Author Talk: Nature and Language with Shekufe Heiberg

What does it mean to 'arte'? According to Shekufe Tadayoni Heiberg's Dictionary: The Verbs of Life, it means: "To be species-creating. To create new species and adjust existing ones - life has been arting since it began."

The dictionary emerged from a desire to understand what it means to exist in the world as something other than human - to make visible the agency of species independent of humanity's functionalist view of their value. Heiberg's dream is that we collectively create words that give us a deeper understanding of nature's subjectivity and existence in its own right.

The event is a conversation with Anette Øster, literary programme director at Roskilde Libraries.

The event takes place as part of Skaberværk, a green one-day festival organized by Roskilde Diocese with contributions from Roskilde Libraries, the Danish Nature Conservation Association, Madoasen, and the Green Transition Association. At the festival site you will also find the Library Bike with a librarian and a selection of green titles - specialist literature on nature's complexity and sustainability as well as novels and poetry for both children and adults. The rest of today's programme includes talks, workshops on topics such as Francis of Assisi and biodiverse churchyards, a pilgrimage walk along the fjord, and a festival service in Roskilde Cathedral.

See the full programme at roskildestift.dk/skabervaerk