The Big Smoke Variety Show
The Big Smoke Variety Show is hosted by Kevin Bennett, a Canadian theatre director living in London. It blends the playfulness of classic TV variety shows with cultural salon-style conversations, featuring interviews with authors, historians, entertainers, scientists, and other experts. Recurring segments explore topics such as neuroaesthetics and the historic finds of London mudlarks on the River Thames. Episodes also include original comedy, sketches, mini radio plays, and stories about rituals that bring people together.
Episodes
Mind the Gap: The Big Smoke Variety Show Update
Hello friends! Whether you’ve been along for the ride these past two years or have just stumbled across our show now, welcome and thanks for tuning in.
This is just a quick note to let you know that The Big Smoke Variety Show is taking a little hiatus. We’ve decided to recharge our creative batteries and think about how we want to continue bringing wonderful stories, fascinating conversations, and
Silly Season: A Double Bill of Stories You Haven’t Heard
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Back in 1861, the phrase “silly season” was coined to describe that sleepy stretch of summer when there wasn’t much real news to report, and newspapers filled their pages with wonderfully oddball stories instead. So, we’ve done the same—bringing you another double dose of mythical tales perfect for long summer evenings.
In this week’s Silly Season we have two
Silly Season: A Double Bill of The Strange Brothers
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!
Back in 1861, the phrase “silly season” was coined to describe that sleepy stretch of summer when there wasn’t much real news to report, and newspapers filled their pages with wonderfully oddball stories instead. So, we’ve done the same—bringing you a double scoop of silliness perfect for long summer evenings.
This week, everyone’s favourite apprentice illus
Beneath the Muddy Waters with London’s Mudlarking Community
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This week, we take another peek behind one of your favourite recurring segments and venture down to the foreshore with Sean Clark the Mudlark's Latest Find.
Kevin is joined by Sean Clark, Sam Caetoven and Angela Bridge — a true muddle of mudlarks — for a conversation about the strange, beautiful and deeply human world of searching the banks of the River Thame
Behind the Nugget: Neuroaesthetics with Archie McAlpine
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This week, we take a peek behind the nugget and explore one of your favourite recurring segments: Archie’s Neuro Nuggets.
Kevin is joined by Archie McAlpine, whose quick, actionable insights have taken us through the fascinating ways our brains respond to the world around us — from fractals, ASMR and nostalgia to laughter, sound, creativity and the hidden pow
Loo Tour at The Princess Louise & The Strange Brothers: Hey Presto!
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This week, we throw open the doors to Variety Week and descend from one of London’s most magnificent pub loos into a magical podcast takeover from our favourite apprentice magicians.
First, London’s very own Loo Lady, Rachel Cole Wilkin, returns with another stop on London Loo Tours. This time, Rachel takes us beneath the Princess Louise Pub in Holborn, a Vic
More Balls Than Hands: The Art of Juggling with Sean Gandini
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This week, we step into the fascinating world of juggling — from ancient Egypt and Covent Garden street performance to opera houses, ballet studios, flying apples and the strange beauty of objects in motion.
Kevin is joined by Sean Gandini, co-founder of the internationally renowned Gandini Juggling ensemble. Raised in Havana, Cuba, Sean was first drawn to ma
Tommy Flowers’ Blue Plaque & Stories You Haven’t Heard: Savitri and Satyavan
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This week, we throw open the doors to Variety Week and journey from the secrets hiding behind London’s blue plaques to an ancient tale of love, fate and devotion from the forests of India.
First, comedian and blue plaque tour guide Kate Sharp returns with another stop on her delightfully unhinged walking tour of London. This time, Kate leads us to Dollis Hill
Why We Should Love Wasps with Seirian Sumner
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This week, we brave the sting and fly into the surprisingly fascinating world of wasps — from Shakespeare and Aristotle to cockroach hunters, paper architects, picnic pests. We explore some of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.
Kevin is joined by Seirian Sumner, Professor of Behavioural Ecology at University College London and author of Endless Forms: Why
The Strange Brothers’ Saw Trick & Underground Loos
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This week, we throw open the doors to Variety Week and descend into the wonderfully strange — from apprentice magicians wrestling with the laws of reality to historic London loos wrestling with the laws of plumbing.
