Boston Flora

Category: Author Book Signing

  • Thursday, October 9, 6:00 pm – Cooling the Tropics

    The Boston University Food Studies Program has announced its Fall 2025 Pépin Lecture Series. On Thursday, October 9 at 6:00 pm Hi’ilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart will present a talk based on her new book Cooling the Tropics. Beginning in the mid-1800s, Americans hauled frozen pond water, then glacial ice, and then ice machines to Hawaiʻi—all in an effort to reshape the islands in the service of Western pleasure and profit. Marketed as “essential” for white occupants of the nineteenth-century Pacific, ice quickly permeated the foodscape through advancements in freezing and refrigeration technologies. In Cooling the Tropics Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart charts the social history of ice in Hawaiʻi to show how the interlinked concepts of freshness and refreshment mark colonial relationships to the tropics.

    From chilled drinks and sweets to machinery, she shows how ice and refrigeration underpinned settler colonial ideas about race, environment, and the senses. By outlining how ice shaped Hawaiʻi’s food system in accordance with racial and environmental imaginaries, Hobart demonstrates that thermal technologies can—and must—be attended to in struggles for food sovereignty and political self-determination in Hawaiʻi and beyond.

    Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart (Kanaka Maoli) is Assistant Professor of Native and Indigenous Studies at Yale University. An interdisciplinary scholar, she researches and teaches on issues of settler colonialism, environment, and Indigenous sovereignty. This first book, Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment (Duke University Press, 2022) is a recipient of the press’s Scholars of Color First Book Award. It will be available for purchase on October 9.

    Her articles have appeared in refereed journals such as NAIS, Media+Environment, Food, Culture, and Society, and The Journal of Transnational American Studies, among others. She is the co-editor of the special issue “Radical Care,” for Social Text (2020), and the editor of Foodways of Hawaiʻi (Routledge, 2018). She is currently working on a project about cultural memory, commemoration, and hauntings in Hawaii State Parks. Professor Hobart holds a PhD in Food Studies from New York University, an MA in Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture from the Bard Graduate Center, and an MLS in Rare Books Librarianship and Archives Management from the Pratt Institute.

    The event will take place at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, in Fuller 124, and is free, but registration is recommended through Eventbrite HERE.

  • Thursday, September 25, 6:30 pm – The Trees Are Speaking

    Join The Acton Conservation Trust on September 25 for a Book Talk with Lynda Mapes, author of The Trees Are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests. More information and registration on our website: www.ActonConservationTrust.org

    Lynda V. Mapes, award-winning environmental journalist for the Seattle Times, was inspired to write The Trees Are Speaking after exploring the richness of old growth forests in the Northwest U.S. and Canada. But she also came face to face with the widespread destruction of these forests. Mapes writes, “The book therefore became a witness not only to the incredible ecological and cultural values of these forests but to the connected history of their loss, beginning on the East Coast in Maine and repeated across the United States and continuing over the border into Canada, even today.”

    Mapes also outlines the resilience of nature, the insights and perseverance of First Nations people who have raised their voices to protect and renew ecosystems, understandings of our inter-relatedness uncovered by scientists, and even new approaches to commercial forestry.

  • Saturday, September 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Plants for the Winter Garden Talk and Book Signing

    The winter garden is truly a low-maintenance affair — no weeding, no watering and no dead-heading. The winter landscape may be quiescent, but the garden need not be bleak. Plants with brightly colored berries, twigs, stems, foliage, and even winter-blooming flowers shrug off the snow and cold. They bring cheer, even as the sun enters Capricorn.

    Landscape horticulturist Warren Leach, and author of the new book from Timber Press Plants for the Winter Garden, will showcase gardens he has designed that celebrate the winter season as well as planting design ideas for your own garden on Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Berkshire Botanical Garden (Book signing to follow the talk)

    For more than 35 years, Warren Leach has been creating beautiful landscapes throughout New England as well as making captivating and educational display gardens as co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth, R.I., a specialty nursery that is a prominent grower of daylilies, iris and distinctive perennials and woody plants.

    To register ($25 for BBG members, $40 for nonmembers) visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plants-winter-garden-talk-and-book-signing

  • Saturday, September 6, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – The Cook’s Garden: Kevin West

    Kevin West, author of The Cook’s Garden: A Gardener’s Guide to Selecting, Growing, and Savoring the Tastiest Vegetables of Each Season, will lead a talk on growing your own garden and incorporating homegrown produce into everyday cooking on Saturday, September 6, at the Berkshire Botanical Garden from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The event includes a kitchen demonstration.

