Episode 175: Kate Skinner – Landscape in literature

‘It is about realising…we live on such a jolly, beautiful planet’.
- Kate Skinner

This very special episode is a celebration of the life of Kate Skinner. Kate was passionate about human rights and social justice. She had a deep love of literature and the transformative power of human stories. Her warmth and love was felt by everyone in her life.

Listen to hear more about:

• The freedom of unstructured outdoor play in childhood.

• The values of social justice woven into Kate’s family life.

• Literature in the classroom and the ways Kate engaged her students in learning.

• The importance of landscape in literature and how it shapes characters and readers.

• How good writing can stretch past the limitations of our language.

• Finding lessons and meaning in literature. 

• How reading develops empathy.

• Processing deep emotions through communication. 

• Kate’s love of teaching.

• How curiosity helps us connect with life and with each other. 

Here is a list of the books Kate refers to during the interview: 

Alexis Wright – Carpentaria

Emily Brontë - Wuthering Heights

John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath

Samantha Harvey - Orbital 

Charlotte Wood - Stone Yard Devotional

Rebecca Solnit - Orwell’s Roses

George Eliot - Silas Marner

Elizabeth Strout – Olive Kitteridge

Azar Nafisi - Reading Lolita in Tehran

Charles Dickens – David Copperfield

Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead

Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden

The celebration of Kate’s life that we talked about during our conversation was recorded. You can watch it here: Celebrate Kate. 

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Thank you for listening!