Land Beneath The Waves – Nature, Place & Chronic Illness

Join Guardian Country Diarist Nic Wilson for an inspiring evening discussing her memoir, Land Beneath the Waves. She shares her journey with chronic illness and how her connection to nature has helped her navigate challenges, past and present. Nic will be in conversation with fellow Guardian writer Derek Niemann.

When Nic Wilson began researching the history of her local landscape and its wildlife, the last thing she wanted to do was consider her own past. But as she unearthed tales of giant sequoias, puss moths, nightingales and chalk streams, Nic realised her affinity with the nearby wild began as a way to handle growing up with a mother who lived with a debilitating chronic illness.

Now in her forties, and struggling with mental and physical health herself, Nic revisits her childhood to trace the influence of the natural world on her life. Can she find the strength to face the waves of chronic illness – past and present – and learn to reach for steady ground? Land Beneath the Waves will inspire a meaningful bond with our local natural spaces, illuminating a hopeful path towards a better future for human and non-human life.