Becky Bone

Tributary: Writing the Wandle

25 June

Spoken Word (Poetry) / Books - Workshops

Becky, a white woman with blonde hair, is smiling with the River Wandle behind her. The river has trees on one side and a path with flats on the other. It is a sunny winters day with a blue sky.

"..water, where’s the water? this is where it begins?"

The River Wandle flows through four London boroughs: Croydon, Sutton, Merton, and Wandsworth, where it meets the Thames. It has a rich cultural, industrial, and environmental history, and became the setting for Becky Bone’s impressionistic poem cycle 'Tributary'.

Written over the course of the pandemic during and in-between lockdowns, it is a conversation between Becky and the river as she cycles from source to mouth. Other voices are integrated within the piece reflecting on place, identity, memory, history, nature, and movement.

Tributary: 'Writing the Wandle' offers the opportunity for collective walking and an embrace of the natural environment of the river alongside the urban landscape. Becky will read excerpts from 'Tributary' and lead you in short creative writing exercises at stop points along the route - so bring a notepad and pen. There will be an opportunity to share work, but there’s no pressure and no previous writing experience necessary.

The route will follow the River Wandle from Plough Lane to the Wandle Delta, Wandsworth. It is approximately 2.5 miles and will start at 2pm. Meet Becky at the Wimbledon FC Monument on Plough Lane, SW19 8EA from 1.45pm.