In these pages you will find hope. Beyond the Brink is the Beginning is a deeply connecting and soothing balm for eco-anxiety. The poems in this book will take you on a journey from this world of uncertainty and ecological breakdown to the world of our potential thriving future. A world in which you are no longer helpless, ambivalent or despairing. A world in which we have reconciled our extractive, exploitative past and embraced our oneness with each other and with nature.
Beyond the brink of global catastrophe, beyond the calamity of climate change and biodiversity loss, there is still hope for a new beginning. This book is about that beginning and the myriad ways that we can each weave magic back into this beautiful, untameable tapestry of life.
About the Author
Richard's poetry has been described as riveting in its simple complexity, resplendent and inspirational. His work is respected by authors and activists from Manda Scott to Jeremy Lent. As a member of the Thrutopia writing collective, Richard has made it his purpose to write stories and poetry that help us imagine a path to a brighter future.
During a career in marketing, teaching and scientific research he has seen the evidence for climate change first hand, worked with the young people who will be most affected by our changing planet and learned how to tell stories that resonate and cut through the noise of our oversaturated media. His work asks us to connect with something deeper, to see the threads of our interdependent world with fresh eyes and to discover our own role as weavers of a better tomorrow.
A poet and entrepreneur, Richard lives and works in South Devon, UK. He takes much of the inspiration for his work from the wilds of Dartmoor and the rugged and beautiful South Hams coast.
An extract from the Foreword by Manda Scott (Bestselling author of the Boudica Series and A Treachery of Spies)
From the Introduction where you reach the cliff's edge and realise you are not alone, through the rhythmic promise of an unravelling and reweaving in The Future is Already Here, to the wonder of engagement in Atoms and the joy of discovery through the telescope in Beyond to the implicit community in We Share a Dream... each of these pieces offers new insight, new possibility and the sense of co-creation that is at the heart of all the best art.
I share with Richard the belief that there is still time for a decent future to emerge from the collapse of the current system: that we can leave to our grandchildren's grandchildren a flourishing world, where people and planet thrive, where humanity steps into the niche that the web of life offers us and where each of us brings the best of ourselves to the collective table, confident that we are a thread in the overall weave and this weave is beautiful.
If we're to get to this, we need encouragement to let go of the old paradigm and step with joy, courage and conviction into the new. These pages will help pave the route. I commend them to your hearts and your souls.