“In the UK nature writing is still an overwhelmingly monocultural literary field. Yet the past year has shown more than ever why nature matters to all of us.    

I was racially abused on a train travelling through the North. The man who racially abused me told me to go back to where I’m from – but this is where I’m from. I’m from the North. In my first book I Belong Here I chronicle my epic journey walking hundreds of kilometres through the glorious natural landscapes of the North, the Pennines, known as the backbone of Britain, as well as through urban areas, and explore nature, identity, mental health and belonging.      

I now want to help as many people as possible find a sense of belonging in nature, and also to feel that their story belongs in books and literature – and so I’m running a series of free nature writing workshops as well as getting free books to those who can’t afford them.”

– Anita Sethi