The wonderful thing about the Studio venue at Theatre by the Lake during Words by the Water is the theme of the day, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth.
As the world is gripped by the conflict in Europe, World Issues is a topic of conversation many will be having. Dan Gretton opens Wednesday (16 March) with his event The Psychology of Desk Killers. Given the situation we are in, this is both a fascinating and horrific subject.
Over 20 years Dan has studied crimes against humanity, interviewing survivors and perpetrators. In his book I You We Them, he studies the people who order the killing of another human via paper, phone or PC.
To counterbalance this barbarism we have two events to follow that look at what we can do to achieve positive change in the world.
Elizabeth Cripps‘s book What Climate Justice Means is the basis of her event Climate Activism is for Everyone.
A philosopher, Elizabeth argues that climate justice is something that should motivate us all. She puts forward the argument that it’s not a political choice but a moral one.
Elizabeth is followed by Karen Lloyd to the studio stage with the hopeful subject Nature in Recovery. Born in South Cumbria and part-time lecturer for the Creative Writing MA at the University of Lancaster is is a regular speaker at book festivals.
Write and poet, Karen shares her experiences of conservationists who are pushing back against the inevitability of biodiversity loss. A contributor to the Guardian and the BBC Wildlife, Countryfile and Royal Geographical Society magazines, her book Abundance – Nature in Recovery will be available as are all the speakers’ books in the pop-up Bookends bookshop at Theatre by the Lake.
To end the day of World Issues in the Studio, journalist Paul Mason looks at Fascism – A Recurring Nightmare.
Paul, the author of How to Stop Fascism, argues fascism is not a thing of the past and presents a chilling portrait of current fascism and a history of its rise.
So World Issues day in the Studio offers the good, the bad and the ugly of our planet in 2022.
- Tomorrow we will be falling in love with science via the Infinite Monkey Cage!
- To view the full programme and book your tickets for Words by the Water visit: https://www.theatrebythelake.com/festival/words-by-the-water-22/
Main photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
