Tim Dee, editor of a new anthology of nature writing entitled Ground Work, believes that to many people, place is more significant than anything else in their life. From wild spots to human habitats, he explores ‘places we’ve made our own’ in his work. He talked about our relationship with landscape to Alexandra Harris, Professor of English at the University of Birmingham and author of Weatherland.
In the book, Harris writes about her childhood in West Sussex. Today at Hay she explained how she came to appreciate the place she still calls home. “It didn’t occur to me when I was young that people made a special visit to the county,” she said. Referring to the poets William Wordsworth and William Cowper, she outlined the importance of appreciating the beauty that can be found in the local places we take for granted. “We need to celebrate the distinctiveness [of a place] because there is so much now that is bland,” said Dee. He particularly appreciates wildlife in the landscape, and shared anecdotes about the birds he encounters on his daily runs around his home town. “I know the way my footsteps go and how I want to follow them,” he said, recommending deliberately losing oneself in more senses than one.
If you missed this, you might like event 412, Mrs Moreau’s Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names, at 10am on Sunday 3 June. And. please visit Hay Player for the world’s great writers on audio and film; https://www.hayfestival.com/hayplayer/default.aspx?