The power and purpose of flowers in fiction
Join us for an exciting book-launch event with the authors.
Presented by conservationist and activist Dr. Charlie Gardner, this special event welcomes debut authors Emily Buchanan (Send Flowers) and Eleanor Vendrell (The Great Orchid Heist) to GroundWork Gallery for a captivating conversation on the power and purpose of flowers in fiction.
Flowers in fiction
This event will explore how flowers are used in fiction to shed light on urgent ecological themes, from climate activism to botany, and what role storytelling has in the fight for a better world. This is a perfect event to follow-on from our exhibition Plant Power earlier in the year.
Both authors will be present and will be interviewed by Charlie Gardner before reading from their books.
Bookings
From 6.30 for 7 pm on 23 August.
All welcome – Free to attend
Tickets are free, but please book to reserve your place.
Refreshments will be provided.
Signed books will be available to buy after the discussion.
About the authors
Send Flowers by Emily Buchanan
Set in a future that feels all too real, Send Flowers explores the right to protest amidst climate chaos, the importance of community in weathering life’s storms, and the resilience of love and hope in a world that seems beyond saving.
Emily Buchanan is an author and freelance creative campaigner specialising in climate communications. She’s worked with Greenpeace for over a decade and contributed to landmark environmental victories including the UK fracking ban, Shell’s decision to halt oil exploration in the Arctic, and the UN’s commitment to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
The Great Orchid Heist by Eleanor Vendrell
A heart-pounding and hilarious sapphic romcom, The Great Orchid Heist is set in Felborough Botanic Gardens and involves the heist of a rare orchid. But when unexpected romance blooms, it’s a choice between heart and heist.
Eleanor Vendrell is a writer and researcher interested in the easy topics of love, relationships, identity and the meaning of it all. A lifelong reader of books that make you laugh and sob, she enjoys nothing more than earnest discussions about the importance of joyful fiction and books that include kissing.
Dr Charlie Gardner
Dr Charlie Gardner is an interdisciplinary researcher, conservationist and activist with a particular interest in societal responses to the climate and biodiversity emergencies. A regular contributor to GroundWork gallery’s programmes and events, he has written for The Guardian, The Conversation, The Ecologist and Mongabay, and appeared on a range of TV and radio broadcasts.
