A WRITER and adventurer who is the only woman in the world to have climbed Mount Everest, swum the English Channel and run the London Marathon is among the speakers at the forthcoming Jersey Festival of Words.
Jessica Hepburn, whose visit to the Island for the event is being sponsored by Ports of Jersey, will discuss her book Save Me from the Waves, which chronicles her evolution as an adventurer after her life took an unexpected turn as a result of infertility.
Jersey’s Harbour Master, Captain Bill Sadler, said: “We are very pleased to support Jessica’s appearance at this year’s Festival of Words. Save Me from the Waves celebrates the positive impact of taking on some of the world’s most iconic endurance challenges, which Jessica has used to turn her own sadness into something positive.
“Her book champions the power of adventure to improve physical and mental health, especially after enduring difficult times.”
Hepburn achieved the feats, despite admitting she “hates exercise”, while listening to her favourite radio show Desert Island Discs.
She has also worked in the arts at the Brighton Festival and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, where she was executive director for ten years. She then co-founded the world’s first arts festival dedicated to fertility and infertility, aiming to improve IVF support for patients.
The author will be in conversation with Islander and fellow Channel swimmer and Everest climber, Eric Blakeley, on Sunday 29 September at 4.30pm at Jersey Arts Centre.
Tickets for the festival can be bought at jerseyfestivalofwords.org.
