Preparing to Cross the River: A Listening Encounter with the MOTH Program

Come and join us in July when the More-Than-Human Book Club meets the MOTH Program for a collective feast of more-than-human rights readings, conversations, and listening exercises along the banks of the River Thames.

We're so excited to be co-hosting this collaborative edition with the More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program, visiting London from NYU Law.

More-than-human (MOTH) rights is a rapidly evolving field that draws on perspectives, insights, and ideas from law, science, Indigenous knowledge, philosophy, and the arts to advance legal actions, strategies, and research in support of the diversity, richness, and well-being of the more-than-human world.

On the day, we'll gather on the banks of the River Thames to collectively listen to the Crossing the River podcast, take part in an active listening circle, read extracts from Robert Macfarlane’s latest book Is a River Alive?, hear about the latest developments in the MOTH Program — and more!

We will also engage in a gently facilitated group discussion. Although we address serious subjects, we aim to do so in a lively and accessible way, and we pride ourselves on creating a warm and nourishing atmosphere. All personal responses are considered equally valid — we’re interested in everyone’s unique emotional, sensorial, and intellectual perspectives.

We’ll meet in Richmond* along the River Thames from 2:45pm, and the event will run from 3–5pm. Please bring light food to share. Afterwards, you’re warmly invited to join us for a drink and further informal conversations.

Please note: Spaces are strictly limited, and this event is highly likely to sell out. We kindly ask that you only book if you're able to attend for the full duration.

More about The More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program

The MOTH Program is an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to the advancement of rights and well-being for humans, nonhumans, and the web of life that sustains us all. The Program has two primary goals.

First, using the tools of the law, MOTH offers answers to key questions raised by a host of disciplines concerning human relationships—institutional, political, legal, and cultural—with the natural world, including in the context of pressing ecological challenges.

The answers—developed through MOTH actions—aim to protect the living world and its many beings while achieving more-than-human rights in practice.

Second, MOTH nurtures and consolidates the field of practice and inquiry dedicated to more-than-human rights and related topics. In particular, MOTH builds bridges between disciplines and nurtures intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration and ideation.

To realize these goals, MOTH makes use of several approaches—in other words, “the how.” These include:

• Advocacy and Legal Actions
• Applied Research
• Education
• Gatherings
• Storytelling & the Arts

The MOTH Program is an initiative of Earth Rights Research and Action (TERRA), a program based at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law. You can read more about them here: www.mothlife.org

More about The Book Club:

The More-Than-Human Book Club is a roaming monthly series of art and ecology discussions that happen both at The Barbican Library and elsewhere, to talk about more-than-human experiences, wildness and nature writing in its broadest sense.

Each month we choose a different exhibition, book, film, artwork, poem or essay to discuss, including a mix of classic and contemporary works. Having co-hosted over thirty events, we nurture an egalitarian structure to accommodate multiple voices and foreground somatic and experiential knowledge. We have previously collaborated with institutions such as the Barbican Centre (RE/SISTERS exhibition) and Pitt Rivers Museum, with upcoming partnerships including All Things Fungi Fest, September 2025.

We hope the space will provide a place of sanctuary, exploration and discovery, and be a place where community and connections are forged and inspiration is found. If you are interested in nature, literature, wildness, ecology, science, art and/or ideas, please do join us. We would love to have you there!

The More-Than-Human Book Club co-founders, hosts and curators are:

Olivia “Lilly” Edward. Lilly is a writer who specialises in nature and the environment. After a career in journalism that took her around the world, she ran nature writing events and panel discussions at the Royal Geographical Society for a couple of years, and she continues to review and write regularly for their magazine. She volunteers as a ranger in Richmond Park and is endlessly enthralled by the natural world and its web of ecological relationships.

Rhona Eve Clews. Rhona is an Artist, Healer and Ecologist. Rhona has a background in Psychology and Photography, and an MFA in Fine Art from Slade School of Fine Art. Drawing upon her past of growing up a hippie she works across humour, writing, photography, performance and filmmaking, aiming to expand them into somatic, eco-feminist practices and contribute to wider ecological ethics of care.

Any questions please email us at morethanhumanbookclub@gmail.com

Refunds Policy

We know there are many valid reasons why people aren't able to make events on the day, and we're always sad when people can't be with us, but unfortunately we are unable to offer ticket refunds. This is because our events are run on a very small budget, with ticket sales just about covering the costs of putting them on. If we issued refunds for cancellations, we’d struggle to cover those costs, and it could make it difficult to keep the series running.

But please know your financial contributions are valued and used prudently. Neither of us take any payment for organising these events, and any small financial surpluses generated go towards making donations to the spaces where we hold our meetings, or into funding future events to keep the series alive.

Thank you so much for your understanding and support -- it truly helps to make these events possible.

*(specific location to be sent upon booking, please note current listed address along the River Thames is an approximate)