podcasts

A Two-Headed Tale

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Episodes 9 and 10 of the Paperboats Podcast have their roots in a striking symbiosis between two writers and environmental campaigners, each drawing compelling parallels between the whaling industry and our continued reliance on fossil fuels.

In Episode 9,Matt Sowerby reads from his essay, ‘Hope is The Thing with Flippers’, which was the winning entry to the 2024 Nature Chronicles Prize, discussing the inspiration and thinking behind it. He also talks about the legacy of whaling and what we can learn in context with the climate crisis and the use of fossil fuels; about his journey as both an activist and writer; the relationship between writing, activism and performance; and his current writing focus on oil and the ocean. He closes with a moving account of his thoughts on what hope might mean in the face of the climate emergency, and a second reading from his award-winning essay.

In Episode 10,Sandy Winterbottom reads an extract from her adventure travel memoir, The Two Headed Whale, which describes her experience finding the grave of a young whaler while visiting an abandoned whaling station on South Georgia during her life-changing voyage to Antarctica in 2016. She talks about the journey of discovery and understanding the writing of the book took her on as she uncovered the tragic details of the young whaler’s life, drawing parallels between whaling and a self-perpetuating fossil fuel industry. Sandy also describes an event that she organised to bring writers and activists together at Aberdeen’s Maritime Museum in 2024 which took its name from Matt’s essay and featured his solo performance of the stage adaptation. Sandy also talks about hope, about action, and the importance of a just transition. The episode closes with a reading from recent work Sandy published in the Scotsman.

Episode 10 with Sandy marks the final episode of Season 1 of the podcast, but it will be back in the autumn for a second season featuring interviews and readings from more writers, artists and poets associated with the Paperboats Writers collective.

It has been a real privilege spending time in their company, so do take some time out to catch these two wonderful writers working so well together to capture the same themes in wonderfully different ways.

Follow the link below to listen, like, share and subscribe.

Paperboats Writers Podcast

Into the Cairngorms

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The latest episode of the Paperboats podcast is out now, with author Merryn Glover Appleby

Merryn was born in Kathmandu to Australian missionary parents and grew up in Nepal, India and Pakistan. She settled in Scotland after travelling around the world and was the first Writer in Residence for the Cairngorms National Park in 2019. She co-hosts the Cairngorms-based Storyland Sessions with musician Hamish Napier, and is a regular Guardian Country Diary columnist. Her latest book is The Hidden Fires: A Cairngorms Journey with Nan Shepherd (Polygon, 2023).

In this episode Merryn describes her early life in Nepal and India, the deep connection she has found with the Cairngorms through her writing, her involvement with the Storyland Sessions community project, and her time as Writer in Residence for the Cairngorms National Park. Merryn also reads from The Hidden Fires, and gives an insight into how her spiritual faith informs her thinking on Nature and the Environment.

Head into the Cairngorms from your armchair, or wherever you like to listen, and stream from your chosen platform.

Head to Paperboats Podcasts to learn more.

Otherworlds

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Episode 5 of the Paperboats Podcast features poet Chris Powici

Chris lives in Perthshire in Scotland. He taught creative writing for many years at the University of Stirling and the Open University, but is now focussed on his own writing as a poet and essayist. His work mostly explores the overlap between the human and natural worlds.

Chris is also co-editor of New Writing Scotland and one of the key people behind the formation of the Paperboats Writers collective. In this episode he talks about his involvement with Paperboats, his thoughts on the role of the writer in the climate and ecological emergency, and the importance of affirming the world around us through the ‘otherworlds’ of our imagination.

Chis reads ‘Night Fishing’ and ‘Deer’ from his first poetry collection, This Weight of Light (Red Squirrel Press, 2015) and ‘Loch Striven’ from Issue 1 of the Paperboats Zine. His latest poetry collection is Look, Breathe, published by Red Squirrel Press.

You can find the Paperboats Podcast on your preferred platform, or go to: https://paperboats.org/podcasts/

Enjoy!

The Rights of Nature

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The first Paperboats Podcast of 2025 features author and poet Karen Lloyd.

Karen lives on the edge of the Lake District National Park and is Senior Researcher and Writer in Residence at Lancaster University’s Future Places Centre. Her latest book Abundance: Nature in Recovery, is published by Bloomsbury and was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Writing in Conservation 2022.

In this episode Karen reads from her essay ‘Inside a Rockpool Shrimp there is a Dying Star‘ and talks about the microplastics problem, the pressures on the Lake District’s vulnerable habitats, the rights of Nature, and how we can protect the most fragile ecosystems in the UK from the impacts of human influence.

Take some time out as we barrel headlong into 2025, and discover a universe in the world of the Rockpool shrimp.

Available now on your preferred platform.

Latest Paperboats Podcast Live

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In the latest episode of the Paperboats Podcast I speak with naturalist, photographer and nature writer, Polly Pullar.

Polly talks about her early life growing up in Ardnamurchan on the west coast of Scotland, how her love of nature and wildlife brought her solace through a difficult period and continues to inspire her passionately today. She discusses the plight of Scotland’s wildlife under the pressures of climate change and habitat loss, and reads from her Paperboats Zine piece, ‘A Solan Goose Summer,’ which highlights how climate change, the avian bird-flu epidemic, and increasing food scarcity is threatening this wonderful seabird.

Polly has regular columns in numerous magazines including The Scots Magazine and BBC Wildlife Magazine, and features in the Paperboats Zine. Her most recent book, The Horizontal Oak – A Life in Nature, was published by Birlinn in 2022. 

I had a great chat with Polly. Her love of nature and her zest for life is infectious, so I hope you’ll give this episode a listen, and if you enjoy it, please do like and subscribe! 

If you’re concerned about climate change, want to delve further into the issues surrounding it, and like great writing, the Paperboats Podcast brings you a host of fantastic nature writers. 

Find it on your preferred platform or head to Paperboats Podcasts and follow the links from there.

Enjoy.