‘Nature will bear the closest inspection.She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.’(David Henry Thoreau)
In October 2009 the Library assumed responsibility for the newly established Condry Festival of Nature Writing, and I had the great honour of being invited to become its Director. Originally conceived as an evening event to mark the 10th anniversary of Bill Condry’s death, the festival has quickly developed into a day-long celebration of nature and outdoor writing, the first of its kind in Wales.
This year’s festival is to be held at the Tabernacl, Machynlleth, on 16 October, and, as you might expect, much of my time is currently preoccupied with confirming and finalising the day’s programme. Whilst it’s a little early for me to reveal the list of speakers, I think the range of subjects that they have suggested – including the use of medicinal plants, Ian Niall and Wales, and a tribute to Bill himself – is both interesting and intriguing.
I was not fortunate enough to meet Bill – he died three months before I was appointed to the Library – but I have become keenly aware of his influence and impact on naturalists in Wales since becoming involved with the festival. His personal archive, which is housed at the Library, covers a remarkable array of topics, from lists detailing his sightings of wild birds and 32 volumes of field diaries to information gathered on his trips to east Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s – as well as compilations of his Guardian ‘Country Diary‘ articles, which he contributed for an incredible 41 years.
Not a week goes by without me hearing another fond recollection about this gentle, learned man, and as he made extensive use of the Library’s own collections and was regularly to be seen in the Reading Rooms, I am delighted that we are able to continue to celebrate his life and work by means of this annual festival. There is much work still to be done, but it’s a joy to be able to say that I’m doing this “for Bill”.
Sara Lee Branch
Strategy and Research Manager