Chaired by Dr Hannah Rudman, the 2026 Edinburgh International Book Festival is hosting Birds – Evolution and Extinction on Weds 19th Aug (update: sold out by early July!). Every Jurassic Park fan knows dinosaurs eventually evolved into birds, and in The Story of Birds, leading palaeontologist and film adviser Steve Brusatte recounts that thrilling, 150-million-year journey towards the creatures we know today. In The Book of Birds, meanwhile, artist Jackie Morris (with writer Robert Macfarlane) celebrates avian species at risk of extinction with soulful paintings and words. From prehistoric beginnings to modern vulnerability, Brusatte and Morris discuss the joys and mysteries of our feathered friends.
Words of the Wild is a nature storytelling campaign hosted by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and this year includes the inaugural Words of the Wild Book Festival.
Taking place over five days (29 Sep – 3 Oct) it will include a series of online and in-person author events, storytelling workshops and a member-exclusive panel discussion which Hannah is chairing.
