Public Lecture coming up - free to attend
The lecture is 45 minutes long, followed by discussion. I am finding writing it quite a challenge - there is so much to say, and maybe not enough time to say it! But I have only myself to blame, since it was me who came up with the idea and the title in early January this year.
But there's nothing like a challenge of this nature to help work out what we really think about a subject, so it's all good!
The lecture is free to attend, and will also be live-streamed, and I think will be available on YouTube afterwards as most of their public lectures are.
Many thanks to UNA Harpenden for their invitation last December. I am looking forward to it.
Public lecture on What has story ever done for us? Earth’s climate crisis from the perspective of a prize-winning novelist by Deborah Tomkins on Saturday 7 November 2026 at 10:15 for 10:30am at Salvation Army, Leyton Green, Harpenden AL5 2TG. Click on the link above for more information and to register.
Large beached jellyfish, Devon, UK. June 2026
Bristol Climate Writers
We are a loose network of writers working in all genres, from journalism to science writing, short stories to novels, poetry, travel writing, spirituality and memoir. For several years we managed monthly meetings, with usually 6-8 people attending. We also ran a few public events. The pandemic made life more difficult, although we did have a few online meetings, and we have never quite got back to those regular meet-ups since then. People are busy (and I have to confess that I am not a natural administrator!).
However, there are new opportunities happening in the next few weeks. In all cases please contact the organisers, not me!
- Nick Hunt starts a new weekly course on writing science fiction, fantasy and dystopia on Wednesday 7th October, which can absolutely include climate, nature and environment. He says: "The overall intention of the course is to develop a piece of writing - either a work in progress or something entirely new - with the aim of celebrating what you've achieved with a short reading in the final week. The cost is £160 (£20 per session). If you're interested, do let me know!"
- Helen Moore begins a new in-person monthly peer-led Bristol Climate Writers group for poets and writers whose work explores nature connection, climate and intersecting issues, on Monday 19th October. There will be a small charge of £4 upwards (on sliding scale of affordability) per session. For more information, or to sign up, please contact [email protected].
- Mark Goldthorpe curates the website ClimateCultures, which is open to all writers and artists working in the area of climate and nature. He is always pleased to hear from people who may like to join this international network, and contribute content.
- And on Sunday November 15th I am speaking at the Clifton LitFest in Bristol, along with two fascinating speakers, Doina Cornell and Tom Appleby.
- Have a look at the Bristol Climate Writers page to find out a little more about us.
We are always open to new members. If you live in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire, we would love to hear from you!
Community food growing in former car park, Clifton, Bristol.
Leiston Book Festival
If you write about land, landscape, nature, climate and environment, Robert Ashton and his team would be pleased to hear from you for next year, in a few weeks' time. I was the first novelist to attend, speaking about my novel The Wilder Path - but I may not be the last!
Here you can see me standing with Bishop Graham Usher in the foyer of the cinema at the end of the day - we are each holding one of our books. It was a joy to meet him and speak alongside him in our joint event, although in the photo below we are both looking rather more serious. Graham has written a beautiful book on the spirituality of walking, The Way Under Our Feet; and my novel begins with a walk on the wild north Cornish coast. As Christians we were invited to talk a little about our books, about the church's approach to environmental issues, and also to give some of our own personal reflections on the importance of walking, on nature and the science of climate change, and what we believe God might be saying to us through Scripture and through the stresses on the natural world.
Other events that day included topics of the history and land use, gulls, enjoying being out in all weathers, some amazing Suffolk walks in the footsteps of Suffolk writers, and Louis de Berniere's new memoir.
It was a wonderful day, and one I thoroughly recommend - superbly organised with a wonderful community feel and a large audience! It's also a beautiful part of the world. Look out for next year's Festival, especially if you are in Suffolk or East Anglia.
Photos: © Callum Hoffman, Hoff Media
Podcast! Mad about Books
I was interviewed by Robert Ashton, founder of the Leiston Book Festival, for "Mad About Books", a weekly programme on Alde and Blyth Community Radio, and it was broadcast on Wednesday night. We recorded this piece several weeks ago, and I had forgotten how much ground we covered, talking not only about my novel The Wilder Path, but also global warming, climate activism, where inspiration comes from, and my taste in music.
The interview comes in two parts - the beginning of the programme, and then from about 32 minutes until the end.
Have a listen if you want to know more about this novel, as well as my writing process and where characters come from.
Many thanks to Robert for his support. I am looking forward to the Festival very much, where I will be in conversation with Bishop Graham Usher, who is the lead Bishop for the environment in the Church of England.
