How it Works

FOUR EVENING GROUP MEETINGS TO READ, WRITE, AND REFLECT

We are organising two parallel groups: one based in England, whose first text will be Ben Smith’s 2019 novel Doggerland; and one based in the Netherlands, whose first text will be Eva Meijer’s 2022 novel Zee Nu (translated in 2025 as Sea Now).

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Session One will discuss the first text and explore themes related to coastal change, justice, climate breakdown, extinction, and speculative engagements with the future.
Session Two involves a creative writing session, where participants craft their own fictions of coastal change; later shared with the other group.
Session Three will discuss the second text (Sea Now in the UK group, Doggerland in the Netherlands group) and comparatively explore the themes across these two texts.
Session Four will consist of engagements with the writing fragments from the other group, offering participants the opportunity to respond.

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Participation is free, and physical copies of both books are provided to all particpants. Meetings will take place online via Teams. These will occur over two July and two August sessions on weekday evenings at 6pm, lasting approximately 90 minutes.

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We are hoping to organise an online discussion with both groups and authors at a later date, upon the completion of the broader research project in 2027.