A Mudlarking Year: Finding Treasure in Every Season with Lara Maiklem

From the bestselling author of Mudlarking, comes a thoughtful examination of a year spent exploring the most overlooked, yet exclusive, part of London.

For over two decades, Lara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the tidal Thames looking for objects – lost or discarded – that tell forgotten stories. In this charming sequel to the bestselling Mudlarking, Lara reflects on life lived post-pandemic, widens her search beyond the river and reminds us that it's possible to draw meaning in the most unlikely of places.

As she slowly searches the foreshore through the changing seasons, she is at times aided by the gentle illumination of the falling winter sun or hindered by bright summer skies and lashing rain. Yet, by working in harmony with the unpredictable terrain, she finds solace in aligning with the elements and uncovering the treasures that are bestowed by the tide. From medieval pilgrim badges, Tudor love tokens, Georgian wig curlers and Victorian pottery, each passing day unearths ordinary and extraordinary objects that tell the rich story of London's past and its inhabitants.

A Mudlarking Year is a gentle ode to nature, history and the simple art of looking. Guided by Lara's curiosity, warmth and wisdom, it is your invitation to discover hidden objects in the most overlooked part of the city, the secrets they reveal and the stories that are patiently waiting to be told.

Praise for Lara Maiklem and Mudlarking:

‘A beautifully written memoir of one woman’s relationship with the sacred Thames’ – Stanley Tucci

‘Maiklem has an infectious love of linking the present with the past’ – Daily Mail

‘Mudlarks are river scavengers, but Lara Maiklem is more like a time traveller’ – Guardian

Lara will be in conversation with broadcaster and journalist Hannah McInnes and this event is in-person only and won't be streamed or recorded.

Doors will open at 6.30pm and copies of A Mudlarking Year: Finding Treasure in Every Season will be available to purchase on the evening.

Lara Maiklem moved from her family's farm to London in the 1990s and has been mudlarking along the River Thames for fifteen years. She now lives with her family on the Kent coast within easy reach of the river, which she visits as regularly as the tides permit. Her first book, Mudlarking, was a critically acclaimed bestseller. Lara has the largest online following of any mudlark and has been featured in the Telegraph, Guardian, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, among other notable publications.

Facebook/Twitter: @LondonMudlark | Instagram: @london.mudlark

Hannah MacInnes is a Broadcaster and Journalist. She presents frequently on Times Radio and currently hosts the How To Academy’s live programme and podcast. With a passion for tackling global issues facing society today, she has written articles and conducted interview pieces for Radio Times, the Evening Standard and the TLS.

Her brilliantly engaged voice on issues ranging from climate change to literary heroines is underpinned by a doggedly diligent work ethic in her research, facilitating an always curious, fresh, exciting and above all relatable approach to topics on air, on the page and on screen. Eight years as a Planning Editor at BBC Newsnight, where she was also a Producer and Filmmaker, have given her an extensive knowledge and fantastic perspective on the best way to engage an audience of any demographic on any topic.

These skills have taken her across the country to host at major literary events, conferences and debates on pressing world issues such as the environment & farming, Brexit, the economy, gender equality, comedy, literature & culture. Engaging in enthralling ‘fireside chat style’ interviews, Hannah has had in-depth conversations with the likes of Bill Clinton, Melinda Gates, Madeleine Albright, Jeremy Hunt, Ed Miliband, Rory Stewart, Dame Jane Goodhall, Louis Theroux, Russel Brand, Philip Pullman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sean Penn, David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Nadiya Hussein, Dolly Alderton and Mike Leigh.