Bethel's Byrd's Books Zooms In On 'New England Nature' Dec. 3

Press release from Byrd's Books:

Nov. 17, 2020

New England fall colors are fast fading, but this region of stunning natural beauty offers winters, springs, and summers to come. To honor its natural splendors, spread throughout six unique states, Connecticut authors David K. Leff and Eric D. Lehman have collaborated on a new book, New England Nature: Centuries of Writing on the Wonder and Beauty of the Land. Join them on Thursday, December 3rd, 7:00pm to 9:00pm, as Bethel's Byrd's Books hosts both Yankee enthusiasts for a special Zoom discussion about New England, since its founding four hundred years ago, and its role as a vital source of nature writing.

Maybe it's the diversity of landscapes huddled so close together or the marriage of nature and culture in a relatively small region. Maybe it's the regenerative powers of the ecosystem in a place of repeated exploitations. Or maybe New England inhabitants have simply been thinking about their relationship with the natural world longer than others. If all successive nature writing is a footnote to Henry David Thoreau, then New England has a strong claim to being the birthplace of the genre. But there are, as the sixty entries in this anthology demonstrate, many other regional voices that extol the wonders and beauty of the outdoors, explore local ecology, and call for environmental sustainability: Noah Webster, Lydia Sigourney, Jonathan Edwards, Helen Keller, Samuel Peters, Mark Twain, James Mars, Nathaniel Hawthorne, W.E.B. Dubois, and more.

Nature writing cultivates our sense of beauty, inflaming curiosity and the passion to explore. It opens us to deep, primal experiences that enrich life and our relationship with the world. To grasp a literary and cultural headstart on New England Nature, register for this free virtual event by going to
https://conta.cc/32MbNcE The discussion may just inspire an online roadtrip.

David K. Leff is an award-winning essayist, former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and poet laureate, town meeting moderator, and historian of Canton, Connecticut. He is the author of six nonfiction books, three volumes of poetry and two novels in verse, including The Breach: Voices Haunting a New England Mill Town. In 2016-2017 the National Park Service appointed David poet-in-residence for the New England National Scenic Trail. His journals and other papers are archived at the University of Massachusetts Libraries in Amherst.

Eric D. Lehman is an Associate Professor at the University of Bridgeport and the author or editor of nineteen books. His biography of Charles Stratton, Becoming Tom Thumb, won the Henry Russell Hitchcock Award from the Victorian Society of America, and was chosen as one of the American Library Association's outstanding university press books of 2013. His novella, Shadows of Paris, was the Novella of the Year from the Next Gen Indie Book Awards, won a Silver Medal for Romance from the Foreword Review Indie Book Awards, and was a finalist for the Connecticut Book Award.

Byrd's Books is now open weekly Tuesdays through Saturdays,10:00am to 6:00pm, for quick touch-free purchasing and pick-up of bagged prepaid books. Byrd's Books is closed on Sunday and Monday, but may be open by appointment with adequate notice. Located at 178 Greenwood Avenue, adjacent to The Toy Room and the nearby landmarked Opera House, across the street from the Bethel Public Library, Byrd's Books allows three people, or one family group, to shop at a time. If you would like curbside or doorway delivery, please call the shop when you arrive. To answer questions and get suggestions on books to read, call (203) 730 BYRD (2973) or visit ByrdsBooks.com for the latest titles and to add your name to the mailing list.

Byrd’s Books is a general bookstore that carries only new titles, with a special focus on Connecticut authors, poets, publishers and illustrators. As a proud member of the American Booksellers Association and its division, Indiebound, Byrd’s Books participates in the larger community of bookselling nationwide, especially encouraging and promoting a vibrant network of independent bookstores. Byrd's Books features additional sections that include bestsellers, children's books, poetry, mystery, science and nature, and classics, as well as greeting cards, gifts, puzzles, and a large selection of discounted titles.

This press release was produced by Byrd's Books. The views expressed here are the author's own.