Dark Skies Festival - online talk Wednesday 13 November, 7pm

Owls have been a long-time fascination for the acclaimed poet and non-fiction writer Polly Atkin. In her captivating new book, THE COMPANY OF OWLS, she turns her poet’s eye on the tawny owl, the most common owl in Britain, which live in the woods above the rented cottage where she lives in Grasmere, Cumbria.

Each night, the owls come down to her cottage at dusk, calling out as night falls and nest on the route of her daily walk, enabling her to observe a trio of owlets grow from fledglings to young adults.

‘I am no expert in things owls or owlish’ writes Polly, ‘I just live next to some. Everything I know about my neighbours, the owls, is knowledge gleaned in fragment, learnt though coincidence and chronic illness. This book is about owls, but it is also about me. My knowledge is casual, accidental, filtered through pop culture and literature and entirely tempered by partiality. Because I love my neighbours, the owls, I want you to love them too.’

As Polly observes the adult tawny owls and three of their offspring through the seasons, she shares her wonder and delight in these enchanting, inquisitive and playful birds of prey. 

Frightened of the dark as a child and with a history of insomnia, Polly listens to the owls at night and begins to see night time as a zone of possibilities. Witnessing the owls and their owlets interacting she sees that love is what drives our and the owls’ survival. Her time watching the owls teaches her to listen to the sounds of the woods, its movements and its inhabitants.

Living with chronic illness, Polly has a special affinity with the owls, feeling at times more like an owl than a human with her hyper-sensitive, hyper-aware and hyper flexible body. Her illness also leaves her at times isolated and disconnected from the world but the digital age helps transform this, connecting her to friends and owl watchers in other continents, linking her with her non-human neighbours.

Format of the event:

Polly will talk a bit about her background and journey which led to the book, including the impact of lighting at night on birds and wildlife; then she'll discuss the content of the book with our Dark Skies Officer Jack Ellerby, followed by Q&A with attendees.

This online talk is free. If you wish to support our events and dark skies work, you can make a donation during the booking process. Suggested donation £3.