Overview

'Urgent and beautiful, this book shows how our treatment of disability mirrors our treatment of nature. Essential reading' ? Katherine May, author of Wintering 'A passionate call for an inclusive countryside - nature for all and all for nature' ? Jack Cornish, author of The Lost Paths Since childhood, Bethany Handley has always felt most at home out in the wilds of the Welsh countryside. This all changed when Bethany became a full-time wheelchair user in her twenties and suddenly found herself padlocked out of the landscapes she belonged to. Today, nearly one in four people are Disabled in the UK. Yet, public rights of way are blocked in 32,000 places across England and Wales. My Body is a Meadow writes into this troubling landscape. Passionate and political, it delivers a galvanising call for us to rethink how we live among nature and each other. Lyrical and personal, Bethany invites readers to wheel alongside her as she explores ableism, climate justice and what nature means to her. On this journey we discover the feral boar of the Forest of Dean, and one of the first places in Britain to industrialise; how the metal and rubber of a wheelchair can become just as much a part of your body as skin and bone; why swifts rarely land and how maps tell a story of exclusion. Unearthing parallels between land ownership and privatised healthcare, loss of biodiversity and social marginalisation, Bethany explores the lessons nature can teach us about inclusion and interdependence. This is a rallying cry for us to stop gatekeeping nature and work together to make it open and equal to all. Praise for Cling Film: 'Cling Film is a collection that lifts many veils and lets in much-needed light and air' Carol Rumens, Guardian 'Opens our eyes and minds to new ways of seeing and being' Owen Sheers, author of Skirrid Hill 'Be careful, these poems will change the way you see the world' Kim Moore, author of All the Men I Never Married 'For anyone who values life' Joshua Jones, author of Local Fires 'Glorious, necessary reading' Polly Atkin, author of Some of Us Just Fall 'I laughed for an hour alongside Bethany Handley and, while I was laughing, I forgot about my pain' the Cyborg Jillian Weise, author of Common Cyborg 'Breathtakingly raw and beautiful' Connor Allen

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9781035427505

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Reviews

Urgent and beautiful, this book shows how our treatment of disability mirrors our treatment of nature. Essential reading * Katherine May, author of Wintering * Handley is a natural storyteller whose writing bursts with vitality and beauty. My Body is a Meadow is essential reading. A passionate call for an inclusive countryside - nature for all and all for nature * Jack Cornish, author of The Lost Paths * An important, perspective-shifting book which made me think about access and our relationship to the natural world anew. Handley's writing challenges and interrogates the status quo, and comes from a place of deep connection and love for nature * James Macdonald Lockhart, author of Wild Air and Raptor * A painfully honest assessment of how the damage done to Disabled people mirrors that being done to the environment, the barriers both encounter and in turn how these barriers could be overcome * Maria Kett, The Conversation * In My Body is a Meadow, Bethany Handley guides us through the wilder places of Cymru while vividly describing how inaccessible they remain to Disabled people. My Body is a Meadow moves through rage, laughter, grief and joy and makes it resoundingly clear that access to the outdoors must mean access for all. With a poet's skill and a naturalist's understanding, Bethany Handley celebrates the way in which disability can deepen a connection with nature and leaves us in no doubt that ecocide and societal violence towards marginalised people have the same root cause. Bethany Handley's writing is a blast of fresh air in the world of nature writing and My Body is a Meadow is a change making book * Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean * A stunning exploration of longing for freedom, finding a home in your body and walking your own path in life even when physical and social barriers can make it seem like an impossible feat. Handley's writing powerfully dismantles the idea that interdependence is something we should fear, and instead shows us how the human condition is intertwined with the natural world and reflects its own fight for survival during these pivotal years * Pippa Stacey, author of How To Do Life With A Chronic Illness * Part memoir, part manifesto, part social and natural history of land access and disability, My Body Is A Meadow is an essential celebration of interdependence and interconnectedness. Beautiful, informative and urgent, this is a book that should change conversation and possibilities both for nature and for humans, and how we live together and care for each other in a more just world. * Polly Atkin, author of The Company of Owls * Important, inclusive, and beautifully written, this memoir details the life of a Disabled writer as she explores the links between disability and nature -- Liz Robinson * Love Reading * Compelling and change-making, this book is an essential read for those who love the outdoors. -- Petre-Adrian Banuta * Buzz Magazine * Beautiful, enlightening, energetic, challenging and essential ... It is a book that chronicles Beth's journey back to nature, with a disability, within a world which doesn't consider access to nature in the right way ... This book should be required reading for everyone, especially politicians and educators. Actually scrap that we all should read this book * Katriona O'Sullivan, Author of Poor and Hungry *

A painfully honest assessment of how the damage done to Disabled people mirrors that being done to the environment, the barriers both encounter and in turn how these barriers could be overcome * Maria Kett, The Conversation *

Author Information

Bethany Handley is an award-winning writer, poet and disability activist from South Wales. Named one of the UK's ten most influential disabled people in politics, law, and media by the Shaw Trust 2024, she campaigns for disability rights and better access to nature. An ambassador for Country Living's Access for All, Wales Coast Path, and Ramblers Cymru, her debut poetry pamphlet Cling Film was published by Seren in 2025. Bethany co-edited Beyond / Tu Hwnt, a ground-breaking bilingual anthology of Welsh Deaf and disabled writers. Her work has been featured by BBC One, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4, the Poetry Foundation, Country Living, The Guardian and more.

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