The Walking Library for a Wild City features a range of books which people have suggested would be good guides to the exploration of nature in an urban setting, or which will help us reflect on what wild means in a city context. The library is a way to discover what a wild city is and imagine what it may become.
The books that people suggested range from those which help us see what’s sometimes overlooked – for example, the variety of wild things growing in vacant lots – to ‘field-notes’ for a modern city; from dystopian apocalyptic fiction – where nature makes a comeback – to helpful guides to urban foraging; from stories about weeds and the lives of urban trees, to studies of the evocative edgelands between spaces.
We invite you to join our walking library, and help carry our books by foot, sharing texts and looking for the wildness that thrives beneath our feet and in our local backyards. As we walk and read together we will re-map the dear green city of Glasgow – the green howe – and rediscover the significance of old names – Sauchiehall Street, willowhaugh; Kelvin, the reedy river – as well as inventing new ones.
All walks have now been completed. See below for more information on each walk.
a walk to arcadia: a biblioblitz, from the Barras
Sunday 13th May, 11:30am - 1:30pm
Start: Glasgow Collective, 13-27 East Campbell St, G1 5DT
End: Glasgow Collective
The Walking Library brings walking, people and books together. Join us on a place-aware wander through the wild city, as we carry our library on a 90 minute walk from the Barras. Every book has been suggested by someone as a helpful guide to explore wild nature, which thrives in the urban landscape.
garden to garden: a biblioblitz, a green walk from Festival Park
Saturday 26th May, 11:00am - 12:30pm
Start: Festival Park, Pacific Drive, G51 1DB
End: Kinning Park Subway
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a place-aware wander through the wild city, as we carry our library on a 90 minute walk from one garden to another. Every book has been suggested by someone as a helpful guide to explore wild nature, which thrives in the urban landscape, or reflect on what a wild city could become.
wild city | fiadh-bhaile, a word-gathering walk from Govanhill Baths
Friday 29th June 2018, 11am - 1pm
Start: Govanhill Baths, 99 Calder Street, G42 7RA
End: Govanhill Baths
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a place-aware wander through the wild city, as we carry our library on a walk and remap the streets around us. Every book has been suggested by someone as a helpful guide to explore wild nature, which thrives in the urban landscape, or reflect on what a wild city could become.
slow walk walk slow, a slow walk from Govanhill Baths to the hidden gardens
Saturday 30th June 2018, 2pm - 4pm
Start: Govanhill Baths, 99 Calder Street, G42 7RA, at 2pm (or at hidden gardens at 3pm)
End: Govanhill Baths at 4pm (or at hidden gardens at 3pm)
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a slow wander through the green howe (Glasgow). Select a book to share and help create a map of wild nature as we walk from one local place to another, experiencing the city at a snail's pace.
a dauner along bird paths, a wander beginning at the hidden gardens
Wednesday 4th July 2018, 2pm - 4pm
Start: the hidden gardens, 25A Albert Drive, Glasgow G41 2PE
End: the hidden gardens
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us as we follow the flight paths of birds. Select a book to share and help create a map of wild nature as we explore the city as it is and could be from new perspectives.
dear green howe, a walk from George Square to Glasgow Green
Friday 3rd August 2018, 11:00am - 1:00pm
Start: George Square, G2 1DU
End: Glasgow Green
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a wander through the green howe (Glasgow). Select a book to share and help create a map of wild nature – sleekit creatures, willowhaughs and forceful flowers – on a slow walk from the City Centre to Glasgow Green.
sleekit creatures, a long, wild walk from George Square to Partick
Friday 10th August 2018, 11am - 3pm
Start: revised start location, Gallery of Modern art (GoMA)
End: Partick
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a wander through the green howe (Glasgow). Select a book to share and help create a map of wild nature – sleekit creatures, willowhaughs and reedy rivers – on a slow walk from the City Centre to the West End.
the reedy river, a walk to the Kelvin from the Children’s Wood
Saturday 11th August 2018, 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Start: Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow, Kelbourne/Sanda/Clouston Street, Glasgow G20 8QW
End: Children's Wood
The Walking Library brings walking and books together. Join us on a wander through the green howe (Glasgow), from meadow and wood to the reedy river Select a book to share and help create a map of wild nature.
