Naomi Racz
Co-Founder & Editor
Naomi first became interested in urban nature whilst studying for an MA in Writing, Nature and Place in Cornwall. Advised to “write what you know” she realised that what she knows is cities. Inspired by Richard Mabey’s The Unofficial Countryside, she began exploring nature in her home city of Manchester. Naomi has since lived in Nottingham, Amsterdam and Toronto, and now lives on Vancouver Island. Naomi writes about urban nature on her blog Small Rain. Her writing has also appeared in City Creatures, The Real Story, The Learned Pig and Zoomorphic Magazine. When not writing she can either be found reading and drinking tea, or biking and hiking the trails around her home.
Holly McKelvey
Co-Founder & Illustrator
Holly’s love for urban nature started when she was a kid snacking on mustard flowers and picking sage on hikes through the foothills of urban Los Angeles. While studying a BSc in geology and an MSc in environmental sciences, she became increasingly fascinated by the way in which geology, nature, and landscape shape urban environments. In 2018, now living in northern Germany, she began to work as a freelance illustrator and science communicator, drawing on her studies for inspiration, and found the theme of urban nature appearing in her work again and again. In particular, through her ongoing series “Portraits of Place”, she explores urban biodiversity in cities and the relationship between humans and nature in different ecosystems and landscapes. Her art has appeared in Split Rock Review, Grow n’ Pains, and CCT-SeeCity. Apart from art, Holly loves to take cycling trips in places where she can wild camp and collect berries. Hot chocolate is her drink of choice.