Boston Public Library, Cary Memorial Library, and MIT: Author Talk with Madeline Ostrander and Greg Epstein
Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 6:00 p.m. EST, virtual
Science journalist and author Madeline Ostrander will discuss her recently published book At Home on an Unruly Planet: Finding Refuge on a Changed Earth as part of the library’s theme of climate justice activism. Acting as interlocutor for this conversation is Greg M. Epstein, humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT and New York Times-bestselling author. Following their discussion, there will be time for audience Q&A.
Porter Square Books will be supplying books for this event, and all books ordered through them will come with a bookplate signed by the author. Order here, and put in BPLEVENT23 as a coupon code in your order.
PAST EVENTS
Class at Seattle’s Hugo House: Weaving Science into Story
Saturday, November 12, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in-person, Seattle, WA
Many of the most important stories of our time are grounded in or heavily influenced by science. But the story of science is rarely well-told. At its best, like any good narrative, science is a search for insight. But its pursuit can also magnify the worst human tendencies—hubris, injustice, and exploitation. In this class, we’ll discuss how to weave science into personal stories and explore what is at once beautiful, vital, and occasionally monstrous about the search for answers.
Class at Seattle’s Hugo House: Building Characters from Real Life
Saturday, November 19, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in-person, Seattle, WA
Characters breathe life into a story, turning an abstract idea into a vivid representation of human experience. In nonfiction, writers build characters from the raw and messy material of real life. In this class, we’ll talk about techniques for rendering yourself and others as characters through scenes, dialog, and telling details. We’ll explore strategies from nonfiction, memoir, and journalism for researching and digging deeply into the thoughts, habits, manners, quirks, and substance of your characters.
A Night of Richmond Storytelling: Open mic, book talk, music, mingling and food
Sunday, October 2, 2022, 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., in-person, Richmond, CA
A night of Richmond storytelling about people power, climate justice, and reimagining the world, with author Madeline Ostrander, Urban Tilth executive director Doria Robinson, and Rich City Rides executive director Najari Smith. Emceed by local poet, author, and educator Ptah Tracey Mitchell. With an open mic, a book talk, food, and music. Co-presented with The Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.
Madeline Ostrander with KQED’s Ezra Romero and the Richmond Listening Project’s Alfredo Angulo, Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore
Wednesday, October 5, 2022, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., in-person, Berkeley, CA
Madeline Ostrander talks about reimagining home in frontline communities—including Richmond, California—with KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero and the Richmond Listening Project’s Alfredo Angulo at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore in Berkeley. Co-presented with The Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.
Finding Refuge and Resilience in Climate Crisis
Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., in person, MIT, Cambridge, MA
Event and workshop open exclusively to MIT affiliates, REGISTER HERE
In a time of climate crisis, the very definition of what it means to live an ethical life is in flux. Explore the search for purpose, ethics, and resilience in an unruly world, at this book talk / discussion / mini writers’ workshop featuring journalist and author Madeline Ostrander, in conversation with MIT humanist chaplain and convener for ethical life, Greg M. Epstein.
Program limited to MIT affiliates. First 15 individuals to register receive a complimentary copy of the book. Refreshments served beginning at 4:00.
Sponsors: the MIT Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life (ORSEL), the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, and MIT Radius.
Book Talk with Madeline Ostrander and Christine Woodside
Tuesday, October 26, 2022, in-person and live-streamed, University of Rhode Island
Metcalf Institute welcomes alumni, Madeline Ostrander and Christine Woodside, for a hybrid in-person and virtual discussion of Ostrander’s brand-new book,At Home on an Unruly Planet.
In At Home, Ostrander, who frequently reports on climate change, energy, and environmental justice, offers four vivid accounts of American communities finding hope, solutions, and resilience amid the floods, storms, and wildfires stoked by climate change. Her book “reflects on what it means to make a home in this era of upheaval and transition.” Woodside is a writer, historian, editor, a Visiting Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut, and former chair of the Metcalf Institute Advisory Board whose work focuses on the environment and American history.
Join us for conversation on October 26 both in-person and virtually. The event will be live-streamed on Youtube, and we also will gather in person at the Anchor Room in the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center at URI’s Kingston Campus. An in-person reception, where refreshments will be served, will be held from 5:00-5:30 p.m., followed by the moderated discussion from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
For more information, contact us at info@metcalfinstitute.org or (401) 258-4472.