Join us and share your passion for reading! Our Place: Can We Save Britain’s Wildlife Before It Is Too Late? by Mark Cocker has been revealed as our new Book Club book.

Every two months we will meet virtually over tea and biscuits to discuss some of the best works in contemporary literature. We’ll explore short stories, novels, non-fiction, poetry, and works in translation, making these informal and friendly sessions the perfect way to meet like-minded readers and to discover exciting new reads. We’ll always choose books that are easy to purchase in hard copy online or via Kindle.

Virtual Book Club: Our Place

Our next virtual book club will discuss Mark Cocker’s ‘sobering and magnificent’ examination of Britain’s relationship with the land: Our Place: Can We Save Britain’s Wildlife Before It Is Too Late? Mark is an environmental activist and one of our greatest nature writers, with 11 books to his name so far. Alex Preston from the Guardian called Our Place ‘a seriously great book, important and urgent… As soon as I finished Our Place, I packaged up my copy and sent it off to Michael Gove… this is the kind of book that demands action.’

There are plenty of ways for you to get involved with the book club from home:

Subscribe and listen to the Writing Life podcast

Tune in to the next episode of The Writing Life podcast (coming this week) where Flo Reynolds will give a brief introduction to the Book Club and Mark’s book.

Join our new online community

We’ve launched a new community space on Discord to help readers and writers connect in these unusual times. Book Club members were the first to be invited, so come and join the discussion! Click here to claim your free spot.

Take part in a virtual book club discussion via Zoom

If you’re looking for something a little more interactive, you can join us in January for a virtual book club discussion by video! Just sign-up for free and we will send you instructions ahead of time.

Sign-up for 5 – 6.30pm GMT, Tuesday 26 January 2021

Sign-up for 5.30 – 7pm GMT, Friday 29 January 2021

Spaces are limited so we recommend booking your place in advance.

Try our questions and suggested activities based on the book

Our Place: Questions for readers

Writing exercise inspired by Our Place

Recommended reads for fans of Mark Cocker

Send us your thoughts via social media or email

We’d love to hear what you thought of the book. You can email us any time at info@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk or contact us via TwitterFacebook or Instagram to share your comments – and if you’re happy for us to do so, we can read them aloud on the Writing Life podcast.


Where can I buy the book?

Many of your favourite independent bookshops are continuing their business online or by phone and will deliver anywhere in the UK. Why not give them a shout?

You can shop over 150 independent bookshops online now at uk.bookshop.org

Norwich – The Book HiveJarroldTombland BooksBookbugs and Dragon TalesAbstract SprockettNorfolk Children’s Book Centre

London – Burley Fisher BooksDaunt BooksBrick Lane BookshopPages of HackneyDulwich BooksStoke Newington BookshopSouth Kensington BooksNewham BookshopPages of Cheshire StreetThe All Good BookshopPickled Pepper BooksOwl BookshopPersephone Books

Edinburgh – Golden Hare BooksTypewronger Books

Wadhurst – Barnetts Books

York – Ken Spelman Books

Petersfield – The Petersfield Bookshop

Stockton-on-Tees – Drake the Bookshop

Arundel and Chichester – Kim’s Bookshop

Nottingham – Five Leaves Bookshop

Hexham, Northumberland – Cogito Books

Explore The Bookseller’s list of independent bookshops and the services they can offer

Our Place is also available for purchase as an eBook and Audiobook.