Artist and writer Lily Duval's latest book tells the stories of the insects of Aotearoa, in the hopes of changing attitudes towards them. And it begins with a confession: she's not a lifelong insect lover herself, in fact she had to overcome a fear of bugs in her 20s. Lily holds a Master of Arts, exploring 'cultural entomology', dissecting how we talk about, and represent, insects in culture, and as she calls it, their "PR problem". Six Legged Ghosts pays homage to the many living bugs, but also the many which have quietly gone extinct, and is illustrated with her own watercolour paintings. Lily Duval is a researcher for a range of conservation organisations, and wants people to feel just as passionate about bugs, as they do about animals and plants.
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