Sophia Centre Press is proud to announce the launch of the third volume in the Master Monograph series: Ada Blair's Sark in the Dark: Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark.

Most studies of dark sky culture tend to focus on 'green' or grounded nature, and its effect on animals. Blair's book is one of the first published studies to explore the missing sky factor in discussions and calculations of human wellbeing. She specifically focuses on the dark night sky and how it affects people and their communal relations.

Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Greenwich Observatory noted, 'Blair explores another, equally important dimension of the dark sky debate. For our relationship with the environment is not just physical, but emotional and imaginative too'.

Dr Daniel Brown, Senior Astronomy Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University, adds, 'the most capturing moment is Blair's realisation that sky stories are written by all of us, and are not merely a theme of folklore and myths'. Blair's book is based on the research she performed as part of her MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the Sophia Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The Sophia Centre Master Monographs series selects MA dissertations of distinction and works with the authors to develop them into books.

Ada Blair

Two upcoming events will celebrate the launch of Sark in the Dark. The first will take place as part of the Sophia Centre London Conference, with the author herself, series editor Dr Jennifer Zahrt, and Sophia Centre director Dr Nicholas Campion in attendance.

The second event will be at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, as part of the Sophia Centre Press's seventh anniversary celebration 'Poetry and the Heavens' where former National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke will give a reading. We hope you will join us in celebrating Ada Blair's groundbreaking study of the dark night sky and human wellbeing and community.