Literature of the Land Book Club

Join us for the Spring 2013 session of Literature of the Land, a book club series hosted by the Helen Fowler Library. We’ll read three books over three months, focusing on a specific topic of interest.

We delve into literature related to the land and to nature, discussing topics that may range from environmental issues to the culture of food and drink, from the American dust bowl to the cinnamon trees of Southeast Asia. This spring we’ll examine genetic seed modification and how it relates to seed saving and plant diversity.

We’ll start with Peter Pringle’s Food Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto – The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest and learn about genetic engineering and the practice of privatizing seed stock. Then we’ll change gears and read a science fiction novel set in Hugo nominated Paolo Bacigalupi’s vision of a near future where giant agricultural corporations control the world’s food and its distribution in The Windup Girl. In May we’ll discuss Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver, the story of the founding of the Seed Saver’s Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Finally, we’ll finish off the program with a visit to a local farm to learn a little about the day to day practicalities of growing heirloom vegetables and saving seed.

Discussion nights (we’ll meet in the library from 7-8:30 p.m.):

• March 21
  Food Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto – The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest by Peter Pringle
• April 18
  The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
• May 16
  Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver by Diane Ott Whealy

Field trip time will be arranged after the group is assembled.

Click here to register. Registration is mandatory as attendance will be limited in number to allow for interactive discussion in a friendly group setting.

Please contact us at 720-865-3570 or email us at library@botanicgardens.org with any questions about our book club series.