First, fan-favourite trainee magicians The Strange Brothers return from the Xander Eldrick Institute of Illusion, Divination and, of course, Danc
The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet with Yi-Ling Liu
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This week, we log on and step into the complex world of China’s internet, a digital landscape shaped by innovation, censorship, and the ever-shifting boundaries of freedom and control.
Kevin is joined by journalist and author Yi-Ling Liu to discuss her new book, The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet. Yi-Ling’s work has
Stories You Haven’t Heard: The Hedley Kow & A Recent Mudlark Find
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This week we wander away from the ordinary and into a world of folklore, hidden histories, and strange things waiting to be found — from shapeshifting spirits in the north of England to forgotten objects emerging from the River Thames.
First, in a brand new segment, Stories You Haven’t Heard, Kevin takes us to Northumberland for the tale of the Hedley Kow — a
The Age of Alchemy with Kit Chapman
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This week, we strike a match and step into the strange, smoky, and surprisingly human world of alchemy — where fire is sacred, emperors chase immortality, and one man’s glowing urine helps shape the story of modern chemistry.
Kevin is joined by award-winning journalist, adventurer, and author Dr Kit Chapman to discuss his new book The Age of Alchemy: How Ear
Flush & Fix: London Loos and the Restart Café
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This week we take a rather unexpected journey through the city — from flushing away the everyday to restoring what we might otherwise dump. This episode explores how even the most overlooked spaces and objects can tell powerful stories about how we live.
First, our new segment, Let’s Go to the Loo! Kevin is joined by Rachel Cole-Wilkin, creator of London Loo
Gaming for Social Change with Dr Richard Cole
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This week we press start on the world of video games. From ancient history to interactive storytelling, we explore not just what games are, but what they might become — and what they can reveal about how we understand the world around us.
Kevin is joined by Dr Richard Cole, Senior Lecturer in Digital Futures in the Department of Classics & Ancient History
Rapid Response Collecting at the V&A Museum
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This week we turn our attention to the objects that surround us — the everyday things we carry, discard, and barely notice — and ask what they might reveal about who we are and the times we’re living through. From museum collections to sensory experiences and a little magical mischief, this episode explores the curious relationship between the material world
The Redemptive Power of Coffee with Matthew Green and Thomas Clare
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This week, we follow the rich and robust story of coffee in London, from smoky 17th-century coffeehouses to the modern-day communities forming around a simple cup.
Kevin is joined by historian Dr Matthew Green and Redemption Roasters’ In-custody Training Manager Thomas Clare to explore the past and present of London’s coffee culture. From the first coffee hou
Spiritual Spring Cleaning at The Actors’ Church with Reverend Simon Grigg
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This week we lean into that strange, in-between season — when winter lingers, spring teases, and the city begins to stir once more. From the quiet reflection of Covent Garden’s Actors’ Church to the tidal rhythms of the Thames, we explore how London — and perhaps all of us — finds its way from darkness into light.
Kevin is joined by Reverend Simon Grigg, rect
Charlie Chaplin's London with Jacqueline Riding
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This week we stroll the hard streets of South London, tracing the world that shaped one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and the music halls that lit up Victorian London. Along the way we celebrate the city’s living performers too, from Underground buskers to a little magical mischief on our own audio stage.
Kevin is joined by curator and author Dr
Death, Laughter & Smart Homes with Molly Conisbee
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This week, we step into the ‘undiscovered country’ — and explore the one subject we so often avoid: death. But rather than dwelling in darkness, this episode asks a more vital question: what can mortality teach us about how to live?
Kevin is joined by social historian and bereavement counsellor Dr Molly Conisbee, author of No Ordinary Deaths: A People’s Histo
Starspotting with Dr Sheila Kanani
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Tonight, we look up. But also down, and within! This episode is all about the stars — not just what they are, but what they’ve meant to us across time. From ancient myths and shared human stories to cutting-edge space science, Starspotting explores how looking skyward can reconnect us to something far greater than ourselves.
We begin our mission with planetar
What Music Is with Bill Barclay
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Tonight, we explore music, movement, and a little misfiring magic — three very different ways humans try to make sense of the world.
We begin with music, and a deceptively simple question: what, actually, is it? Kevin is joined by director, writer and composer Bill Barclay to discuss What Music Is, a project that draws together music, neuroscience and astroph
Christmas Special: ‘An Undigested Bit of Beef…?’
