May 2026

24th May: Are we stuck with plastic?
Whenever we can, I like to get to the Hay Festival during May half term and, naturally, the geographical talks always appeal to me. This year, it was a talk on plastic that caught my eye and I really enjoyed Beth Gardiner talk about her book ‘Plastic Inc’. She opened by eyes to the way in which the plastic industry is inherently intertwined with ‘big oil, big money and the plan to trash our future’ (quote from the cover of the book). Whilst I knew about the issues and falsehoods of recycling as a ‘solution’ to plastic consumption, there was so much I didn’t know… more to come when I review the book after reading it!

21st May: The Boy who Harnessed the Wind
It was 5 stars for me for the stage production of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at Soho Place. Inspiring, informative and inherently geographical, I really enjoyed this show and would recommend it to all geographers! I’d had the tickets booked a while and so, in preparation, read the book and watched the film based on the story. In my opinion, the show is better than the film which is better than the book!