    Kevin West comes from East Tennessee farmers and Smoky Mountain settlers, country people with generations of commitment to growing delicious food. He is the author of Saving the Season: A Cook’s Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving (Knopf). He also coauthored The Grand Central Market Cookbook (Clarkson Potter) and contributed to Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original (The University of North Carolina Press). He gardens and cooks in the Berkshires. $25 for BBG members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/cooks-garden-kevin-west

  • Saturday, August 16, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Garden Marcus Lecture

    Marcus Bridgewater is an author, speaker, and creator. He is widely known as Garden Marcus for connecting his observations in his garden to personal growth & well-being, and he is the author of several books including How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself (HarperOne, 2022). Marcus has been featured in a variety of press & media including the New York Times, Vogue, and The Drew Barrymore Show. He lives in Texas with his wife, son, and ever-growing garden. Drawing from his own experiences cultivating both plants and mindfulness, Marcus will share how the natural world offers timeless wisdom for resilience, patience, and well-being in this engaging presentation. Whether you are an avid gardener or simply seeking inspiration for personal growth, this talk will provide valuable lessons on how to cultivate a thriving life—both in the garden and beyond.

    Hear Marcus at the Polly Hill Arboretum, 795 State Road, West Tisbury, on August 16 at 10:30 am. $10 for PHA members, $15 for nonmembers. Registration required as space is limited. Please pre-register, Sign Up Here

  • Friday, November 7, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – The Art of Jacques Pepin, Online

    GBH presents a national virtual event honoring chef/culinary personality, Jacques Pépin.

    Jacques sits down for a wide ranging discussion which will include: reflections on his career, his decades-long connection to public media, the important work he does with his foundation, and his enduring role as a culinary icon. There will also be time during the event where you can ask Jacques your own questions.

    Our virtual event occurs a few weeks in advance of Jacques’s 90th birthday, which occurs on Dec. 18, 2025. Join us to celebrate all things Jacques!

    More about Jacques Pépin: The winner of sixteen James Beard Awards and author of over thirty cookbooks, including The Apprentice, Essential Pépin, and Jacques Pépin Quick & Simple, Jacques Pépin is a chef, author, television personality, educator, and artist. He has starred in twelve acclaimed PBS cooking series. His dedication to culinary education led to the creation of the Jacques Pépin Foundation in 2016.

    Ticket price: $120 (includes a Zoom link to join the live 90-minute Zoom Webinar event on Nov.7. An autographed hard cover copy of Jacques’s newest book, The Art of Jacques Pépin, will be mailed to the ticket purchaser’s address. Photo courtesy of Milk Street

  • Thursday, July 31, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – The Art of Fine Gardening, Online

    The Garden Conservancy is sponsoring a Zoom on July 31 – register HERE. On the occasion of his long-awaited debut book about his pre-eminent landscape design firm in the North Shore of Chicago, Open Days Garden Host Craig Bergmann and his Head Gardener Russell Buvala will discuss their company’s process of design, installation, and maintenance. Additionally, they will highlight a few of their favorite garden profiles and personal garden experiences. For more than four decades, Bergmann has been recognized for establishing a true dialogue between the garden and the architectural site. Revered as a plantsman, Bergmann layers his designs with vibrant blooms and textured foliage. The Art of Fine Gardening features twenty gardens that span his career and are located in the North Shore. A special chapter is dedicated to the Gardens at 900, the historic estate designed by architect David Adler, which he developed and reimagined as a series of lush private garden rooms with hedges, towering topiary, and perennial borders, interspersed with classical figures and ornament.

    With a passion deeply rooted in the harmony of design and nature, Craig Bergmann’s award-winning work is a testament to his skill, innovation, and commitment to sustainability. At the heart of his practice is a profound respect for the natural world, seamlessly integrated with the architectural heritage of each space. Russell Buvala has been Head Gardener for Craig Bergmann Landscape Design Inc. for the last 37 years. As Head Gardener, he oversees the company’s garden care division, leading a team of gardeners and florists in the stewardship of over 150 gardens throughout the Midwest.

    Participants in this webinar have the option to purchase a copy of the book, The Art of Fine Gardening: Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, and receive complimentary admission to the webinar. Price ($60 public, $50 Garden Conservancy Members) includes book, free shipping, and webinar admission. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. The recording link will expire after 30 days. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. 

