Words have the power to change worlds. Powerful words, powerfully written can open doors to the future. Beautiful words, beautifully written, can give us hope . Richard Wain’s new collection of poetry is doing all of these, with panache, and heart and soul.
How do we best use the tools of our current system to create and support the emergent change we need? Sophie Parker is right at the edge of the emerging futures and in a position to exert leverage at some of the highest points of the scale at which change happens.
How can we, as parents, grandparents and anyone who cares about the fate of future generations, live our lives in such a way that when our children ask us why we didn’t do more, we can say with honesty that we did all that we could? How do we help them to build resilience, to feel safe in a supportive community and in connection with the natural world so that as they grow, they can face the truth about the world they have inherited?
And how can we use our role as parents to create conversations that matter, not only with people with meet in our daily lives but also with those in positions of power.
Allan Brown’s exploration into how we could feed and clothe ourselves as we head towards a world of localism and increasing self reliance led to his spending seven years of his life making a a dress from the fibres of the nettles that grew locally.
It was an extraordinary process of experimentation, discovery and ensoulment – a journey into possibility that would be hard to match in our current, frenetic world. And we know about this: the patience of it, the wonder, the loss, the grief, the resilience, the alchemy… the sheer magic, because Dylan made a film, ‘The Nettle Dress’ which also took 7 years and is also a process of emergence and ensoulment and magic and discovery.
What can we do to unite the overwhelming majority of people who understand that we’re on the edge of the cliff and want to *do something* but don’t know what or how? Rupert Read has a project to give them all a voice…
What would a genuinely progressive, regenerative Green New Deal look like if it took into account he well-being of all life on the planet? We discuss the options with Max Ajl, author of A People’s Green New Deal.
How does it feel really to step into the feet (or roots, or wings) of other species, to speak on their behalf, to negotiate with humans for a better world?
We know we have most of the answers to the poly crisis. Our challenge is getting them into the mainstream. And that means we need to understand what works when we craft our new narratives of how the world could look and feel.
How did one man make the shift from Not wanting to live in this world, to refusing to live in ‘this’ world? Manda and Charlie discuss the interface between mental health, the climate emergency and what we now call eco-anxiety (but which needs a rather stronger name than that implies).
How can we begin to shift away from the old hierarchical dominance structures of our past 2,000 years, towards something where everyone brings the best of themselves and embraces and celebrates the best in other people?
We know that the future is based on Community. What we lack are practical routes to creating communities of community on a worldwide scale – ones that can form and will be resilient enough to survive
How can we bring hope and agency and a sense of awe and wonder back into a world that feels perpetually on the verge of breakdown? Alan Lane and the team at the Slung Low theatre company are embedded in the culture and creativity of one of the most deprived areas in the nation – and are utterly committed to bringing magic into their world.