Seaglass - Kathryn Tann

On a windswept stretch of the Durham coastline, there’s treasure to be found: jewels of shining sea glass, swept in by the tide after years at sea. Gathered together and displayed in a jar on the windowsill to sparkle in the light, each seaworn glass pebble represents a moment in time, a breadcrumb trail of unknowable people and places.

In her debut collection Seaglass, Kathryn Tann brings together moments such as these from her own life, blending creative non-fiction with nature writing and memoir, and portraying with powerful observation and moving honesty the journey of a young woman navigating modern adulthood.

From locked-down Britain to journeys through Northern England, the Welsh coastline and out to the Thousand Islands in Canada’s Saint Lawrence River, she writes of the shifting landscapes, of the exhilaration of the elements the joy of wild swimming and more.

Traversing wilderness, natural history, travel and water – rivers, lakes, coastlines and leisure centres – Seaglass is a sparkling reflection on shared experiences, anxieties, body confidence and contentment, food and family, and a growing connection to the natural world.