Boston Flora

Category: Author Book Signing

  • Thursday, September 20 – Saturday, September 22 – America in Bloom Symposium & Awards Program

    Located in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, the progressive spirit in Fayetteville, Arkansas makes it a great place to live, work, and play. It has been recognized as one of the best places to live in America. Much of Fayetteville’s success is due to its participation in America in Bloom for the past 11 years.

    The America in Bloom Symposium & Awards program offers the opportunity for you to see Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas from the inside out. You can walk in the paths of the community’s past, learn about its innovative environmental efforts, witness commitment to quality landscapes, and experience the newest cultural addition, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. You will be able to talk with Northwest Arkansas mayors who are facing different challenges leading their cities, and meet some environmental and horticultural experts. Experience the Farmer’s Market and the crazy enthusiasm for all that is Razorback! Fayetteville is a fun and unique mix of cool college town, thriving business community, outdoor lovers’ haven, and cultural arts center. We can’t wait for you to experience Fayetteville and discover “Ozark Red, White & Blooms.”

    On Thursday, you will take a guided walking tour of historic downtown Fayetteville, followed by a welcome reception, and an Arkansas Barbecue Feast and Award presentation with Mayor Lioneld Jordan. Friday brings the keynote speech Great Design & Tough Plants: The Key to Beautiful Communities, by P. Allen Smith, TV personality, designer, and garden expert. Scott Eccleston, Director of Trails and Grounds at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, will give insight into the unique design of the 120 acres of magnificent native plant trails and gardens that surround the museum. John McLarty and Marilyn Heifner, Heritage Trail Partners, will speak on Celebrating History – The Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail. And there are other concurrent sessions on a variety of subjects, followed by an environmental tour of Fayetteville, a tour of the Gardens of the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, and a reception at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. Saturday brings Robin Moore, director of the National Learning Initiative and author of Natural Learning – the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard, speaking on Designing Nature into Children’s Lives, and more talks and workshops. A complete schedule may be found at www.americainbloom.org.

    A $139 group hotel rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites may be reserved using code “AIB” either online or by calling 479-756-3500. Full registration for all events is $200. Please register before August 29.

  • Saturday, August 4, 12:00 noon – Sparrow

    In her newest book, Sparrow, science author Kim Todd explores the complex history, biology, and literary tradition of the sparrow. From the Sparrow War of the late 1800s in the United States (a battle over the sparrow’s introduction which climaxed at Boston Common), to the recent mysterious decline of house sparrows globally, the sparrow has been at the center of the invasive species debate for over 150 years.  Kim will appear at The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Saturday, August 4, at 12 noon.  For directions and parking information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.  Regular admission rates apply. Free for members.

  • Thursday, July 19, 6:00 pm – Food in Jars

    Join Porter Square Books for a demonstration by Marisa McClellan at Tags Hardware, 25 White Street in Cambridge, on Thursday, July 19 beginning at 6 pm.

    Preserving delicious canned fruits, yummy jams, and savory pickles has never been easier with McClellan’s essential guide to home preserving and canning. Perfect for the urban dweller and unlike other books on canning and preserving, Food in Jars offers small-batch recipes ideal for tiny kitchens, says McClellan. McClellan is a food blogger and a creator of the online cooking show “Fork You”. She is a former writer and editor for Slashfood, one of the nations biggest and most widely read food websites. She writes about canning, pickling, and preserving on her blog, Food in Jars.

    Marisa will be demonstrating a canning procedure for jam at TAGS at 6pm on the 19th. PSB will be on hand selling copies of her book . Be sure to stock up on your canning supplies when you are there!

  • Wednesday, July 11, 6:30 pm – The Pollinator’s Corridor

    This just in: “the back corner” and Mt Grace Land Conservation Trust are pleased to co-host an evening with author Aaron Birk tomorrow, July 11, beginning at 6:30 pm, at 1497 Main Street in Athol. Aaron will present and discuss the significance of his new graphic novel The Pollinator’s Corridor.

    Set in the aftermath of the 1970’s landlord fires, The Pollinator’s Corridor follows the lives of three friends who attempt to convince wild bees and butterflies to cross the Bronx by planting ‘corridors’ of native flora throughout the industrial wasteland. Connecting fragmented forests, watersheds and city parks, our heroes restore biodiversity to the blighted ghetto by uniting marginalized communities and laying the foundations of ecological health in an age of crisis and decline.

    Philadelphia-based artist Aaron Birk began work on The Pollinator’s Corridor in 2003, while employed as a forester in Central Park, NY. Along with his efforts in restoration ecology, Aaron continues to hone his craft in illustration, puppetry and acrobatics. He is sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts, and is the recipient of two major grants from The Independence Foundation and Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts.

    The project has received over $15,000 in grant funding through three major foundations, including The Independence Foundation, The New York Foundation for the Arts, and Pennsylvania Cultural Alliance. The Pollinator’s Corridor has been featured in The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and made the cover of the Philadelphia City Paper. Audiences range from 4th graders to PHD entomologists.

