Kalamazoo Valley Hosts Acclaimed 'Braiding Sweetgrass' Author Nov. 6

Robin Wall Kimmerer (Photo credit:
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

Calling all lovers of great writing and nature! Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants," will deliver two, FREE public lectures on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Dale B. Lake Auditorium at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Texas Township Campus.

Kimmerer, a botanist who is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, will speak at 10 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Each talk will be different, and immediately followed by a book signing. The topics are "Braiding Sweetgrass" in the morning, and "Restoration and Reciprocity" in the afternoon.

Kimmerer's interests include restoration of ecological communities and restoration of our relationships to land. She is the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, where she is also a professor of environmental biology.

"Robin Wall Kimmerer's talks are insightful, instructive and motivating," said Julie Stotz-Ghosh, Ph.D., coordinator of Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Visiting Writers series. "Her writing weaves storytelling, her knowledge as a botanist and indigenous wisdom to provide a unique perspective about possibilities for a renewed relationship and kinship with our planet. Her messages are timely and important."

In 2022, Kimmerer was named a MacArthur Fellow for her contributions as a plant ecologist, educator and writer. She published her first book, "Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses" in 2003, with "Braiding Sweetgrass" next in 2013. Her third book, "The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World," will be released Nov. 19, 2024.

In addition to the Visiting Writers series, which annually offers students and the community an opportunity to meet professional writers, Kimmerer's appearance is also sponsored by several units operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College, including the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Artists' Forum, Kalamazoo Valley Libraries, Food Innovation Center and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Preregistration is required for the lectures. Tickets are free and limited to one per person. Visit kvcc.edu for registration details or go online to bit.ly/AuthorTalk2024. Patrons will pick up their tickets at the will call table outside Dale B. Lake Auditorium. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each lecture. Reserved tickets will be released 15 minutes prior to each lecture and given to those on the waiting list.