A Reading and Masterclass with Ben Shattuck

When and Where: Lancaster University Castle Suite, 29th June
Student Workshop: 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Refreshments: 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Public Reading: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Lancaster University's Department of English and Creative Writing is pleased to welcome essayist and painter, Ben Shattuck, for a reading of his first book, Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau (Tin House 2022). Six Walks documents Shattuck's rediscovery of the foundational American writer, Henry David Thoreau, whose shadow looms large over American high school syllabi and undergraduate literature courses. After forming an unexpected appreciation for Thoreau's work while recovering from an injury, Shattuck embarked on six walks in Thoreau's footsteps—opening our eyes to the beauty of the New England landscape, the meaningful moments formed through chance encounters and the inspirational power of walking itself. Described by the Chicago Review of Books as a witness to how "in every season, choosing to step onto the natural world can lead to healing and peace", Six Walks will open your eyes to the potential of the writers we love to revitalise our vision of the world.

Ben Shattuck is a former Teaching-Writing Fellow and graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, as well as a recipient of the PEN America Short Story Prize and the Pushcart Prize (2019). Shattuck's book, Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau is the New Yorker magazine Best Book of 2022, a Wall Street Journal Best Book of Spring, a New York Times Best Book of Summer, and a New England Bestseller. His book of short stories, titled "The History of Sound," will be published in the summer of 2024 by Viking. He lives with his wife and daughter on the coast of Massachusetts, where he owns and runs the oldest general store in America, built in 1793. He is also the director and founder of the Cuttyhunk Island Writers' Residency. He will lead a workshop with students from Lancaster University's Creative Writing programmes, followed by a public reading and conversation concerning Six Walks.