Meet The Wandering Heath Project, the next in our student-led collaborative project series

Gabby, Josie, Honeysuckle and Amber, the 3rd students founders and leaders of The Wandering Heath — Gabby, Josie, Honeysuckle and Amber, the 3rd students founders and leaders of *The Wandering Heath*

Our 3rd years are leading original collaborative projects

This term, our third-year students are hard at work with a range of collaborative projects, including The Pompeii Project who are right now in Italy discovering the ruins of Pompeii. These student-led projects are part of a new module where they consider the writer’s role as part of a creative eco-system, and literature’s role in the creative economy through working on a collaborative project.

In our second interview, we talked to the The Wandering Heath Project team about their experience so far.

Define what The Wandering Heath Project is about

The Wandering Heath is an anthology of poems and illustrations which also acts as a Cornish wildflower identification guide.

We are collaborating with local writers and artists because we feel they have a distinctive voice and a unique understanding of the land, and we are eager to engage with both Falmouth’s artistic community and natural landscapes.

The book is intended to inspire people to engage creatively with these natural surroundings. It assists the viewer in getting to the ‘roots’ of their community by supporting local poets and illustrators, simultaneously developing the ability to identify local wildflowers.

Because of our place in the community as students, immersed in the local landscape and social collective but not originally from Falmouth, we have a unique perspective on the regional flora and how people relate to it. We feel that this venture is a culmination of our time here; an expression of our love for Falmouth, its landscape and its community.

Why did you choose this project?

Honey: I have always loved wildflowers; my mother has green fingers and passed this enthusiasm down to me at a very young age. As I grew, so did my love for poetry and I became increasingly interested in the relationship between wildflowers and poetry.

I used to identify wildflowers with my trusty pocket-book during rambles, and this is a habit I brought down to Cornwall with me. The collaborative module provided me with the perfect opportunity to combine all of these passions and work with women who also share them.

Why did you choose an anthology as the outcome of your project?

Gabby – We wanted to regenerate the identification books we all know. We knew we had to keep the information so that people can identify the wildflowers, but use poetry to convey and create emotional responses, and help others to feel the same way that we do. We wanted to collaborate with local writers in order to share the experience and combine as many perspectives as possible.

Why did you decide to do this for your collaborative project and what do you want to gain?

Honey – After leaving my home in Essex I struggled to adjust to my new surroundings. But I found comfort in Cornwall’s natural beauty. We all want to celebrate Cornwall’s outdoors, the ways it has changed and inspired us.

Amber – This project spoke to us all in individual ways, but at the core of our reasoning was the passion we felt for Cornwall, its natural landscapes and its creative inhabitants. We all hope to deepen our engagement with these aspects of Cornwall throughout the duration of the project.

What are you most excited about?

Josie – The process in itself is very exciting, but we’re all particularly excited to see the book take a physical form so we can take it out on rambles! That feeling only grows as more and more people get involved and share our enthusiasm for our project.

What is next for your project?

Honey – We are very interested in The Wandering Heath having life beyond this collaborative project. We really enjoy working with each other and also working collaboratively with artists and writers. We have generated a lot of interest in this project, students especially seem excited to engage with their surroundings creatively.

Gabby – We are hoping to have a ‘launch’ event, where the poets are invited to read their own contributions to celebrate the project. Nothing’s set in stone yet – so watch this space!