The 1805 Dispatches #25.04 August 2025 3 of 7 BOWLINES MARITIME LITERARY FESTIVAL AT EXETER, JUNE 6-8 More than forty readers and writers gathered in the historic city of Exeter to discuss the literature of the sea, including both fiction and non-fiction writing. The organizers offered ten lively sessions covering topics such as 'Writing Nautical Fiction' and 'The State of Maritime History' in the historic Customs House on the riverfront. Renowned naval historian and media personality Sam Willis opened the conference with an inspiring talk on writing maritime history, and other well-known writers such as Alaric Bond and Roy and Leslie Atkins were on hand to provide their insights into the craft. This is only the second such Maritime Literary Festival (the first was in 2016), but buoyed by its success, the organisers are considering making it a regular event, perhaps every three years. The conference was immediately followed by the Annual General Meeting of the Society for Nautical Research (publishers of the journal The Mariner's Mirror), after which N.A.M. Rodger, the dean of British naval historians, gave a talk on the recently-published final volume of his monumental trilogy on the history of the Royal Navy. Captions for photos, clockwise from top left: Historian Sam Willis giving the keynote address; Naval fiction writers Katie Daysh and Alaric Bond; Panel discussion on 'Whither Maritime History' with Jonathan Turner and David Davies; Panel discussion on nautical fiction; from left authors David Davies, Chris Durbin, Katie Daysh, Philip K. Allan, Alaric Bond. Inset centre: The Customs House on the Quays, site of the festival
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