Melissa Harrison (born 1975) is an English novelist, short story and nature writer.

Biography

Harrison was born in Effingham Junction, Surrey in 1975. She attended a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

before studying English Literature at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, graduating in 1996. After graduating, she worked as a freelance magazine subeditor, while contributing a regular "Nature Notes" column in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', columns for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and contributions to radio and television. Her first novel, ''Clay'', was published by

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

in January 2013, followed by ''At Hawthorn Time'' in 2015. Her non-fiction books include ''Rain: Four Walks in English Weather'' (2016). A third novel, ''All Among the Barley'', was published in August 2018. Her short story ''The Black Dog'' was broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in March 2017 and she has contributed episodes to the channel's ''

Tweet of the Day ''Tweet of the Day'' is a British radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on weekdays at 05:58 from Monday to Friday. In the current format, the Sunday episode, (08:58), no longer features birdsong, instead the presenter explains their reasons ...

'' programme. She has also made appearances on the BBC Two series ''

Springwatch ''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...

''. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, she began a nature diary podcast called ''The Stubborn Light of Things'' which formed the basis of a new memoir published in November 2020 that outlined her move from urban London to rural Suffolk. Her first children's novel, ''By Ash, Oak and Thorn'' was published by Chicken House Books in May 2021.

Awards

* 2010:

John Muir Trust The John Muir Trust (JMT) is a Scottish charity, established in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all. The Trust runs an environmental award scheme, manages several estates, mainly in the Highlands and Islands of Scot ...

Wild Writing Award *2019:

European Union Prize for Literature The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), established in 2009, is a European Union literary award. Its aim is to recognise outstanding new literary talents from all over Europe, to promote the circulation and translation of literature among ...

for ''All Among the Barley''

References

External links

Richard Powers and nature writing
Open Book, Alex Clark interviews Richard Powers, Melissa Harrison and Jessica J Lee 12:00-27min, BBC Radio 4 podcast, 28 August 2018, accessed 2 September 2018.
Melissa Harrison – Novelist and Nature Writer
Melissa’s personal website with links to her books, podcast and other work. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Melissa 1975 births Living people 21st-century British short story writers 21st-century English women writers 21st-century English writers British women short story writers English women novelists New Statesman people