One of our most beloved chroniclers of nature, Robert Macfarlane joins us to discuss his thought-provoking new book, Is a River Alive?

At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Inspired by the activists, artists and lawmakers of the young ‘Rights of Nature’ movement, Macfarlane takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.

‘This book is a beautiful, wild exploration of an ancient idea: that rivers are living participants in a living world… Is a River Alive? is a breathtaking work that speaks powerfully to this moment of crisis and transformation.’

- Merlin Sheldrake

Through three key waterways: the Río Los Cedros (the ‘River of the Cedars’); the wounded creeks, lagoons and estuaries of Chennai, and the Mutehekau Shipu, which runs from the wild interior of Nitassinan to the Gulf of St Lawrence, all places where rivers are believed to be alive, Robert asks, ‘What is the river saying?’ The answers provide new ways of thinking about the water, how we ensure its survival and, ultimately, how rivers offer us hope for the future.

Robert Macfarlane is the international bestselling writer of Underland, Landmarks, The Old Ways, The Wild Places and Mountains of the Mind, as well as the book-length prose-poem, Ness. He co-created The Lost Words and The Lost Spells with artist Jackie Morris and they are currently completing the third book The Lost Birds.

Hosted by Helen Mort, award-winning poet, novelist and fellow nature lover.