Philip Marsden in conversation with Hadrian Pigott

About

Philip Marsden’s new book traces his journey from Cornwall to the small group of Scottish islands in the Inner Hebrides known as the Summer Isles. Marsden sailed single-handed up the west coast of Ireland, in his wooden sloop Tsambika, hopping from island to island and exploring the ruins of villages and religious sites. Along the way he met storytellers, singers and others who talked to him about the Celtic history and mythical traditions of these precarious places. 'The Summer Isles; A Voyage of the Imagination', celebrates the harsh beauty of Europe’s Atlantic seaboard, and the power it has always had to stimulate the imagination. 

The evening will begin with a short talk by Marsden, accompanied by some of the extraordinary images from his voyage. He will then be joined by artist Hadrian Pigott, also a keen sailor, for a conversation about the pleasures and rigours of single-handed sailing and the need to explore both real and imaginary places. 

There will also be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and join the discussion towards the end of the evening. 

Free admission, all welcome. CAST Café food from 6pm, something hot and something sweet from £7.50. The talk will begin at 7pm.

Philip Marsden is the award-winning author of many works of travel writing and other non-fiction, including 'Rising Ground', 'The Levelling Sea' and 'The Barefoot Emperor', and a novel, 'The Main Cages'. He is a Fellow of the The Royal Society of Literature and his work has been translated into fifteen languages. He lives in Cornwall.

Hadrian Pigott is an artist based in Penzance. His first career was a geologist and he also worked on oil rigs before studying at the Royal College of Art.