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Meet the Authors

Each month we gather our community and creatives together to bring the Ink to life via a live interactive interview.

Here are some of our recent conversations:

October 2020 - Anna McNuff - Llama Drama

An awesome interview, just as you would expect from the inimitable and exciteable Anna McNuff.

We covered almost as much ground as Anna on her adventures, with a collective conversation that included:

  • what the worst thing Anna stepped in whilst barefoot running (it wasn't poo!)
  • childhood memories of Martin the Warrior mouse
  • how Girl Guides are raising fierce opinionated feminists
  • Anna and Faye's nightly story sharing sessions in South America
  • ripping stripper pants off in the House of Commons
  • Anna's plans for post baby adventures
  • the importance of documenting the emotive details of adventures, and
  • an exclusive preview of artwork inspired by Anna's South America tour

September 2020 - John Wright - The Forager's Calendar

Our first live interview via Zoom got off to a great start, when author John Wright mistimed his nap, and didn't join us until 37 minutes in!

This provided plenty time for the community to bond over tickling trout and recipes for rosehips. And to cast envious eyes over the location of one lucky participant joining us from a campfire at the side of Loch Lochy, winning himself 4 months of Adventurous Ink subscription for his trouble.

Our conversation with John starts at 37 mins in and still covered plenty ground, including:

  • The best way to get Flying Ants in the frying pan
  • Why foraging shouldn't be thought of as a fad
  • The safest place to forage mushrooms (away from the woods)
  • How to cook nettle pasta
  • And how foraging helps us connect with our time & place

    August 2020 - David Gange - The Frayed Atlantic Edge

    Tim catches up with the author and historian David Gange about his solo sea-kayak odyssey along the wildest shores of these Isles, the adventure which became the incredible book 'The Frayed Atlantic Edge'. They covered a lot of ground including:

    • how David doesn't understand tents,
    • bumping into a whale side-on in a giant swell,
    • why poets get to the essence of a subject,
    • grappling with the Ethics Committee over Health & Safety,
    • the advantages of waterbourne bedragglement,
    • how reading books outdoors stays with you longer,
    • the damage 'progress' caused coastal communities,
    • what kind of cheese survives best in a kayak!
    • and much much more...

    June 2020 - Julian Sayarer - Fifty Miles Wide

    The author of June's Ink is the fascinating traveller and philosopher Julian Sayarer. This interview got through a whole heap of stuff, like how roads are a physical expression of the country they run through, the freedom of riding a bike and how we take for granted our right to nature.

    The topic of connection to others came up strongly in the conversation. It's something Julian has spent a long time thinking about on his travels. Here's what he had to say:
     
    There is an inherent connectedness in the world. Borders are artificial... Technically there is only 25 miles of water between here and Shanghai...
    It's difficult to care, we're taught not to care... but whether it's cycling or whatever brings us together, we can take strength from that shared passion, that shared connection, to rise up together and meet the challenge head on.

     

    April 2020 - Alyn Wallace - Under the Stars
    To help our community enjoy their own experiences under the stars, we interviewed landscape astrophotograper Alyn Wallace. In case you're wondering, a 'landscape astrophotographer' is someone who photographs the night sky, and includes terrestrial landscapes in the frame. This fascinating interview covers:
  • what to watch in June's night sky,
  • wild camping,
  • UK dark skies and travel to the dark parts of the world,
  • tips on how to find bio-luminescent algae in the sea,
  • what to shoot in light polluted areas,
  • getting into astrophotography,
  • the best smartphone apps for understanding the night sky,
  • and much more...

  • The one thing we didn't find out was Alyn's star sign!