Meg Bertera-Berwick

#naturewriting

19.3.25 – a front garden is a contribution Over the winter, I looked up from my dissatisfaction with the half-hearted, half-finished front garden and it clicked.

After nearly three years of navigating the suburban-front-garden-as-class-signifier, trying to find a comfortable way of creating something good within the frustrating parameters of suburban design politics, I had the personally liberating realisation:

28.2.25 - haunting the garden For months, all I’ve done is look.

She's talking about crannogs again

#naturewriting

13.2.25 - on reading Silent Spring after the funeral Last month, I went through US pre-clearance at Dublin Airport.

Coming back to writing after an unplanned winter hiatus, a long-ish piece on how I finally read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring after my uncle's unexpected death last month. #naturewriting

thank you so much! That's so lovely to hear, I'm delighted you enjoyed both.

13.2.25 - on reading Silent Spring after the funeral Last month, I went through US pre-clearance at Dublin Airport.

Coming back to writing after an unplanned winter hiatus, a long-ish piece on how I finally read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring after my uncle's unexpected death last month. #naturewriting

Trees of Life and Knowledge: Jamaica Kincaid on Colonialism, Gardening, and Worshipping Her Plants At the Authors Guild Foundation’s third-annual WIT: Words, Ideas, and Thinkers Literary Festival in the Berkshires this September, acclaimed author Jamaica Kincaid spoke with journalist and editor …

Jamaica Kincaid talks to Sandra Guzmán about colonialism, gardening, and worshipping her plants.

18.12.24 – theirs and ours Until the late 1980s, Bedfordshire farmer Hugh White was a proud champion of conventional farming.

What happens when you gift the devil a plot of your arable land so he doesn't mess with your other crops and cattle? Ecological magic. #naturewriting #lifewriting

Thanks, David! It was a funny coincidence in writing it, I took a break partway through and read Minibeasts, and laughed out loud at the happy chance encounter. A beautiful essay that I'm so glad is in book form! I hope it's a happy and restful holiday period for you.

"For the next 25 years, White proudly oversaw his farmland’s hands-off transformation into a mosaic of wildflower glades, hawthorn and blackthorn scrubland, and young woodland, which swiftly became a haven for nightingales, barn owls, turtle doves, orchids, butterflies, and countless other species."

18.12.24 – theirs and ours Until the late 1980s, Bedfordshire farmer Hugh White was a proud champion of conventional farming.

What happens when you gift the devil a plot of your arable land so he doesn't mess with your other crops and cattle? Ecological magic. #naturewriting #lifewriting

For a list of Gazan accounts that have been verified as real as comprehensively as possible, check this thread by @mommunism.bsky.social. Pick one. Make them your project. You will feel better when you’re doing something to help. bsky.app/profile/momm...

This is terrible news! Auchindrain is one of the best historic sites in Scotland imo. It's a very important and very special place and there's nothing else quite like it. I took lots of photos and wrote about it. Link below.

www.thedrystonecompany.com/drystone-dia...

#Scotland #History #Museum

thanks David!!

Portobello Literary A literary agency based in Portobello, Edinburgh

I’m thrilled to share that I'm now represented by Caro Clarke at Portobello Literary! It's a dream come true to work with this brilliant agent on a book that means so much, and to be in the company of the phenomenal writers they represent. I couldn’t have asked for safer hands or cooler people!

That the Deputy Ambassador of Israel to the UK is still meeting with MSPs - including one from the SNP - should be a source of shame for our parliament.

No other representative of a government carrying out a genocide would be welcomed in Holyrood. Sickening

www.parliament.scot/-/media/file...

second day of strike today, support the journalists, please avoid Guardian online for next 24 hours

4.12.24 – on disturbance & The Serviceberry, and one last Kalendar For three consecutive mornings this autumn, I spooked the robin and wren when I opened the back door for the dog.

In this week’s newsletter, I respond to a bit from Richard Mabey’s new book (in which he likens the act of making a garden to a domineering act of colonialism) with lessons on disturbance from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s generous new book, The Serviceberry. A garden is not a colony, it's a disruption.

Today Guardian and Observer journalists are on strike over plans to sell the Observer to a loss-making digital start up and put its journalism behind a paywall. 🧵

How can you support us?
SHARE our posts
WRITE to guardian.readers@theguardian.com
JOIN US - there's cake!

4.12.24 – on disturbance & The Serviceberry, and one last Kalendar For three consecutive mornings this autumn, I spooked the robin and wren when I opened the back door for the dog.

In this week’s newsletter, I respond to a bit from Richard Mabey’s new book (in which he likens the act of making a garden to a domineering act of colonialism) with lessons on disturbance from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s generous new book, The Serviceberry. A garden is not a colony, it's a disruption.

Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast to recap your listening habits Your yearly recap is here.

Every year, Spotify Wrapped becomes something that feels actively hostile to the enjoyment of music, now with more blatant data mining to train AI. which is bad enough, but also remember that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is a primary investor in an AI predator drone company

4.12.24 – on disturbance & The Serviceberry, and one last Kalendar For three consecutive mornings this autumn, I spooked the robin and wren when I opened the back door for the dog.

In this week’s newsletter, I respond to a quote from Richard Mabey’s new book The Accidental Garden (in which he likens the act of making a garden to a domineering act of colonialism) with the radical and urgent wisdom of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s generous new book, The Serviceberry.

so inspired by Jasleen Kaur

makes me think of how representation at the gallery or lit event isn't the work done. the politics that underline our art aren't thought experiments. real life action must happen, a changed world must follow. if not, these places aren't housing our art, they're caging it

Petition: Ban driven grouse shooting Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that driven grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; we think grouse shooting is economically insignifi...

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Please sign and share if you'd like an end to moorland burning, raptor and mountain hare persecution, and the pointless slaughter of thousands of grouse for 'entertainment'. @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social

Launching ‘And Still We Write,’ an Anthology of New Work from and Centering Gaza In advance of READ PALESTINE WEEK 2024, Publishers for Palestine is releasing a digital chapbook and abbreviated zine version of And Still We Write: Recent Work by Palestinian Poets & Actions Y…

Nov 29-Dec 5 is #ReadPalestineWeek & Publishers 4 Palestine are releasing *free* ebooks for a Free Palestine

P4P already released AND STILL WE WRITE, which you can download below

"Print it and share it. Make it part of your actions on Nov 29-Dec 5" 🇵🇸🍉

publishersforpalestine.org/2024/11/19/l...

it's absolutely heartbreaking and makes no sense that people in Gaza have to create gofundme pages to survive. if a gofundme page crosses your feed and you have the means to donate, if it doesn't set you back to offer £5 or £10 or more, if you haven't donated in a while, please do ❤️‍🩹

Have you ever seen an early medieval processional road?

We at @govanstones.bsky.social are VERY lucky to have a Viking-Age one in our 1,500-year churchyard at Govan Old, brought to light by Prof. Driscoll, Clyde Archaeology, University of Glasgow Archaeology students, and our community volunteers.

Glasgow ❤️s @jortsthecat.bsky.social

Repeating my helpful little mnemonic song from Twitter:

If he'll drive you to the criming, he's a Fed 👏👏
If he'll drive you to the criming, he's a Fed 👏👏
If you can't get there without him
And you don't know much about him
If he'll drive you to the criming, he's a Fed 👏👏