The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green, June 20, 2023
The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale – from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is an open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, April 23, 2023
As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In "Braiding Sweetgrass," Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise." Elizabeth Gilbert
Moderator Carrie Cannon is a member of the Kiowa tribe of Oklahoma and is also of Oglala Lakota descent. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, and an M.S. in Resource Management. She began working for the Hualapai Tribe of Peach Springs, Arizona in 2005 where she began the creation of an intergenerational ethnobotany program for the Hualapai community. She is currently employed as an Ethnobotanist for the Hualapai Department of Cultural Resources. She administers several projects promoting the intergenerational teaching of Hualapai ethnobotanical knowledge working towards preservation and revitalization to ensure tribal ethnobotanical knowledge persists as a living practice and tradition.
How the Word is Passed, Clint Smith, February 9, 2023
The Arizona Preservation Foundation, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, preservation advocates, history enthusiasts, and book lovers came together for the first Arizona Preservation Book Club event on February 9, 2023. We discussed "How the Word is Passed" by Clint Smith, American writer, poet, and scholar. Our moderator was Dr. Anthony Pratcher II, Assistant Teaching Professor and Honors Faculty Fellow in Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University. Review Clint Smith's bio here. Review Anthony Pratcher's bio here.
"A deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, "How the Word Is Passed" illustrates how some of our country's most essential stories are hidden in plain view – whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth, or entire neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has been deeply imprinted."