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show Christmas Special, recorded live beneath the West End at The Phoenix Arts Club.
Tonight, we gather for an old-fashioned festive tradition: ghost stories at Christmas, games played in good company, and the sense of connection that comes from gathering together at the darkest time of the year.
We begin with Charles Dickens, and a lesser-known seasonal tale from
Human-ish: Justin Gregg on Anthropomorphism
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This week, we slip into the strange, funny and quietly revealing world of anthropomorphism — the very human habit of seeing minds, motives and meaning everywhere we look.
First, Kevin pulls up a chair with scientist and bestselling author Justin Gregg, whose book Humanish explores why we dress up our dogs, get too attached to inanimate objects, and sometimes
Audio Advent: How Rudolph Came To Be
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We’re slipping a little audio chocolate into your advent calendar: the true origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, plus a reading of the original 1939 story that made him a star. A festive treat from The Big Smoke family to start the holiday season.
This piece was created by our host Kevin Bennett and is starring actors Adam Cunis and Hollie Hales. It warm
Exploring Britain’s Living Room: Your Local Pub!
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This week, we raise a glass to Britain’s most beloved institution — the pub — and explore how these living rooms of London connect history, community and creativity in ways as rich as any museum or gallery.
First, our guests pull up a stool: its pub historian Charo Havermans and artist Lydia Wood. Together they explore how pubs began in the hands of women, wh
The Royal Institute of Philosophy: Unlocking Minds for 100 Years
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This week, we explore philosophy, freedom, and the peculiar ways we find meaning — from the quiet depths of the soil to the bustling banks of the River Thames.
First, Kevin is joined by Professor Edward Harcourt, Academic Director of The Royal Institute of Philosophy, celebrating its centenary year. Together they ask: what is philosophy, really? How can it he
The Humanity of Ghosts
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This week, we wander through London’s haunted past, uncover the humanity behind history’s ghost stories, and rediscover how kindness, comedy, and curiosity connect us all. From spectral legends to small acts of light in the dark, this episode celebrates the strange and the sincere in equal measure.
First, Kevin is joined by historian and author Dr Maddy Pelli
The Season of Fear
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This week, we walk through the fog of fear, meet courage on the street corners of London, and follow the rivers that carry us home.
First up, Kevin sits down with historian and author Robert Peckham to ask what it really means to live with fear. From the “dizziness of freedom” to the way algorithms mirror our anxieties, Robert explores how fear shapes everyth
The Philosophy of Board Games
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This week, we roll the dice under the Harvest Moon, sail the seven seas with wacky shipmates, and curl up with stories that feel like home.
First up, Kevin sits down with author Caroline Taggart to explore the timeless pastime of board games. From Monopoly meltdowns to horse-racing favourites lost to history, Caroline reveals why games aren’t just entertainme
A Mime Breaks Her Silence
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This week, we move between silence and sound, ruins and renewal, stars in the sky and treasures in the mud.
First up, our Pub Quiz heads to the true north strong and free for “Maple Leaf or Make Believe: Pizza Edition”. From syrup-soaked slices to bears with strong topping opinions, can you spot the real Canadian headline?
Then Kevin sits down with legendary
Trailer - The Big Smoke hosted by Kevin Bennett
Are you ready to break free from your algorithmic prison and join us for some enlightening — and silly — entertainment?
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! A podcast filled with comedy, conversation and community.
Join us every fortnight for pub quizzes, mini radio plays, and stories from all corners of London and beyond.
So, take a seat, join the crowd, and celebrate all that is The Big Smok
Silly Season: Explore with Your Mind!
This week’s Silly Season episode is bold, rich, and possibly a bit risky. Back in the Comedy Café Mark Silcox takes the spotlight with tales of his latest obsession: gold trading. Kate Sharp and Alex Farrow join in as we debate financial wisdom, summer side-hustles, and whether pursuing security is ever truly secure. It’s a silly, spirited, and slightly speculative conversation about where your mi
Silly Season: Explore with Your Feet!
Welcome to another Big Smoke Silly Season! This week in our Comedy Café, we stroll into deeper waters. Alex Farrow takes centre stage in a thoughtful chat about the meaning of summer, the philosopher’s mindset, and the timeless role of the fool in society. Joined by Kate Sharp and Mark Silcox, we riff on Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and how some people can make anything a fish!