     

  • Tuesday, July 24, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden

    Join author and landscape historian Judith Tankard on Tuesday, July 24 at 4 pm at the Polly Hill Arboretum for this talk about her latest book, Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden. This is the first book in over two decades devoted to one of the most important garden designers of the twentieth century. Gertrude Jekyll laid the basis for modern garden design and is credited with popularizing an informal, naturalistic look in counterpoint to the rigid, formal landscapes of the Victorian era. Also known as a prolific and influential writer, Jekyll contributed more than one hundred articles to Country Life and designed three gardens for the publication’s founder, Edward Hudson. As a result, the Country Life archive has an unrivaled record of her work. Tankard, who has spoken twice in the past for The Garden Club of the Back Bay,  has mined this archive resulting in a treasure trove of text and images showcasing the more than 350 gardens created by Jekyll. Book signing and light refreshments to follow.  $20/$15 for PHA members. Generously sponsored by Donaroma’s Nursery.  Register at www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 pm – Extraordinary Secrets of Trees

    Perhaps you plan a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in July.  If so, don’t neglect this terrific evening lecture at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury on Wednesday, July 11 beginning at 7:30 pm. Have you ever looked at a tree? Of course, we see them every day; however have you ever really seen the wondrous traits of your favorite trees? Join author and educator Nancy Ross Hugo for this illustrated talk based on her recent book Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Ordinary Trees. Focusing on widely grown trees, this captivating book describes the rewards of close observation of trees, and with stunning photographs illustrates some of the most visually interesting tree structures, including leaves, flowers, buds, leaf scars, twigs, and bark. Trees will never look quite the same again.  $10/$5 for PHA members. Generously sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts.  Register on line at www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Saturday, July 7, 11:00 am – The Ants of Athol

    Honestly, if someone sends us an announcement with great alliteration, nothing will keep us from posting!  The Ants of Athol is a program of the Athol Bird & Nature Club, featuring Aaron Ellison, Ph.D., who will introduce you to some of the local ants at the Allen E. Rich Environmental Park and Cass Meadow. Dr. Ellison is a senior research fellow at Harvard Forest, and is the lead author of the new book A Field Guide to the Ants of New England, copies of which may be available for purchase.  Meet on Saturday, July 7 at 11 am at the park, near 50 Main Street in Athol.  Rain date will be Sunday, July 8.  For more information, contact the speaker at aellison@fas.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, June 26, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Changes in the New England Landscape

    Brian Donahue will speak on Changes in the New England Landscape  Tuesday, June 26, from 7 – 9 at the Thayer Memorial Library, 717 Main Street in Lancaster, Massachusetts.  The free lecture is part of the Rosemary Davis Environmental Series The Fall & Rise of the Forest from Pre-European Times to Today. Brian Donahue, the author of Reclaiming the Commons: Community Farms and Forests in a New England Town (Yale University Press) and co-author of Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape (Harvard University), will share his knowledge of our region’s environmental history, conservation efforts, and stewardship. He is Associate Professor of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University. This program is sponsored by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Rosemary Davis Memorial Fund. For more information visit www.thayermemoriallibrary.org.

  • Thursday, June 14, 7:00 pm – Markets of Paris/La Tartine Gourmande

    Marjorie Williams and Beatrice Peltre will appear at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, on Thursday, June 14 at 7 pm to discuss their two books, Markets of Paris and La Tartine Gourmande. Markets of Paris describes in thoughtful prose a variety of Paris markets, focusing primarily on the 65 outdoor food markets that are an essential part of the Paris landscape. This new 2d edition revisits and updates the entire market scene in Paris, with 12 new entries and 10 new sidebars, including Virtual Markets and Market Streets, Markets Open on Sunday, Artisan Bakers, Getting Along in the Food Markets, Brocante Fairs, and more.

    Williams has been attending farmers markets since her childhood. She has written for many publications, including Edible South Shore edition, which focuses on the farms and produce found in southeastern Massachusetts. She lives in Cambridge.

    With nearly 100 recipes and charming anecdotes, La Tartine Gourmande takes you on a journey, not only through the meals of the day but around the world. For Béatrice Peltre, author of the award-winning blog LaTartineGourmande.com, to cook is to delight in the best of what life has to offer-the people and places we love.

    Lush styling and photography combined with sweet stories, foodie tidbits, and fresh and original recipes make La Tartine Gourmande perfect for those who love food and the way our lives play around it. This is not just a book about cooking, but a warm invitation to share in the beauty and simple pleasures of a life with food at the heart of it.

    Peltre was born and raised in the countryside in northeastern France. She is a freelance food writer, stylist, photographer, and blogger. Her work has appeared in such places as Saveur, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, as well as in other international and online publications and books. She lives in Boston.  For more information, call 617-491-2220, or visit www.portersquarebooks.com.

  • Monday, June 11, 7 pm – Up on the Roof: New York’s Hidden Skyline Spaces

    In his new book, Alex Maclean directs his lens at the rooftops of New York City, showing the great complexity and life of the roofs of New York’s buildings. Depicting not only the city’s famous water towers, but pools, tennis courts, gardens, sunbathers, art, and restaurants up in the air, MacLean’s powerful images give readers a glimpse of a part of the city that usually remains hidden.

    MacLean is a photographer, pilot, and the co-author of eight books, including Over: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point and Designs on the Land: Exploring America from the Air. He is the recipient of many grants and awards, including the American Academy of Rome Prix de Rome.  Meet him on Monday, June 11 at 7 pm at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge.  For more information call 617-491-2220, or visit www.portersquarebooks.com.