There are still some tickets left for the festival, and I would recommend that you book early if you would like to come. Other speakers include Jackie Collins Harvey, Matt Gaw, Tim Dee, and Louis de Bernières.
Countdown to... Penzance!
My workshop is for anyone doing any kind of writing at all: poetry, fiction (both short stories and novels), and non-fiction. The basic premise is that we are bombarded with depressing climate and nature news every single day in the media (and the pendulum has swung, as it always does, in precisely the opposite direction from where it was only 10-15 years ago, when it was difficult to find much news about the environment) - but there is a LOT of good news around, despite a gas-guzzling war and some serious denial across the Atlantic.
How can we harness the hope, while balancing the realism we all need when facing these twin crises? And what does 'hope' mean, in this context?
I hope this has whetted your appetite!
My blurb says: Most climate fiction focuses on disasters, but other ways of approaching the climate crisis include hope, generosity and ingenuity, often deployed in unexpected ways. Novelist and founder of the Bristol Climate Writers network, Deborah Tomkins, will explore different genres and techniques for writing about climate change, with reference to her own prize-winning books, Aerth and The Wilder Path (shortlisted for The Encore Award 2026).
If you find this interesting and you are in the area, please come along. Places are limited to 12 people, and it costs £20. Open to all writers!
Various bits of news...
The authors and judges met for tea ahead of the event, and we had lovely writerly chats. Then we moved into the main rooms of the ICA, a handsome Georgian building with beautiful reception rooms upstairs, with high ceilings, big windows and polished floors. There were many guests, including publishers, stunning flower arrangements, sparkling wine and canapés, live music - and us! Claire Adam won the Award for her book Love Forms, but I am still so happy that my climate novel The Wilder Path was on the shortlist of only 4 books.
Huge thanks to The Society of Authors, and to our panel of judges chaired by Malika Booker. Here's a picture (photo by Jonathan Hawkins).
Meanwhile this unseasonably hot weather has taken both me and my garden by surprise. Two weeks ago my small veg plants had to be brought inside not only at night, but often in the daytime, especially tomatoes which hate the cold. Today the heat drives me inside and it's a challenge to keep them watered. It's the hottest May week ever.
You will see from the photo below that I plant my tomatoes in large pots directly into the earth. This is to protect them from weather shocks - heat, cold, flood and drought. It works. The first year I did this, I harvested nearly 40kg of tomatoes from 7 plants. I recommend this technique!
The garden is always a work in progress this time of year. You can see climbing French beans in the plastic tub, almost ready to be planted. There are cucumbers too, and courgettes, parsley and mint (in a pot), lettuce, pak choi and other herbs. Behind are raspberries which are already beginning to fruit (several weeks early, despite the cold spring). Wild strawberries bring me and the birds pleasure. And the large grey-green plant is a poppy which I didn't have the heart to dig up. It's not in the way right now.
There is very little better than home-grown produce. And it takes a tiny bit of pressure off our increasingly vulnerable food supply systems.
Bristol Climate Writers event - May 22nd 2026
Dr Helen Moore is a pioneering British ecopoet, socially engaged artist, and writer. She has previously published several acclaimed collections of poetry, including river/run, available from Cape Farewell.
If you are in the Bristol area, we would love to see you!
Tickets are available here.
(For members of Bristol Climate Writers, only, there will be a further meeting after this event, at a different venue. Please contact me for more details.)
The Encore Award - shortlisting
This year's judges were Malika Booker, Rachel Aroesti, and Anita Sethi, who selected a "treasure trove" of four novels for the shortlist. It's absolutely amazing that my novel now keeps company with the brilliant books shortlisted in the past, as well as these wonderful contemporary novels.
The judges say, about The Wilder Path:
This immensely atmospheric novel depicts both extreme weather events and the characters' stormy emotions as it tells a potent story of grief for the loss of human life and the destruction of the natural world - and how such loss can be channelled into hope and action to strive for a better world.
Huge congratulations to my three fellow shortlisted authors, Claire Adam, Caleb Klaces, and Nydia Hetherington, and I look forward very much to reading their novels.
AI - Artificial Intelligence - and creativity
The second thing to say is that ALL work created by Artificial General Intelligence has been stolen from the works of human beings: writing, music, art, photography. AGI is trained on human work, the vast majority of which has been used without permission - uploaded, saved and then deleted within seconds. Artists deserve copyright fees. There have been some lawsuits (ongoing).
