‘People exploitwhat they have merely concluded to be of value, but the defendwhat they love and to defend what we love we need a particularizing language, for we love what we particularly know.’ Wendell Berry Robert Macfarlane quotes Berry in his book Landmarks, drawing attention to the moral dimension of looking closely and naming carefully. We could begin … Continue reading My Place
Tag: Robert Macfarlane
The Thingness of Things
Today's posts inspired by Robert Macfarlane's book, Landmarks, and there will be more to come. Landmarks is about language and landscape. It contains wonderful glossaries and a great deal about the naming and thereby conserving the natural world. Children love to be outdoors and so this is a chance to write outside, to look carefully … Continue reading The Thingness of Things
Naming the land
When we know a place well, we have our own local names for streets and landmarks. In our village, where there is a ‘Front Street’, many people call the parallel street, ‘Back Street’, even though it has a quite different name on the street sign. There is a Mill Road [though the mill no longer … Continue reading Naming the land
Walk for Writing
Walking plays an important part in my writing life. I often draft poems and stories in my head as I am walking. There is something about the rhythm of feet on the earth and eyes looking at the passing scenes that really is helpful. So you could just go for a walk and see what … Continue reading Walk for Writing
Nature’s words
If you're not yet familiar with the nature writing of Robert Macfarlane then you should get to know it. Macfarlane is a genius at combining two of my favourite things: nature and words. Not just in prose form but he is also a serious collector of lesser-known words for landscapes and the natural world. In … Continue reading Nature’s words
Writing Box 