Q&A with Katherine May & Gong Bath with Cherelle Sappleton
Q&A with Katherine May & Gong Bath with Cherelle Sappleton
Entry
£15-£20
Dates
Fri 30 Jan 2026
Times
6pm-10pm
Location
The Foyle Rooms,
Turner Contemporary
Conversation. Ritual. Sound. Stillness. Open the festival with us and settle into winter’s slower rhythm.
About the Event
We open the festival with an evening that brings together conversation, sound and a gentle sense of winter gathering. Enjoy a crafted alcohol-free drink on arrival from our specially curated bar by Ronnie Traynor of The So Bar Social.
The event begins with an intimate conversation between internationally renowned writer Katherine May and bestselling author and broadcaster Daisy Buchanan. Their discussion will explore the themes that move through Katherine’s work — from how we navigate life’s quieter seasons to the role of attention, creativity and everyday ritual in finding steadiness. The conversation will open into the ideas and experiences that shape Katherine’s writing, and following the discussion, there will be an opportunity for book signing of her books; Wintering and Enchantment.
We then shift into an embodied, deeply restorative space as multidisciplinary artist and sound practitioner Cherelle Sappleton leads an immersive gong bath. Working with resonance, vibration and layered sound, Cherelle creates environments that invite grounding, softness and a gradual unwinding — an attunement to winter’s slower rhythm and a spacious close to the evening.
Evening Programme
6.00pm — Doors open
6.30pm–7.30pm — Q&A with Katherine May & Daisy Buchanan
7.45pm–9.00pm — Gong Bath with Cherelle Sappleton
10pm — Bar closes
Suitable for ages 18+
About Katherine May
Katherine May is an internationally acclaimed writer, podcaster and speaker whose work explores our relationship with the natural world, the rhythms of ordinary life and the practices that help us find connection and meaning. Her hybrid memoir Wintering became a global bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, while Enchantment debuted as a New York Times bestseller. Her memoir The Electricity of Every Living Thing was adapted by Audible as an audio drama. Katherine also writes fiction, edits anthologies and publishes the beloved Substack newsletter The Clearing, and runs a podcast of the same name.
Image by Alexa Loy Dent
About Cherelle Sappleton
Cherelle Sappleton is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans collage, installation sound and embodied experiences. Her community sound baths weave somatic enquiry and deep listening into shared environments, offering grounding, release and a gentle return to presence. Through experimental sound and sensory exploration, Cherelle creates immersive spaces that invite collective rest, emotional softening and spacious awareness.
About Daisy Buchanan
Daisy Buchanan is a bestselling author, broadcaster and host of the chart-topping literary podcast You’re Booked. Her non-fiction book Read Yourself Happy explores how reading can support wellbeing and creativity. Her fifth novel, All Grown Up, a contemporary comic retelling of Little Women, will be out in Summer 2026. Daisy also founded the Creative Confidence Clinic, helping artists and writers overcome blocks and reconnect with joy in their work.
