‘There’s Something About Invertebrates’ with Stephen Eddy
A ramble into the incredible world of creepy crawlies by Stephen Eddy, a self-confessed “lifelong turner over of rocks and rummager in bushes”. Stephen Eddy is a local familiar face and much-loved character who works as Exmoor Zoo’s Education Officer. A qualified veterinary nurse, zookeeper and teacher, Stephen makes learning fun, regardless of age or ability, with his unique and entertaining rapport. For those brave enough, there will be an optional opportunity at the end to conquer your spider phobia!
‘Unnatural Selection: Evolution at the Hand of Man’ by Katrina van Grouw
When Charles Darwin contemplated how best to introduce his controversial new theory of evolution to the general public, he chose to compare it with the selective breeding of domesticated animals. In her book, Unnatural Selection, marking the 150th anniversary year of Darwin’s great work on domesticated animals, Variation under Domestication, science author and illustrator Katrina van Grouw explains why this analogy was more appropriate than even Darwin had realised. Artificial selection is, in fact, more than just an analogy for natural selection – it’s the perfect example of evolution in action.
Katrina van Grouw, creator of the critically acclaimed illustrated books The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural Selection, inhabits that no-man’s land slap bang between art and science. She holds degrees in Fine Art and Natural History Illustration and is a former bird ringer and curator of ornithological collections at the British Natural History Museum. Katrina is currently studying for a PhD in palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge, while working on a new and expanded version of her magnum opus, The Unfeathered Bird. Katrina’s second book, Unnatural Selection, has recently been released in August 2023. She will be bringing copies with her, as well as prints and postcards of her work for purchase.
Date: Thursday 21st September 2023
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm (doors opens at 6pm)
Cost: Adults £5, Students £4