Episode 9: Lucy Jones. Losing Eden
Hello and welcome to episode 9 of Prompted by Nature. Today I’m speaking with Lucy Jones, the author of the amazing book ‘Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild.’
I came across Lucy via the Extinction Rebellion Rewilding group on Facebook, where someone shared the book when it had just come out. The title took me and I immediately bought it from Waterstones. What I love about the book is that not only is it beautifully written, mixing forms and genres, but it is also thoroughly researching, covering every aspect of the argument for ensuring accessibility to high quality green spaces for all in our journey to see everyone in mental wellness.
Lucy Jones is the author of Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild (Allen Lane). She previously worked at NME and the Daily Telegraph, and her journalism on culture, science and nature has been published in BBC Earth, BBC Wildlife, The Sunday Times, the Guardian and the New Statesman. Her first book, Foxes Unearthed, was celebrated for its 'brave, bold and honest' (Chris Packham) account of our relationship with the fox, winning the Society of Authors' Roger Deakin Award 2015.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Her journey through addiction and post-natal depression using nature as her ally
The opening and ending of the book and the power of mixing genres
The importance of accessibility to high quality green spaces for all
How nature influences her own creativity
The scientifically proven mental health benefits of nature and the power of sharing our stories
The creativity of pregnancy and early motherhood
The physiology of awe and seeing Beauty in the seemingly mundane
Techno-nature and the studies surrounding its use
Her hopes for the future
What she wants you to know
The balance between urgency and hope
This is such a pertinent conversation to be having right now. Lucy and I had this conversation back at the end of April and the subjects we cover show just how complex a topic this can be whilst at the same time highlighting that more needs to be done not just by governments and local councils, but by us as individuals and communities. This conversation follows on beautifully from my conversation with Ian, which I released last week, and is the scientific grounding we need to prove why projects such as his work. I urge you, whenever possible, to get this book and be inspired by all the amazing things people are doing to support those facing mental health challenges. And I really did mean it when I said a certain someone in power needs to read this book! Maybe I’ll send him a copy!
Lucy has given me permission to read a little extract from the book, which begins as a look into a collective dystopian future (after which it switches form to non-fiction) so I thought I’d start with the opening pages.
You can find Lucy over on her website www.lucyfjones.com and on Instagram @lucyfjones You can buy her book over at Waterstones. Why not buy it from here or from your local small bookshop and then post a review over on Amazon?
As always, I’m at www.promptedbynature.co.uk or on Instagram @prompted.by.nature and if you’re local to Brighton, keep a look out for some new small-group meditation and writing events for women popping up from July onwards in woodlands in and around Brighton and East Sussex. And if you’re able to a 5-star review wherever you’re listening to t his would be amazing and really helps gets the podcast and these voices and conversations out there!
Remember to stick around until the end when I’ll give you an insight into the meditation and writing prompt that follows.
Enjoy the conversation and I’ll speak to you after!
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A meditation centring around envisioning a utopia constructed by your hope and optimism for the future. I guide you into the meditation and then stop speaking for three minutes.
The prompt is to create a description or other piece of writing around the world that you see in your imagination and to then write a set of action steps that can help to create this world.
Happy writing!
Helen x
