry collection.
Virginia grew up by the upper reaches of the Thames, and The English River is her response to the river and the landscapes it winds through, telling the tale of the passage of a river and the passage of her life.
Gillian Clarke, the national poet of Wales, called it ‘a beautiful book’. Virginia will be accompanied by her daughter Florence on the harp.

Virginia Astley In Conversation at Rough Trade East
2018-08-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Rough Trade East, Old Truman Brewery 91 Brick Ln, London, E1 6QL, United Kingdom
Join us at Rough Trade East for a very special evening with writer and poet Virginia Astley in conversation with poet Will Burns. Virginia will be discussing and reading from her latest book The English River, published by Bloodaxe books.
Will Burns
Will was born in London and raised in Buckinghamshire. He didn’t finish his English degree, choosing instead to start an ill-fated band with his brother. He has worked in factories, cleaning windows, painting houses and the best record shop on earth. He likes sports and ornithology and is Poet-In-Residence at Caught By The River.
He was named as one of the 4 Faber & Faber New Poets for 2014 with his pamphlet in that series published in October 2014.

The English River reading at Drift Records
2018-08-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Drift Records, 103 High Street, Totnes, TQ9 5SN, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley will recite poems from her new book The English River accompanied by Florence Astley on the harp.
The 4th August will see Drift Records hosting a special reading by Virginia Astley who will recite poems from her new book The English River accompanied by Florence Astley on the harp.
Her first book-length collection, The English River combines both photographs and poems to paint a vivid picture of the river Thames and the community that surrounds it. Virginia grew up by the river’s upper reaches, knew the old lock-keepers and was familiar with all aspects of the Thames and its hinterland: both the natural world and the people whose lives are intimately connected with the river. In recent years, she has returned to the Thames, working for a summer as an assistant lock-keeper, and walking its length to record and respond to its landscapes, river life and river folk as a poet and photographer.
You can read more about the book, and pre-order copies, here: http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/the-english-river-1180

https://driftrecords.com/pages/the-drift-record-shop

Poetry recital with Virginia Astley
2018-06-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Waterstones Dorchester, 45-46 South Street, Dorchester, DT1 1DQ, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley will recite poems from her new book The English River accompanied by Florence Astley on the harp.

Poetry Workshops with Virginia Astley at Kestle Barton Art Gallery
2017-08-24 10:30 - 13:00, 2017-08-22 10:30 - 13:00, 2017-08-17 10:30 - 13:00, 2017-08-03 10:30 - 13:00, 2017-08-01 10:30 - 13:00 | Kestle Barton, Manaccan, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6HU, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley is hosting a series of special poetry workshops taking place this summer at Kestle Barton Art Gallery, Cornwall.
Virgina was Artist-in-Residence at Kestle Barton in 2010. She is interested in putting the spoken word and music together and in using the natural world as inspiration and a means of reflection. Virginia returns this summer to offer a series of writing workshops that foster creative expression, as well as celebrating the natural beauty of the Helford River area.
This year’s series of creative writing workshops at Kestle will focus on exploring landscapes and looking at the relationships we build with our ‘own patch’; at what we embed in a particular place and what that place embeds in us. Early sessions will focus on gathering, on doing the research. We’ll be talking with people who know the local area intimately and reading examples of work with a strong sense of place. Using notebooks (or our phones!) we’ll be honing in and making close observations of what fascinates us.
Looking at short-forms of writing, for example: nature and travel-writing, journals and memoir, poetry, we’ll shape our findings.
For participants that are able to come to all sessions we will be aiming for some form of individual short collection: be that a poetry sequence, a collection of nature notes, a travel journal. For others who want to drop-in, they will find a stimulating and welcoming space.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays as follows: 1st, 3rd, 15th, 17th, 22nd, 24th August
Where: Kestle Barton Art Gallery, Cornwall
Free of charge – but booking essential. Call Kestle Barton on 01326 231811

Poetry Workshops with Virginia Astley at Kestle Barton Art Gallery
2017-08-15 10:30 - 13:00 | Kestle Barton, Manaccan, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6HU, United Kingdom
Virginia Astley is hosting a series of special poetry workshops taking place this summer at Kestle Barton Art Gallery, Cornwall.
Virginia was Artist-in-Residence at Kestle Barton in 2010. She is interested in putting the spoken word and music together and in using the natural world as inspiration and a means of reflection. Virginia returns this summer to offer a series of writing workshops that foster creative expression, as well as celebrating the natural beauty of the Helford River area.
This year’s series of creative writing workshops at Kestle will focus on exploring landscapes and looking at the relationships we build with our ‘own patch’; at what we embed in a particular place and what that place embeds in us. Early sessions will focus on gathering, on doing the research. We’ll be talking with people who know the local area intimately and reading examples of work with a strong sense of place. Using notebooks (or our phones!) we’ll be honing in and making close observations of what fascinates us.
Looking at short-forms of writing, for example: nature and travel-writing, journals and memoir, poetry, we’ll shape our findings.
For participants that are able to come to all sessions we will be aiming for some form of individual short collection: be that a poetry sequence, a collection of nature notes, a travel journal. For others who want to drop-in, they will find a stimulating and welcoming space.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays as follows: 1st, 3rd, 15th, 17th, 22nd, 24th August
Where: Kestle Barton Art Gallery, Cornwall
Free of charge – but booking essential. Call Kestle Barton on 01326 231811