    If you’d like to purchase webinar admission only, please click here.

  • Thursday, July 17, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – The African Ancestors Garden, Online

    Designed to honor the lives and legacies of the African diaspora, the African Ancestors Garden at the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC, integrates cultural symbolism, native plants, and evocative spatial forms. This Garden Conservancy talk on July 17 by Walter Hood examines the creative process behind this living memorial, highlighting how history and memory are embedded within the design to foster reflection, healing, and connection. Through its layered narratives and immersive experience, the garden creates a contemplative space that bridges past and present while inspiring dialogue about identity, heritage, and community.

    WALTER J. HOOD, a multidisciplinary designer from Charlotte, NC, is globally recognized for his contributions in art, landscape architecture, urbanism, and research. Founding Hood Design Studio in Oakland, CA, in 1992, he now leads as its creative director. His passion for landscape and urbanism emerges from its broad, democratic scope, allowing experiences beyond architectural constraints. Infusing African American cultural arts into his philosophy, he has established a unique voice, reshaping spaces to reflect contemporary needs without erasing their history. A professor at UC Berkeley and former Harvard educator, Walter penned Black Landscapes Matter and has received accolades such as the 2019 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2021 Architectural League’s President’s Medal award, and the 2024 Vincent Scully Prize.

    Note: You will receive the webinar link directly from Zoom. Participants in this webinar have the option to purchase a copy of the book, The African Ancestors Garden: History and Memory at the International African American Museum, receive complimentary admission to the webinar. Price ($50 Conservancy members, $60 nonmembers) includes book, free shipping, and webinar admission. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/the-african-ancestors-garden-with-walter-hood-book-webinar Or you may choose to register for the webinar alone. If you’d like to purchase webinar admission only, please click here.

  • Thursday, June 26, 2:00 pm Eastern – Photographing for Gardening with Nature at the New York Botanical Garden, Online

    Larry Lederman and Todd Forest will present a webinar on June 26 at 2 pm Eastern with The Garden Conservancy, In Larry’s words: “When I walk into a garden, I am looking for a sense of place. My photography has to capture this sense and reveal the intentionality of the maker of that garden. Setting the composition through framing the view, sometimes as the designer intended, and sometimes as I see it in a particular light and time of day. All gardens present differently through their seasonal life cycles. A portrait may need many visits to discover the inherent beauty of a living landscape.

    In Gardening with Nature at the New York Botanical Garden I had a partner in Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the Garden. This book, my third at the NYBG, was to display the multigenerational achievement that is the NYBG. These photographs celebrate the horticultural gift that Todd Forrest, the team of gardeners, and the original founders intended. The gardens are my portal to the natural world. The lyricism of my photographs is in the capture of the vitality of the native plants bathed in the light of the magnificent trees. I will discuss all of this and my approach, the equipment I choose, and the editing software which helps me keep track of the thousands of images that result in a book like Gardening with Nature.”

    The event is live on Zoom, $5 members, $15 nonmembers, and there is a special offer for purchasing the book through the registration page here. To register for the webinar only click here.

  • Thursday, June 26, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Garden Legacies: Uncovering and Preserving Their Histories with Thomas Woltz

    On June 26 at 4 pm, Historic New England will host a program at Hollister House Garden addressing Garden Legacies and Historic Preservation. The event will consist of a conversation between renowned landscape architect Thomas Woltz and Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England. George Schoellkopf, creator of Hollister House Garden, will introduce the evening.

    Woltz and his firm, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, work on such sensitive and complex projects as Monticello’s Stewardship Master Plan, Olana Strategic Landscape Design, Aga Khan Garden, and Houston’s Memorial Park Master Plan. Drawing on their own significant bodies of work, Cipolla and Woltz will explore how the ecological and cultural histories of landscapes and gardens are uncovered and integrated into meaningful public experiences.

    Light refreshments will be served and following the program all attendees are invited to enjoy the garden.

    The Land is Full, a celebration of parks and public gardens by renowned landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz will be available for sale.

    The program is free and open to the public. Advance reservation is requested. Reserve HERE. This conversation is part of a series sponsored by Historic New England Trustee Edward F.Gerber to address issues relevant to preservation on Connecticut. Historic New England’s 38 history museums, farms and landscapes include Roseland Cottage, the Codman Estate, Hamilton House and Beauport which continue to be meaningfully reinterpreted for the public..