Released 03.03.23

The Conversation

In this episode, Sophy and Cal discuss her book, Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape. Cal’s research took her from the nuclear wasteland of Chernobyl to California’s Salton Sea to Tanzania’s Usambara Mountains, investigating the ecology and psychology of abandoned places.

They talk about the attraction of the not-quite perfect, the pockets of peace that can be found amidst destruction, and the frisson of fear that’s so much a part of the lure of wild places.  They discuss the extraordinary potential of rewilding, as well as its pitfalls; the intricacies of forest recovery, and the chemical dust that will continue to linger long after we are gone. Above all, they marvel at the extraordinary resilience of nature, and the power of writing about place.

Cal’s book, Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape is published by HarperCollins.