A reading and conversation with Dr Samantha Walton

Join us for a reading and conversation with Dr Samantha Walton, hosted by Maria Sledmere.

Samantha is a world-leading scholar of environmental humanities research, as well as a lecturer, poet and prose writer. She will read from several of her books, including Everybody Needs Beauty: In Search of the Nature Cure (Bloomsbury, 2021) and Bad Moon (SPAM Press, 2020).

About the readers

Samantha Walton's research brings together the environmental humanities and health humanities, with particular interest in ecocriticism and the politics and history of ‘wellbeing’. She is the director of the Research Centre for Environmental Humanities and co-edits the journal Green Letters: Studies in Ecocriticism and will become President of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE UKI) in 2023. She also writes poetry, prose and creative non-fiction, and regularly speaks at literary festivals, cultural venues and in the media about her research and writing.

Her most recent book, Everybody Needs Beauty: In Search of the Nature Cure, was published by Bloomsbury UK as a trade non-fiction title in 2021, and in French, Spanish and Italian translation in 2022. A blend of nature writing, cultural history, science and polemic, it tells a long and cross-cultural history of the ‘nature-wellbeing’ connection, investigating the science and cultural backdrop to this relationship and reflecting on how mental health is entangled with ecological and economic crisis under late capitalism. In its earliest stages, this work was supported by an Early Career Leadership Fellowship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

You can hear Samantha Walton discussing her work on BBC Green Thinking, Tender Buttons and other places.

We will also hear readings from Strathclyde students:

Mirri Glasson-Darling moved to Glasgow from Alaska. She has recieved a Notable Essay in Best American, a Pushcart Nomination and a Fiction Award from Intro to Journals. Recent work of hers has appeared in Ploughshares, Colorado Review, the Florida Review, Gulf Coast, and many others. She has a piece forthcoming in Spry.

Esther Uwandu is a PhD Researcher in English. Her research investigates the lived experiences of migrant women from African descent. She is a writer and has written some poems, short stories, and a full-length novel soon to be published.

Jumana Abdulwahab is a Bahraini writer. Published monsters never dies (novella), steps to get rid of sorrow (postcards), and Almost (poetry collection). Also part of How many lungs to the coast (Anthology).

This event begins at 7pm in the CCA Clubroom, with readings kicking off at 7:30pm sharp. It is a seated event.

SPAM Press will join us to offer copies of Samantha's book Bad Moon for sale, and can accept card payments.