Montgomeryshire is blessed with some of the finest landscape in Wales. From the sea to the English border, across hills and rolling valleys, farmland and wilderness, it’s a precious home to nature and humans alike.
We also know that our land is under threat as never before, whether from climate change, threats to biodiversity, rising sea levels or a combination of factors that threaten the delicate ecosystem that supports us all. It’s unsurprising that nature, farming and conservation are themes that are perennially popular at Monty Lit Fest – and this year’s Festival is no exception.
In three sessions on our Sunday afternoon, we will be featuring three brilliant authors whose work contributes to these debates in both informative and entertaining ways.
Jon Gower will need no introduction to regular Monty Lit Fest-ers. In his new book, Birdland, he offers us a birds-eye view of the crucial contribution birds make to our lives and the natural world. A lifelong birder, Jon explores Britain’s rich bird life, celebrates our intimate connection with them and reminds us of the challenges that birds face and what we can – and must – do to defend them.
Roger Morgan-Grenville is another Monty Lit Fest favourite. He has once again donned his walking boots for his latest book, this time around the British coast from the northern coast of Scotland and travelling south, east and north again. The Restless Coast tells the fascinating story of the coast’s challenges and opportunities, championing along the way the people who are trying to protect the coastline’s extraordinary and precious natural history Come along to find out why he describes the book as a ‘love letter to our island edge.’
We’re also delighted to welcome Matthew Yeomans to the Festival for another coastal odyssey, this time closer to home along the Welsh Coastal Path from Chepstow to Prestatyn. In Seascapes, he explores how the sea has shaped Welsh lives through history, mythology, literature and culture: from saints to pirates; artists and poets to industrial might; lost to reclaimed land. He also challenges us to face the realities of rising sea levels and how we will have to adapt where and how we live alongside the sea in future.
The afternoon promises to be a journey of exploration in its own right – and all on our doorstep in Montgomery Town Hall. How can you resist?
Tickets are available online, or in person at The Montgomery Bookshop or Ivy House Café in Montgomery.