David Farrier
@david-farrier.bsky.social
Writer. Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils | Nature's Genius: Evolution's Lessons for a Changing Planet, shortlisted: Wainwright Conservation Writing Prize & Saltire Nonfiction Prize 2025 Professor of Literature & the Environment, Uni of Edinburgh
I'm so excited that this is nearly out in the word! I had the privilege of joining the amazing Karine Polwart for a walk along the Lothian coast to explore James Hutton's remarkable legacy for BBC Radio 4. Listen in this Sunday (7.15pm) or on iplayer!
All the quiet parts spoken aloud in radio 4's eulogy for Rod Liddle 🙃
Behind the bewildering transformation of British universities, are management consultants being paid millions Really proud to have this vital piece on our unis are being gutted from the inside by @jheathershaw.bsky.social on Democracy for Sale. Do read democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...
Inside Britain's university crisis
As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter
democracyforsale.substack.com
Rum and the Cuillins from the Point of Sleat, Skye, glorious in the sunshine yesterday.
It's been a while, but for those who might be interested I've written an *actual piece of literary criticism* (on poetry, AI, and AI poetry). 'Closed Rooms and Oracles: the poetics of vector space in Sam Riviere’s Conflicted Copy' is free to read here: poetry.openlibhums.org/article/id/2...
Closed Rooms and Oracles: the poetics of vector space in Sam Riviere’s Conflicted Copy
Published one hundred years after Tristan Tzara’s instruction that poets should “copy conscientiously”, Sam Riviere’s Conflicted Copy (2024), created in collaboration with GPT-2, invites us to reconsi...
poetry.openlibhums.org
A Noh interpretation of my 'On Rona'. Japanese tradition meets the outermost Hebrides. This is what the Edinburgh festivals are for! Thank you EIBF.
Severin Carrell@severincarrell.bsky.social · 2mo ago“Books don’t have to be medicine,” says book fest chief Jenny Niven, as music, theatre and food take centre stage - @edbookfest.bsky.social 2026 👇🏾📚🎭 www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Tickets for my event with fellow University of Edinburgh prof @david-farrier.bsky.social on evolution. Sunday June 14, 17:45 Please come! They've scheduled us opposite Nicola Sturgeon! bordersbookfestival.citizenticket.com/events/borde...
Steve Brusatte & David Farrier: Evolution, Adaptation and the Living World - Buy tickets
Two brilliant science writers explore how life evolves over time. Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte reveals birds as living dinosaurs, while David Farrier examines nature's adaptation today.
bordersbookfestival.citizenticket.com
It was such a pleasure to talk to @racheldonald.bsky.social for the Planet Critical podcast!
Rachel Donald@racheldonald.bsky.social · 3mo agoWhat is the role of art in any crisis? To understand what is, and to imagine what could be. This is the message of @david-farrier.bsky.social, professor in literature and the author of 'Nature's Genius: Evolutions Lessons for a Changing Planet'. Full Episode: www.planetcritical.com/david-farrier/
I'm losing 100% of my pay this month, and for the foreseeable future, because of management's punitive response to the marking and assessment boycott launched by @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social to try and stop compulsory redundancies. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1448...
Sir Tom Devine: "Edinburgh’s plight is mainly due to inept decisions taken by the current Principal and his senior management group" Scatching words from one of Scotland's preeminent historians on Edinbugh Uni's financial woes. @heraldscotland.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2611944...
Scottish historian delivers scathing verdict on 'inept' Edinburgh University bosses
Sir Thomas Devine said that “gross failures” by Sir Peter Mathieson and his senior team have left the institution in a perilous state.
heraldscotland.com
Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, we’ve curated a selection of shop favourites to kickstart your reading. Tonight we’re also hosting David Farrier and Louise Gray for a discussion about Farrier’s latest, Nature’s Genius! You can browse our picks here: www.theportobellobookshop.com/news/earth-d...
Earth Day Recommendations
Take a look at earth day recommendations, from our Top picks news collection
theportobellobookshop.com
Reposting this for the weekend crowd: I wrote about Basil Bunting's poem Briggflatts and what it has to teach us about the value of deep listening.
Lit Hub@literaryhub.bsky.social · 4mo ago@david-farrier.bsky.social revisits “Briggflatts,” Basil Bunting’s presicent poem warning us all of the loss of the world’s precious soundscapes.
Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils, David Farrier Rec from @markdway.bsky.social, deep time told in reverse, how our civilization might be recorded by the planet. Each chapter covers a geologic archive, paired w a reflection through literature (like ice cores/Borges Library of Babel). 20/
Echoing @kellyhereid.bsky.social's recommendation here, @david-farrier.bsky.social Footprints is an excellent read! Also on the subject of long timescales amidst our daily chaos, I tremendously enjoyed Marcia Bjornerud's Timefulness: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb... @princetonupress.bsky.social
Kelly Hereid@kellyhereid.bsky.social · 4mo agoFootprints: In Search of Future Fossils, David Farrier Rec from @markdway.bsky.social, deep time told in reverse, how our civilization might be recorded by the planet. Each chapter covers a geologic archive, paired w a reflection through literature (like ice cores/Borges Library of Babel). 20/
@david-farrier.bsky.social revisits “Briggflatts,” Basil Bunting’s presicent poem warning us all of the loss of the world’s precious soundscapes.
On the 1966 Poem That Warns of Bio-Acoustic Die-Off and the Destruction of Our Soundscapes
The poet Basil Bunting was as old as the century when he died in 1985. His life was bookended by the relief of Ladysmith and Thatcher’s defeat of striking miners. He was imprisoned in Wormwoo…
buff.ly
To mark the paperback launch of NATURE'S GENIUS I wrote about how poetry can help us pay attention to an increasingly silent world. lithub.com/on-the-1966-...
On the 1966 Poem That Warns of Bio-Acoustic Die-Off and the Destruction of Our Soundscapes
The poet Basil Bunting was as old as the century when he died in 1985. His life was bookended by the relief of Ladysmith and Thatcher’s defeat of striking miners. He was imprisoned in Wormwoo…
lithub.com
NATURE'S GENIUS is out in paperback TODAY! Join me to find out how the living world can be our mentor for change on Earth Day, 22nd April, @portybooks.bsky.social tinyurl.com/mpwnphbh @canongate.co.uk
Come to the paperback launch of NATURE'S GENIUS on World Earth Day! @portybooks.bsky.social Tickets: tinyurl.com/mpwnphbh
Come to the paperback launch of NATURE'S GENIUS on World Earth Day! @portybooks.bsky.social Tickets: tinyurl.com/mpwnphbh
We can’t wait for this event! Tickets available below 💚 www.theportobellobookshop.com/events/david...
David Farrier@david-farrier.bsky.social · 4mo agoOne week until the paperback of NATURE'S GENIUS is out! What an amazing year it's been! Help me celebrate @portybooks.bsky.social on World Earth Day! tinyurl.com/yj8dxh52
One week until the paperback of NATURE'S GENIUS is out! What an amazing year it's been! Help me celebrate @portybooks.bsky.social on World Earth Day! tinyurl.com/yj8dxh52
What an amazing day! Half a million people turned out to say No to the far right.
I'm soon looking forward to this! Come along and celebrate World Earth Day with stories of extraordinary animal genius and human possibility.
The Portobello Bookshop@portybooks.bsky.social · 4mo agoOn World Earth Day, Wednesday 22nd April, we’ll be welcoming David Farrier back to the bookshop to celebrate the paperback publication of Nature’s Genius: Evolution’s Lessons for a Changing Planet! 🌏 🎟️ In person and online tickets are available via the Events link in our bio.
