What follows is part two of our short survey of adult books by, or including, area authors, poets and essayists, as well as books with a connection to the area. From first-time to familiar authors, their ability to harness words will impress you and leave you impatient for more. Grab the woolen blanket and come along for the ride.
Many a nature lover was introduced as a child to the outdoors by a parent or teacher. The outdoors can be just the back yard, but the crucial thing is awakening what Rachael Carson called in her wise and lovely essay of that title A Sense of Wonder. Pheasant hunting with his father first kindled it in local naturalist Rick Halbert. As a teacher and volunteer, he’s spent his life connecting people and nature. A botanist, he knows, loves, and fosters the native plants of our region.
I am an aficionado of naturalists and field biologists. In a world preoccupied by all manner of human mischief and melodrama, the natural scientist’s wholehearted attention to the lifeways of other organisms, their primal human immersion in wild lives under open skies is a rare and wonderful thing. Their devotion yields knowledge of place, and realer than that it does not get.
The League of Women Voters Leelanau County (LWVLC) Energy Committee will host a public forum on “Community Energy Resilience: How do we achieve it?” Tuesday evening February 25 from 6-9 p.m. in the Leelanau County Government Center. The League’s goal is to create community conversations related to saving energy, generating electricity, and learning how “less can be more”, all related to building resilience in the face of energy issues that are and will continue to impact our community.
Since her galvanic Mills College commencement address in 1969, Stephanie Mills has been speaking, editing, writing and organizing for ecology and social change. Mills brings her wit, humor and intelligence to the Glen Arbor Art Association for the next “Talk About Art” presentation on March 8 at 7:30 p.m.