In Parish Notices, our
Silly Season: Join In!
This week’s Big Smoke mini-episode is like a perfectly pulled cortado for your ears — short, sharp, and slightly sweaty. Stand-up comedians Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox return for a slightly damp but deeply funny session at the Comedy Café, focused around Kate’s caffeine habits, medication mishaps, and the sweaty truths of summer. From towelling methodology to microphone hygiene, it’s
Silly Season: Jump In!
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show — and to our Summer Silly Season! While the team takes a well-earned break until September, we’re serving up mini-episodes to help you make the most of summer, starting with Jump In! This bite-sized audio macchiato features some of London’s funniest stand-up comedians — Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox — who pop into the Comedy Café for iced coffees, h
‘It’s Like Ice Cream’ with Balloon Pilot Robin Batchelor
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This week, we’re taking to the skies — and far beyond — with a celebration of whimsical, surprising, and deeply human modes of travel.
First up, we pop to our local, where the ceiling’s low but our questions are sky-high. This week’s Pub Quiz? A History of Basket Cases.
Then, Kevin meets legendary hot air balloon pilot Robin Batchelor to explore the history,
Queer as Folklore with Sacha Coward
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This week, we’re celebrating Pride from every angle—through folklore, resistance, and the hidden treasures history leaves behind.
First, Kevin sits down with Sunday Times bestselling author Sacha Coward to explore Queer as Folklore—a book that traces the hidden queer history in myths, monsters, and stories we’ve told for centuries. From the otherworldly deep
Borders, Politics, and the State of the World
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This week, we’re tracing lines—political, personal, and poetic—as we examine how borders, behaviours, and the body shape our place in the world.
First, Kevin speaks with political journalist and bestselling author Jonn Elledge, whose book A History of the World in 47 Borders explores how the lines drawn through history continue to define our present. From col
To Gazeth Upon the Navel
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This week’s episode is a little different. We’re turning inward and asking—as King Lear put it—“Who is it that can tell me who I am?” It’s time for a bit of productive navel-gazing.
So today, the mic turns around. Our assistant producer, Adam Wright, puts host Kevin Bennett in the hot seat as we explore the origins of this delightful circus we call The Big Sm
The Most Romantic Job in the World
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This week, we’re packing our bags and setting off on a whirlwind journey — from London to Malawi to Canada… and then… a mystery location?!
First up, we’re joined by travel writer, photographer and community chronicler Helena Smith, whose work with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Bradt Guides has taken her from London’s lesser-known footpaths to the sun-drench
Religion, Rituals, and Rubbish
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This week, we’re digging through the layers of history, ritual, and relics to uncover the surprising ways we make meaning and find home.
First up, we’re joined by Dr. Andrew Irving, Director of the Groningen Centre for Religion and Heritage, who takes us on a journey through the sacred and the forgotten. From medieval manuscripts to the relics we toss aside,
Hook, Hamilton, Hamlet: Olivier Award winner Giles Terera's unpredictable journey
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This episode tips its hat to the dramatic and the delightfully ridiculous—from lost boys and duels at dawn to Shakespearean skulls and Victorian umbrella stands.
We kick things off with Stump the Room, where we dare you to unravel a set of stage-worthy questions spanning Hook, Hamilton, and Hamlet. From blink-and-you-miss-it cameos to the real-life rulebook b
The Anti-Anxiety Toolkit
Today’s episode really leans into the “variety” part of our podcast's name. From Canadian headlines to ancient Roman bone dice, it’s a buffet of the bizarre, the beautiful, and the quietly profound.
First up, it’s back to the Great White North for another round of Maple Leaf, or Make Believe?—the quiz that challenges you to separate true Canadian news stories from sweet, syrupy fakes. One of these
Opera is Like Boxing
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In today’s episode, we step into the ring… or rather, the opera house. And trust us, by the end, you’ll see they might just be the same thing.
First up, we kick things off with a Looney Tunes twist in Stump the Room: Bugs Bunny Meets Opera Edition. Can you tell your Wagnerian heroines from your Saturday morning demons?
Then, our host Kevin Bennett is joined b
The CNN of the Ghetto
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In today’s episode, ‘The CNN of the Ghetto’, we explore the rhythms that shape our lives, both natural and self-made.
