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Christina Riley

All of the information on this page has been provided by the author. If you need an author to have specialist skills, experience or knowledge please ask for more information about this ahead of booking them for an event. Please note that Scottish Book Trust cannot carry out Disclosure checks on Live Literature authors for most events. It is the responsibility of the person organising the event to carry out the appropriate Disclosure checks.
Contact: [email protected]
Other contact method: Via my agent Caro Clarke at [email protected]
Local authority: South Ayrshire
Languages: English
Christina Riley's headshot

A photographer and writer, Christina works with people of all ages to explore the intersections between art, literature and the natural world. Founder of The Nature Library, she explores the role of art and literature in times of climate crisis through pop up installations, writing, workshops, exhibitions, collaborations and publications.

Her debut book Looking Down at the Stars: Life Beneath the Waves was published in 2025 by Saraband Books. The book is illustrated with original pencil drawings by Christina and was described in The Scotsman as "an aquatic Nan Shepherd".

Longlisted for Canongate's Nan Shepherd Prize for Underrepresented Voices in Nature Writing, her essays have been published by Gutter, Extra Teeth, Little Toller and more. In 2024 she made an artist's book, An Index of the Colour of Water, pairing her photographs with descriptions of the colour of water found within books in The Nature Library.

She was Environmentalist-in-Residence with West Dunbartonshire Libraries and provides ecologically inspired art and writing workshops, most recently working with the National Library of Scotland, Whyte & Mackay, Scottish Maritime Museum and Young Sea Changers Scotland. She is an experienced event chair, appearing at Aye Write, Edinburgh International Book Festival and various independent bookshops.

Local authorities will visit

Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Argyll and Bute; Clackmannanshire; Dumfries and Galloway; Dundee; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Lothian; East Renfrewshire; Edinburgh City; Falkirk; Fife; Glasgow City; Highland; Inverclyde; Midlothian; Moray; Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles); North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; Renfrewshire; Scottish Borders; Shetland; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; Stirling; West Dunbartonshire; West Lothian

Events will deliver

Chairing events; Mentoring; Panel event; Reading; Talk; Workshop

Topics of work

Activism & protest; Adventure; Animals; Coasts, seas & oceans; Contemporary fiction; Environment & climate; Fantasy; Friendship; Gender equality; Island communities; Love & romance; Nature; Politics; Rural communities; Science; Science fiction; Seasonal books; Self-publishing & independent publishing; Travel writing

Age groups published for

Children; Teens; Adults

Age groups will work with

0-2; 3-5; 6-8; 9-11; 12-14; 15-18; 18+

Audience size

0-10; 11-30; 31-100; 100-500; 500+