Gifts from the Land: Paper Making and Creative Writing with Christina Riley

Join us for a relaxed and creative afternoon of papermaking and writing with Christina Riley, founder of The Nature Library and author of the forthcoming book Looking Down at the Stars (out November 6, 2025).

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to make your own paper using sustainable, easy-to-follow methods that you can replicate at home. Christina will also guide participants through intuitive and practical strategies to help kickstart the writing process, whether you're just beginning or looking for new inspiration.

We’ll begin with a mindful walk through the garden, taking time to engage our senses and take in textures, colours, and impressions from the natural world. Back in the Boiler House, Christina will introduce the basics of papermaking, demonstrate simple techniques, and offer space to experiment and creative play.

Although the paper made during the session will take a few days to dry (and can be collected later), we’ll also prepare ready-to-use sheets for crafting on the day, perfect for getting ahead of the festive season.

A light lunch will be provided, and there will be plenty of time to get creative in a calm and welcoming space.

No prior experience is needed. Materials will be provided.

This workshop is recommended for ages 16+. Please meet at the Visitor Centre upon arrival.

About Looking Down at the Stars

Discover the wonder of marine life seen up close in these joyous and sparkling essays.

In 2022, Christina Riley became an ‘underwater artist in residence’ at the Argyll Coast Hope Spot – a place of incredible natural beauty in Scotland also crucial for the health of the world’s oceans. She spent days submerged alongside marine life, before resurfacing to reflect, recreate and recount what she had seen – and the feelings of love, hope and responsibility her experience had evoked in her.

The resulting essays, collected in this stunning volume, swim through the kaleidoscope of marine life she found there, from starfish to seagrass to the water itself. What shines through all of them is a sense of wonder that is also a call to action. Looking Down at the Stars asks: how can we harness our feelings of awe at the natural world in order to take better care of it?

Christina Riley’s lyrical prose is the perfect guide to this unfamiliar underwater world, brimming with surprises, sunlight and sea stars.

Gifts from the Land is a series of workshops led by Scotland-based artists and craftspeople sharing with you their carefully developed knowledge on working with natural materials – inviting you to grow your creative practice and connect more deeply with the land around you.

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Host or Publisher St Andrews Botanic Garden