You will find that AGI-created work (can we say "created"? - I'm not sure - it is simply "produced", like in a factory) all begins to sound and look the same. AGI has no original creative impulse of its own, however clever and original it may sound at first.
There are other forms of Artificial Intelligence - some are useful, for example in science experiments when a computer compiles results, thus saving researchers a great deal of time. Other uses are dubious - certain models of AI are factually incorrect up to 40% of the time. We shouldn't rely on these for fact-checking, homework etc. Other uses are plain unethical - such as Palantir now using its AI software to choose targets to bomb in Iran. The AI is making decisions that only humans should make.
I could go on! There is a lot more to say. Perhaps another time. I have never used AI of any kind, and don't intend to. Readers can be assured that everything I write and publish, whether words or images, is all my own work.
Meanwhile, on a lighter note, if you would like to read The Wilder Path as an eBook, you can find it on Kobo.
Italian copies of AERTH have arrived!
Aerth - Un'Altra Terra
Molte grazie to Giorgio Raffaelli at Zona42, and to all the team!
Cornwall in the winter
In my novel The Wilder Path, Roly takes a cliff-top walk on a beautiful New Year's Eve afternoon - I imagined the weather just like this. She certainly doesn't expect to become trapped in a cave with only an injured cormorant for company.
The novel explores Roly's complex reactions to climate change and the threats to nature, and her equally complex relationships with friends and family. She was a challenge to write - not always sympathetic, but always human - and ahead of her time.
Geneva Writers... and news about Aerth
While I was there, a friend sent me a screenshot of my novella Aerth... mentioned as one of the best books of 2025 in the Daily Telegraph Christmas Books supplement. This is tremendously exciting! I must say I found it difficult to sleep that night. Aerth is one of just 21 novels mentioned in that part of the list. Online, it links to the stunning review by the Telegraph's critic Luke Kennard, which was published in January, just before the book came out.
All in all, a very exciting weekend. I travelled to Geneva and back via public transport, a total of: 8 trains, 2 overnight ferries, one bus, one taxi, 2 Paris metro trains, and my own two feet! It was a very interesting journey, and not as tiring as people might expect. More on this, perhaps, in another post.
The Daily Telegraph, 15th November 2025.
Bristol Climate Writers
Reading can help us think things through, as well as inform and entertain us. Writing can help the author work out what they really think, and how to say it. Reading and writing are important.
We have poets, fiction writers, and non-fiction writers of all kinds in our network, both published, unpublished and just starting out. On 24th November we will be introducing ourselves and our work, there will be readings, and hopefully, if we have time, discussion.
Do come along! This event is free, and open to all. Please use the sign-up form so we can send you the Zoom link.
Going forward, we expect to alternate events between online and in-person events.
BristolCon 2025
BrtistolCon is extraordinary. Run entirely by volunteers, it manages everything on a shoestring - excellent talks, panel discussions and workshops, booksellers and artists - thus keeping the event low-cost for all participants, and is just 10 minutes' walk from the central railway station at Bristol Temple Meads. Many people stay at the hotel; others, like me, are local.
As usual there were so many fascinating talks, panels, and small group discussions. I spotted Adrian Tchaikovsky among the attendees, but didn't get to hear him speak. Last year's guest of honour was Joanne Harris (who wrote Chocolat, among many other excellent novels); and this year's guests of honour were John Higgins, JE Hannaford and Ben Jeapes. Something that everyone mentions is how friendly and accessible the event is. The programme gives you an idea of the breadth and depth of the convention.
If you are interested in this event, check it out! I heartily recommend it.
They say:
BristolCon is a science fiction and fantasy convention organized by the BristolCon Committee. The primary aim of the event is to support the Science Fiction and Fantasy community within the South West of the United Kingdom, and to promote the works of Science Fiction and Fantasy authors, artists, businesses, and performers within the United Kingdom and further afield. The convention was created in 2009 by members of the Bristol Fantasy & SF Society, and has since become renowned as a fun, friendly, and informative addition to the UK’s convention calendar.
Each year we feature panel discussions and lectures, an art show, and small group sessions including table talks and workshops. Books, comics and merchandise are available in the dealers’ room and authors will be available for book signings.
The Flash Fiction Festival
If you are a writer - especially in the UK (although people come from all over the world) - and want to find out more about flash fiction, I suggest you put this in your diary for next year. Writers from all disciplines attend (novelists, short story writers, journalists, memoirists, poets, and others) - and the level of talent is outstanding. It's also a very friendly festival, and very accessible.
So here is Malina writing about the festival.
Trinity College, Bristol - Festival venue
