My latest book -
Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay?
Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay was published in April 2024. It is the product of a 50 year fascination with the work of oral historian George Ewart Evans. The book began to take shape while I was a student on the University of East Anglia’s amazing creative writing MA, from which I graduated in December 2020 with both a distinction and the first section of this book.
I first encountered George Ewart Evans in 1961, when a pupil at Needham Market primary school where his wife was headmistress and I was a pupil. I first read Ask the Fellows who Cut the Hay in 1969 when I had a weekend job on a farm a few miles from Blaxhall where he wrote the book for which he is best remembered.
The book is on sale in bookshops across the UK, and launches in the USA this autumn. You can also buy the book online from Hive, which supports High Street bookshops, or from Amazon. If you would like a signed copy, perhaps to give as a gift, message me via this website and I’ll see what I can do.
Here’s what people say about the book:
‘An earthy and immensely thoughtful book full of experience and wisdom.’ Patrick Galbraith
‘This is a book of life and why we should celebrate our roots before it is too late,’ John Connell
‘We hear the voices of people still in the middle of great forces of transformation.’ Jules Pretty
And reader feedback includes:
‘An absolute gem.’ Richard
‘It felt like I was having a long conversation with you and I just kept reading.‘ Steven
I’m often invited to speak at literary events, and am always happy to speak about the book, oral history, or how our rural past can inform our future. Get in touch if you’d like me to speak at an event you’re planning.
