Woodgate February 3, 2020 It was a palindrome day, but I only found that out later. 02022020 I woke to find that the power was still out, and so were the coms. No cellphone network because the tower batteries had died, no electricity for Wi-Fi. Thankfully I’d filled up the water tanks the night before […]
Woodgate January 2, 2020 I’ve been on this farm for twelve months and what have I done? I’ve found rhythm. I know which phase the moon is in. I see the stars. One night sitting by the fire we looked up and saw a string of satellites in formation, one following the other at equal […]
I underestimated South Georgia. I thought it was just a stop on the way to Antarctica, a necessary delay in getting to the good stuff. I was so wrong. South Georgia is a gateway to a rich and delicate wildlife world, full of creatures that survive on the edge of the unendurable. Adapted to long […]
The Seed Thief was just named one of three books shortlisted for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature. “The fastest growing and Innovative telecommunication company, Etisalat Nigeria, has announced the names of the three shortlisted authors for the 2016 edition of its pan-African flagship literary prize, the Etisalat Prize for Literature. According to this year’s […]
Drake Passage, 11 December 2016 A southern Royal Albatross dipped his smoky wings past my window as we officially entered Antarctica. An announcement from the captain comes seconds after I sight the birds to say we have just crossed 60°S. As if someone turned a switch, the air outside grows thick with mist. That’s what […]
Cape Horn, December 10, 2016 ‘I, the albatross that awaits at the end of the world… I am the forgotten soul of the sailors lost, rounding Cape Horn from all the seas of the world. But die they did not in the fierce waves, for today towards eternity, in my wings they soar in the […]
An urgent call to action from the indomitable Dr Vandana Shiva and Seed Freedom 2016. Please watch:
A red lourie feather. A strip of lichen-covered bark. The husk of a protea flower base, seed indentations spiralling out in Fibonacci whorls. A starfish skeleton. A broken pansy shell. These are the coastal forest keepsakes gathered on my desk, reminders of a place where I long to be. Forests coloured my early imagination. […]
“A poetry-infused whirlwind of Southern Hemisphere mysticism and botanical espionage. An understated triumph.” – Nick Mulgrew on The Seed Thief This past weekend The Sunday Times Book Reviewers choose their Top Reads of the Year. So pleased to be on this list. (And for the chance to recommend some of my own favourites too…)
The dramatic images of Mt Etna’s lightning-inducing eruption made me think of Xangô, the orixa who guides Maddy’s journey through The Seed Thief. (And of course there’s that petulent volcano that keeps her stranded in transit on her way to Brazil…) Click here to view Video