Walking and Writing London

Meet writer and journalist Erica Buist.

Like many of us, Erica has discovered walking in London during this past year of lockdowns and closures, and it has made her discover new parts of London – the spaces in between destinations that you miss when using public transport. She said,

The only downside of living in a city with such a good transport system is that you miss out on huge pockets of London because you just go through them underground.”

The main source of entertainment on her walks has been observing what she refers to as people’s “strong dog game”. A dog owner herself, she shared how her dog has also been affected by isolation - as she stayed away from people, he’s been staying away from other dogs too.

For Erica, walking has also been an inspiration for writing, which in turn has helped make sense of her experience and feelings in the unusual situation we’re living in.

When I sit down and write about a small story or incident, sometimes I only realise halfway through that I am not writing what I thought I was. For example, I wrote about being annoyed at jogging couples early on in lockdown, and how I was constantly running into bushes to avoid them on the pavement. I thought I was just writing a funny little story, but then I realised that what I was really writing about was how differently everyone’s anxiety is manifesting. All of us are just trying to stay healthy – they’re running to be fit, I’m running into a bush!

Erica is no stranger to using writing as a form of therapy. After a shocking death in the family, she found herself unable to leave the house. To overcome her grief-induced agoraphobia, she wrote a book about how different cultures around the world respond to death, for which she travelled to seven death festivals in different countries. The resulting book, This Party’s Dead, approaches big and scary topics with a great dose of kindness and humour, which resonates strongly with the current times.

Many people will find it hard to navigate coming out of lockdown, but agoraphobia is not a condition, it is a symptom of anxiety. The only way to cure it is to just go outside. Don’t wait until it feels OK, you have to go out and make that positive step.”

You can meet Erica Buist at our Museum After Dark – Walking and Writing London on 17 June 2021, where she will be collecting your thoughts about the past year. You don’t need to be a writer yourself to take part, just jot down a memory or observation you’ve had while walking in London. Erica will bring everyone’s individual experiences together into one collective piece of writing and read it out live on the night. During the evening, you can also explore our galleries in a safe and relaxed atmosphere and sit down for a drink with a friend.

Use code WRITE20 when booking for a 20% discount on admission tickets.