Meet our new guest contributor:

We’re thrilled to welcome our second guest contributor to Encounter, Vanessa Wright. Vanessa divides her time between Hertfordshire and the Hebrides, moving between landscapes that shape her relationship with the natural world. She left corporate life during the pandemic to follow a long-held pull toward wildlife and nature-based writing, where she is inspired by birds and beachcombing finds.

Vanessa has completed a Masters in Nature and Travel Writing and was announced as Runner-Up in the BBC Countryfile New Nature Writer of the Year competition in 2022. More recently she has been awarded second place in The Wild Muse Prize. Her work has appeared in Bird Watching, Country Walking, and The Simple Things, and she has led nature writing workshops for the RSPB and the Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival. You can connect with Vanessa on Instagram here.

You’ll be able to see Vanessa’s posts if you have your location in Encounter set to a county in Scotland, including the islands. We hope to welcome more guest contributors soon, and are particularly keen to hear from you if you have good nature knowledge and live in, or spend regular time in, Wales or Ireland.