Rachel Birchley writes up our audiobook showcase and launch celebration:
Monday 29th June 2026 was the showcase evening to celebrate the completion and release of Wild Seas, Wilder Cities in audio form.
The evening took place at the fabulous Lens Studio in Portsmouth’s Guildhall, where we had poetry and short story readings from the book (and brand new content too), a recording sessions medley in a slideshow, guest speakers, live music and beautifully hand-crafted items for sale.
It was a wonderfully joyous evening and while it seemed to pass by in a flash, lots of great memories were made too.
We want to say a massive THANK YOU to everybody who came along to the event, to all the amazing performers, speakers, artists, compere Vin Adams, and the Lens Studio staff who all helped make the evening go so well.
Proceeds from the event ticket sales, paperback sales and handcrafted items were donated to the Hampshire & the Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Solent Seagrass Restoration Project, raising a total of £558.50!
And another huge thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed to and supported Wild Seas, Wilder Cities in some way – to everyone who has written, read, recorded, donated or bought a book in either physical or audiobook format. To the brilliant Casemates Studios. Without their time, expertise, guidance and fantastic recording facilities, this audiobook might never have come to fruition. And to Portsmouth Creates for providing the funding that made this project a reality.
Thank you all so much.
If you missed out on the showcase evening, don’t worry. In October, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust will be hosting an online launch for the audiobook. We’re hoping this will extend our reach and result in more online audiobook sales.
We need everyone’s help to build momentum. So please keep spreading the word and the excitement, and encouraging people to visit our audiobook page to buy directly from us if they can (as this raises the most for seagrass restoration) and to leave reviews if they can’t.