Under the Hornbeams - A True Story of Life in the Open

Emma Tarlo is an anthropologist, writer and curator and an Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has written numerous highly-regarded academic titles as well as contributing to Radio 4 programmes and podcasts. Emma will be talking about her latest book which is the result of a year of getting to know Nick and Pascal who live outside in central London; for the past five years their shelter has been under the hornbeam trees in Regent’s Park.

Returning to the park almost daily, Emma meets the community of people, dogs and birds who gravitate around Nick and Pascal and discovers the precarious networks of giving and receiving that exist undetected in London’s streets. The result is a life-affirming story that pays homage to the power of human connection and upturns many of our preconceptions about home, family, work and community.