'All My Wild Mothers is a story of motherhood, loss and what can happen when you steadily sow the seeds of new life, as Victoria and her son did on barren wasteland next to the council estate they moved to when her son was five years old. Victoria was weeks away from giving birth when her world was turned upside down after her sister died suddenly in a canoeing accident. Two years later her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, in diabetic ketoacidosis after her concerns about his health were dismissed by doctors. This plunged Victoria into a terrifying world of being a carer for a baby with a chronic condition, all while still processing her own grief. Victoria’s writing is strikingly transportive, and the severity of what it means to raise a child with diabetes really comes through as you move through her world within the book. The evocative retelling of her experiences as a parent will stick with me for a long time, and not only will this book help parents going through similar challenges, but it will do so much to raise awareness of the realities of dealing with type 1 to those who are unaffected by the condition. This is undoubtedly a story of resilience, but also one of great hope' 

'In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re giving space to a few of the women who’ve found meaning and fulfilment in the gardens they’ve created. We’re exploring the power that exists in our own connection with the rich environments we inhabit, and the myriad of ways we can care for and cultivate it. Writer and gardener Alice Vincent opens up about her quest to find out why exactly women grow, RHS edible grower Suzie Kelly shares her top tips for growing her favourite vegetable (tomatoes!), and author Victoria Bennett gives us an honest look at the apothecary garden she built in the midst of deep grief.

'Victoria Bennett, author of the intimate memoir ‘All My Wild Mothers’  - a story of re-wilding our wastelands & the transformation that happens when we do. After losing her sister in a boating accident & later finding out her son had a lifelong medical condition, Vik turned to the rubble & weeds outside her door to create a new kind of future. A look to the simpler side of life where we can be closer to nature and allow it to support and heal us through our more challenging times. Thanks also for showing us how to seek out nature in our daily lives so that when we hit the tough times we already have the means to help us survive and even thrive.

“A stunning addition to the growing canon of nature writing we have in this country. I loved speaking with Victoria about the symbiosis of writing and gardening, re-finding creativity after loss, the process of writing her debut memoir All My Wild Mothers, and much more.”

Interview with Robert Kirkwood (@TalkingBooks) on weeds, mothering through grief, and the benefits of wild gardening for those living with vision impairment, as we chat about the story sown into All My Wild Mothers.

Recorded for Read On - The Audiobook Show - RNIB Radio