OF STORIES AND SONGS 2

The themes of living a more adventurous existence; refusing to let life take you hostage; the  joy of companionship; and the character of the outsider run through all my work as a writer, a musician, performer and a psychologist.
​I have developed a number of talks on these themes which  I have presented at art and book festivals, book clubs and corporate gatherings. Largely they are based upon my book A Little Nostalgia for Freedom. For a really different experience I can also weave some of my songs into the session accompanied by my friend Chris Lydon on Tuba and Piano. The visual backdrop includes the work of another great friend, the acclaimed artist Dinny Pocock. 
“a beguiling blend of travelogue , psychology and the philosophy of identity” (Wigtown Book Festival)

A Little Nostalgia for Freedom
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In his book A Little Nostalgia for Freedom Steve Bonham invites everyone to consider again their own responses to some of life’s big challenges: why many of us never quite do what we what we mean to do; why, when so often we are comfortable, do we feel restless and how do we respond to sheer paradox of existence and flourish! As he says “perhaps the ultimate question of life is ‘when do we fit in, and when do we fall out?’”
In doing this he takes on us on a journey through the pirates towns of Morocco, the Atlas Mountains to London, Hong Kong and the Sahara in search of source and resolution to this, our Little Nostalgia for Freedom

​You could have heard a pin drop as Steve spoke, we were all remembering our lived and unlived adventures, while quietly resolving to have more. It was inspiring.”
Cilian Fennell: award winning TV producer

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Chris ‘the Bishop’ Lydon
Chris is a top tuba player, musical arranger and director, keyboard player and long standing compadre of Steve’s. Together they are in constant demand at music, book and arts venues across the UK
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The Rules of the Road
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How do we flourish and thrive in a world that seems so ambiguous and uncertain? These are questions that award-winning psychologist Steve Bonham has explored through much of his career; questions which are even more pertinent as the world feels increasingly unpredictable.   Using insights, from the latest thinking in psychology and from his own idiosyncratic  experience as a ‘vagabond philosopher’, Steve explores our paradoxical relationship with the ‘dangerous edge’ of our dreams and ambitions and offers some ‘rules of the road’ for a more audacious life.​

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Feedback
"Steve has a remarkable story to tell – and it's well worth hearing. He's a master communicator and a very inspiring presence." 
Trevor White:  Director of the Little Museum of Dublin.
 
“Steve Bonham's talk  about living life to the full was thought provoking and inspiring. He doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk.”
Roisin Ingles: columnist and journalist on the Irish Times

"Laconic, funny and intensely human." 
Robert Twigger, award winning author of Angry White Pyjamas
 
“My highlight this year was Steve Bonham's A Little Nostalgia for Freedom. Who doesn't love a guy with a guitar and a Fedora hat and a campfire vibe.  Steve's thoughtful and thought-provoking easy engagement ticked my boxes."
Barbara Chalmers:  Director Final Fling

Artistic Collaboration born in Namibia!
​On a trip to the Erongo Mountains a few years ago Steve met up with the talented artist Dinny Pocock. Recognising  fellow vagabond tendencies, I asked her if she would design the cover for my album Songsmith. She has now created some brilliant prints based upon ideas from my book A Little Nostalgia for Freedom, which will be used as back projection at presentations and also for sale at performances.
“But the story of my connection with Steve  began in a way I still think of as extraordinary.  Some time before A LNFF was born in paper and print, yearning for adventure in another landscape I travelled to Namibia, where I found myself disorientated and dusty, among a group of strangers. One man - Steve, of course - engaged me in conversation about adventure, freedom, and nostalgia, and although I recall we were seated under a canopy at the time, to my mind we had fallen into step together on a journey. Creating illustrations to accompany this book feels like the next step, a weaving of images into the fabric of the text."

to see more of Dinny's work click here

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