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Presented by nature writer Richard Mabey
This is an online event hosted on the British Library platform. Bookers are sent a link in advance giving access and can watch at any time for 48 hours after the start time.
Gilbert White was perhaps the first English naturalist, whose careful observations of his village laid the foundations of modern ecology, influencing Charles Darwin and generations of writers and artists.
Celebrate the summer equinox with ‘Britain’s foremost nature writer’ Richard Mabey who will tell White’s story, drawing from his book which won the Whitbread Biography Prize in 1986.
White’s
The Natural History and Antiquities at Selbourne was published in 1789 and was an immediate success. The book has never been out of print and is considered one of the earliest contributions to natural science. White was visionary in his scrupulous attention to the interconnected lives of the plants and animals on his doorstep.
Watching Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher, I wonder why we like to imagine animals are our friends Must we see something of ourselves in animals – read our emotions into their behaviour, attribute to them a level of human-like intelligence – to value them?
Craig Foster, the film-maker, plays the part of the student in the beautifully made My Octopus Teacher. The boundaries between her and I seem to dissolve, just the pure magnificence of her” – so says a man of the octopus sitting on his chest. “All I could do at the time was just think of her.” Many men could do worse than appropriate these words for their human partners.
Sporting memories Are you a sports fan? Join us for our very first ‘Sporting Memories’ group starting Wednesday, May 19 at 10am via Zoom. ‘Sporting Memories’ sessions are aimed at people over 50 and are designed to get conversation flowing, help relive positive memories and provide joy and companionship. At Sporting Memories Clubs, everyone finds fun, friendship and increased wellbeing. Why not join us and find out what it’s all about! The sessions will run weekly and we hope to be able to meet in person very soon. For more information and to register for the session please email susannah.hill@aura.wales