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The ocean covers more than two-thirds of our planet, teems with life beyond imagining, and is changing faster than almost any other ecosystem on Earth. Marine biologist and writer Helen Scales has spent her career diving into its depths - literally and figuratively - and in What the Wild Sea Can Be, she asks one of the most urgent questions of our age: what might the seas become if we protect them?

 

In conversation with author and scientist Andrzej Szewczak, Helen combines deep scientific knowledge with beautiful, urgent prose to make the case for the ocean's future. An essential event for anyone who has ever stood at the sea's edge and wondered at what lies beneath.

 

Themes: Non-Fiction, Adults, Climate Focus

Access: Hearing Loop

 

Dr Helen Scales Books: Shell Day, What The Wild Sea Can Be

Helen Scales is a marine biologist and acclaimed author. Her books have been adapted for stage and screen, and translated into 17 languages. What the Wild Sea Can Be was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing. Helen divides her time between Cambridge and the French coast.

 

Dr Andrzej Szewczak Books: The Stitch-Up

Dr Andrzej Harris, hailing from Poland, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St Catharine’s College. He teaches undergraduate medical and veterinary students and has a background in molecular biology research.

What the Wild Sea Can Be | 11:00 Sat 10 Oct | URC1 - Church

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  • Saturday 10 October 2026, 11:00 AM

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©2023 by Bury St Edmunds Literary Festival. 

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