Robert Macfarlane lecture: "Is a River Alive?"

Oct 1, 2026
6:00pm to 7:30pm
Price:

Free

McNeill Concert Hall
613 University Street
Rhodes College
Memphis, TN 38112
United States

Charlie Kenny, Rhodes College

Description:

The Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities hosts Robert Macfarlane for a free public lecture at Rhodes College on Thursday, October 1 (6pm, McNeill Concert Hall). 

Macfarlane is Professor of Literature and the Environmental Humanities at the Faculty of English in Cambridge. 

Macfarlane is well-known as a writer about nature, climate, landscape, people, and place, and his books—which include "Is a River Alive?" (2025), "Underland" (2019), "Landmarks" (2015), "The Old Ways" (2012), and "Mountains of the Mind" (2003)—have been translated into more than thirty languages, won prizes around the world, and been widely adapted for music, film, television, radio, and theatre. 

"Is a River Alive?" is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law. It is also an account of three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places. 

This event is free and open to the public, but attendees must pre-register using this link: https://fs22.formsite.com/webmanagerrhod.../muajlptegz/index