The Mesta River is one of the oldest inhabited rivers of Europe and a nexus for plant gatherers. Kapka Kassabova introduces us to the river via her book Elixir, an unforgettable exploration of the deep connections between people, plants and place. She urgently calls for us to rethink how we live, in relation to one another, to the Earth and to the cosmos. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A chaired by writer and translator Daniel Hahn. Kassabova is a Bulgarian poet and writer of fiction and non-fiction.