Another book on marginal nature, sort of...
Rambunctious Garden explores some of the same ground that I cover in marginal nature. Don't like the title but it hints at natural agency. Marris is a science journalist and so it is a readable account thin on the challenging nuances of ecology and natural agency. But I am glad to see more mainstreaming of the reassessment of nature.
More at http://www.emmamarris.com/rambunctious-garden/
Richard Mabey is out with a new book: Weeds and a reissue of Unofficial Countryside.
Richard Mabey is much better known in Britian, but he was a big influence on my thinking about marginal nature and he knows his plants.
Weeds: How Vagabond Plants Gatecrashed Civilisation and Changed the Way We Think About Nature
It gets two reviews in the Guardian with links to other works by Mabey http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/09/weeds-vagabond-richard-mabey-review
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/10/weeds-richard-mabey-review
One link is to the Unofficial Countryside reissue review in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/29/iain-sinclair-richard-mabey-rereading
Urban Nature and Urban Ecology: Understanding Urban Ecosystems
Every month I give free lunchtime lectures here in downtown Austin and for the next four months I will focus on urban nature and ecology. The talks will all touch on marginal nature as the counterpart to the other kinds of nature that we officially sanction in the city.
I will begin in September by examining a range of perspectives on nature in the city, including urban ecology, urban planning, restoration ecology, political ecology, and more. In October, I will focus on the issue of officially sanctioned urban nature versus non-native intruders, and the different views of nature in the study of urban ecology. Focusing on urban planning in November, I will look at how nature is incorporated into the urban landscape and how it resists our planning. I will wrap up in December by assessing encounters with urban nature as revealed by urban nature writers.
September 7 Noon-1pm
Varieties of Possibility: Perspectives on Nature and the City
October 5 Noon-1pm
The Weeds and the Wild: Invasive Species and Urban Ecology
November 2 Noon-1pm
The Proper Place of Nature: Urban Planning and Urban Ecology
December 7 Noon-1pm
Encounters with Nature in the City: Urban Nature and Literature
Each talk begins AT NOON
Location - Downtown Austin at Waller Center [625 East 10th Street – between I-35 and Red River] Room 104
First Wednesday of the Month!
Waller Center Room 104!
Free and Open to the Public – bring a lunch and learn
