Christopher Brown: A Natural History of Empty Lots

Christopher Brown is an author, attorney, and urban naturalist living in Austin, Texas. His newest book, A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places, blends nature writing, memoir, and nonfiction. The book explores the intersection of nature and urban spaces, encouraging readers to reconnect with the wilderness found in city edgelands and forgotten lots. Brown’s narrative examines how wildlife adapts to urban environments and offers practical advice for rewilding urban life without relying on remote landscapes. Through personal stories and reflections, he inspires readers to appreciate and act on the urgent need to preserve biodiversity within their immediate surroundings.

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Enthralling. Your laid-back yet searchingly intelligent questions show off Brown's "Applied Ballardianism" to great effect. This book is something rich and strange, equal parts Mike Davis's _Ecology of Fear_, Iain Sinclair's psychogeography, and Ballard's "Terminal Beach," with a dash of Edward Abbey and a whiff of Kim Stanley Robinson. Your conversation was well worth a listen.