"Is a River Alive?" Robert Macfarlane lecture, Rhodes College, October 1, 2026

The Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities hosts Robert Macfarlane for a free public lecture at Rhodes College on Thursday, October 1 (6pm, McNeill Concert Hall). Macfarlane is Professor of Literature and the Environmental Humanities at the Faculty of English in Cambridge. He is well-known as a writer about nature, climate, landscape, people, and place, and his books—which include Is a River Alive? (2025), Underland (2019), Landmarks (2015), The Old Ways (2012), and Mountains of the Mind (2003)—have been translated into more than thirty languages, won prizes around the world, and been widely adapted for music, film, television, radio, and theatre. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law. It is also an account of three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places. This event is free and open to the public, but attendees must pre-register using this link: https://fs22.formsite.com/webmanagerrhodesedu/muajlptegz/index