Win a Copy of Letters to the Earth

On February 18,  HarperCollins will publish the Letters to the Earth: Writing to a Planet in Crisis paperback bringing together over 100 letters – from children, parents, scientists, nurses, artists and politicians worldwide – in response to the combined crises of the climate and ecological emergency, and the coronavirus pandemic. 

The letters are gathered into key themes: Love, Loss, Emergence, Hope and Action. Reflecting on the last year, Ben Okri writes that we are at the ‘beginning of an age of catastrophes’, and that we must listen to the earth’s ‘silent wisdom’ in order to live again. While Freya Mavor in her letter invites us to ‘Be brave. Be still. Be kind.’

New contributor to the book – Ben Okri – (letter and video here) – Ben is a Nigerian-born British poet, playwright and novelist, winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1991. He has published eleven novels, four books of Short Stories, two collections of essays, and three volumes of poems. His books have won numerous international prizes including the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Africa, the Paris Review Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the Chianti Ruffino-Antico Fattore International Literary Prize, and the Premio Grinzane Cavour Prize. 

About Letters to the Earth

Letters to the Earth was launched in collaboration with Culture Declares Emergency by novelist Anna Hope, theatre director Jo McInnes, and theatre-maker Kay Michael in February 2019. They issued a call for the public to write a letter to or from the earth, other species, future or past generations, or people in positions of power. 

Over 1000 letters were submitted within the first month: from 4-year-olds to great grandparents; from artists, scientists, journalists, activists and politicians worldwide. The responses have been read for the public by actors including Emma Thompson and Paapa Essiedu, and have been performed at venues worldwide and on film with actors including Andrew Scott.