Meridian: A Walk from Sussex to Yorkshire by Matt Birch was published by The Frogmore Press on 12 April and launched at a Needlewriters event in Lewes the next day. After years of curating, looking at and selling travel and nature-based memoirs, Matt developed a strong urge to go on a journey of his own, and in a parallel journey, write it up as a book. In July 2021, as COVID restrictions were being lifted, he chose his walk. Guided by the Greenwich Meridian, which passed through his hometown, the route was determined by an abstract concept rather than natural features and completed in stages over four seasons.
The book that emerged, the sumptuous, hybrid and unique Meridian, invites you to join him on his internal and external journey. Reflecting the rhythm of a long walk, his ‘snapshots’ alternate with short pieces of writing that meander through history, politics, nature, literature, music, etymology, prose and poetry, as he follows this line cutting through a cross-section of England. An insightful and intriguing, personal and whimsical exploration of the places encountered between two little-known coastal towns, and of what the experience ultimately meant for the author.
Meridian is available from Matt’s shop, Skylark in the Needlemakers, Lewes, or from The Frogmore Press. Email frogmorepress@gmail.com for details.
