Karen Brazier is co-founder of FOLDE Dorset, a B Corp certified independent bookshop specialising in nature writing. In 2024, FOLDE was named Independent Bookshop of the Year for South West England in The British Book Awards.
How does it feel to be a judge on this year’s Wainwright Prize?
It’s a huge privilege. I’m the co-founder of FOLDE, a specialist nature writing bookshop, so the announcement of the Wainwright longlist is always an important moment in the year for us, when we find out which of the many wonderful books we’ve been selling over the past 12 months are in contention for the prize. The task of whittling down the longlist to the shortlist, and then deciding on the overall winner, is no small responsibility but one that I’m delighted to play a part in this year.
As we enter our second decade as a prize, looking back, what do you think has been the biggest challenge and change of nature writing in the last 10 years?
Nature writing has evolved considerably over the past 10 years during which time one of its biggest challenges – the perception that it is a niche genre written and enjoyed by the privileged few who are already fully immersed in the natural world – is steadily being overcome. The success of nature memoirs such as H is for Hawk and English Pastoral has done a great deal to open up the genre to a more mainstream audience, often appealing to readers who might otherwise choose fiction. Nature memoir as a subgenre divides opinion among some of our customers but stories of an intense personal relationship with nature can often do more to awaken new readers to issues affecting the natural world than an author simply demonstrating their knowledge of a subject, no matter how well written. It’s been encouraging to see many new and underrepresented voices coming to the fore in this area in recent years, although there is still some way to go.
Why do you believe nature writing is so important, both for yourself and others?
Nature needs all the air time it can get right now, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as biodiversity declines, we seem increasingly drawn to books that bring us closer to it. And while the genre sometimes comes under justified criticism for romanticising the experiences of those who are fortunate to be able to access wild places, I know that I personally take a vicarious enjoyment from many authors’ wanderings, particularly when they are able to show and teach me about a species or a place that I haven’t seen myself.
Do you have a favourite nature/conservation book that you’ve read previously that’s deepened your understanding of the natural world?
There’s one book that I describe to customers as ‘life-changing’ because it certainly was for me, and that’s The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes. Until I read it, I’d never thought to question why in England and Wales we are excluded from 92 per cent of the land and 97 per cent of its waterways. I’d ducked out of history at school at the earliest possible opportunity and knew very little about the Enclosures Act and other English property laws that deny us access to the land that is rightfully our common inheritance. The book opened my eyes to this injustice and the very real consequences – for us and for nature – of this exclusion.
Do you have a place you visit that feels intrinsic to your connection with nature?
I have a deep affection for the Purbeck coast here in Dorset, which is where I most often go to walk and swim, and therefore where I feel most immersed in the natural world. But I’m increasingly of the view that the idea of nature connection, even though it’s something we talk about often in the shop, is misleading as it implies that we as a species are separate from nature, when we are of course part of it. The appalling biodiversity loss that has happened in my lifetime is a symptom of that separation.
We can look at the natural world from a social, historical and political perspective. Through which of these lenses do you feel you see or connect to nature most strongly?
Despite what I’ve said about the concept of ‘nature connection’ being a bit of a red herring, my relationship with nature is first and foremost very much a personal one, often bordering on the spiritual. That said, that relationship can’t exist in isolation as so many other factors affect how and the extent to which each of us is able to experience the natural world, from issues of access to the pollution of our seas and rivers by the water companies. It’s all interconnected.
Following our recent general election, what’s your hope for political leaders and those with power when it comes to protecting our planet?
I recently took part in the Restore Nature Now protest and the stated aims of the march are very much what I’m hoping our new government will address namely increased support for farmers who adopt nature- and climate-friendly practices; increased penalties for the big businesses that have the biggest impact on the environmental decline; the expansion and improvement of protected areas for nature and wildlife; the introduction of an Environmental Rights bill to drive better decisions for nature, improve public health and increase access to nature; and fair and effective measures to address the climate crisis. Above all, nature needs to be front and centre. It’s time to stop pressing the snooze button.