TomorrowTalks with Mya-Rose Craig: Birdgirl

Arizona State University welcomed British-Bangladeshi birder, environmentalist and activist Mya-Rose Craig as a guest in its TomorrowTalks series. Craig discussed her memoir "Birdgirl" (2023) in an online event on Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2023. The conversation was facilitated by ASU critical theorist Natalie Lozinski-Veach, an assistant professor in the School of International Letters and Cultures and senior scholar in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory.
"Birdgirl" follows Mya-Rose Craig and her family as they travel the world in search of rare birds and astonishing landscapes. But a shadow moves with them, too-her mother's deepening mental health crisis. In the face of this struggle, the Craigs turn to nature again and again for comfort and meaning.
Joining the fight of today's young environmental activists, Mya-Rose shares her experiences to advocate for the simple, profound gift of nature and for making it accessible to all, calling her readers to rediscover the power of our natural world. Birder, activist, daughter: this is her story.
About Mya-Rose Craig
Mya-Rose Craig, also known as Birdgirl, is a 20-year-old British-Bangladeshi ornithologist, environmentalist and diversity activist. At age 11, she started the popular blog Birdgirl and at age 17 she became the youngest person to see half of the birds in the world.
Craig campaigns for equal access to nature and to end the climate and biodiversity loss crises, issues which she believes are intrinsically linked, while promoting global climate justice. She also fights for the rights of Indigenous peoples, is an Ambassador for Survival International and has previously written a book in the U.K. amplifying their voices.
About the series
TomorrowTalks place thought leaders of today in conversation with the changemakers of tomorrow: our students. Each distinguished speaker explains how they use writing to address our most pressing challenges. TomorrowTalks are a student-engagement initiative led by the Division of Humanities in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU and hosted by ASU's Department of English in partnership with Macmillan Publishers.