First up, we welcome MoYah - Afro-fusion rapper, activist, and educator, who blends music with advocacy, using hip-hop as a tool for storytelling, community, and change. From his roots in Mozambique to his career-defining role as Portugal’s fi
The Shoe in the Wall: Patrick Grant on why 'Less' is more
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In today's episode, ‘The Shoe in the Wall: Patrick Grant on why 'Less' is more’, we’re unpicking the threads of fashion, identity, and the objects we bring into our lives, starting with the clothes on our backs.
Joining us is none other than Patrick Grant - clothier, sustainability advocate, and judge on The Great British Sewing Bee. Patrick takes us on a jou
Ode to the Auraculous
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This episode is an ode to the auraculous, as we delve into the extraordinary world of sound with writer and journalist Caspar Henderson, author of ‘A Book of Noises: Notes on the Auraculous’.
Caspar invites us to tune the dial of our minds and truly listen to the hidden harmonies of nature, the mysteries of music, and the profound ways sound shapes our world.
Christmas Cheese and Reindeer Games
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this festive episode, ‘Christmas Cheese and Reindeer Games’, we bring you a brilliant mix of holiday cheer, mouth-watering cheese, and heartwarming stories in support of the Babylon Migrants Project, a community interest company that empowers young refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants through creative activities.
Cheese consultant and author Emma Young l
The Three Pillars: Comedy, Conversation & Community
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! Today’s episode, ‘The Three Pillars: Comedy, Conversation & Community’, is a special global journey celebrating the heart of what makes our show unique. Join us as we take a closer look at our show’s core themes with incredible guests from around the world.
Our first stop is Vancouver, Canada, where we meet Aidan Parker, a writer, filmmaker, and award-win
The Better Part of Valour
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! Today’s episode, “The Better Part of Valour”, takes us into the unexpected world of Ukrainian cricket—a story of courage, community, and resilience in the face of war. Our guest, Jonathan Campion, journalist and author of 'Getting Out: The Ukrainian Cricket Team’s Last Stand on the Front Lines of War', shares his first-hand account of Ukraine’s quirky cricket
A Fatal Exit
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! Today’s episode, “A Fatal Exit”, delves into the spooky lore of the Tower of London and its iconic ravens, just in time for Halloween!
Our guest is none other than former Ravenmaster and current Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London Christopher Skaife, author of The Ravenmaster — named ‘London book of the year’ by the Evening Standard. Join us as Chris recount
The Freestyle Mind
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this episode, “The Freestyle Mind”, we dive into how we can harness our thoughts to find stillness, flow, creativity, and inspiration in the midst of modern chaos.
First up, we have Arti Lal, a seasoned meditation teacher and co-ordinator of the Inner Space Meditation Centre in Covent Garden. For over 35 years, Arti has been inspiring individuals to make s
Stone Aged Wisdom
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this episode, “Stone Aged Wisdom”, we’re stepping back in time to explore how ancient skills and wisdom can still connect us to our modern world. How could learning to start a fire or forage for food be relevant in the digital age?
We’re thrilled to welcome Memma the Cavewoman, aka Sarah Day. Memma is a Bushcraft instructor, experimental archaeologist, an
Heroes or Vandals?
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this episode, “Heroes or Vandals?”, we’re taking you deep into the world of graffiti, urban art, and creative expression. Right now it seems there's a new Banksy popping up on every corner, so our timing couldn't be better!
Featuring in this episode is Madeleine Pelling, cultural historian and co-host of History Hit’s After Dark. She’ll be discussing her n
Change in Muddy Waters
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this episode, "Change in Muddy Waters", we bring together two remarkable guests for an evening of historical discovery, refugee empowerment, and personal journeys.
First, we dive into the world of Sean Clark, a licensed mudlark with a passion for uncovering the hidden stories of 17th-century London. Sean has spent years along the banks of the Thames, disco
Wild City, Ghost Town
Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In this episode, "Wild City, Ghost Town", we bring together two outstanding guests for an unforgettable evening of urban wildlife, poetry, and community activism.
We welcome Florence Wilkinson, writer, filmmaker, and co-founder of the birdsong recognition app Warblr. Florence will share insights from her acclaimed book Wild City: Encounters with Urban Wildlif
