Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants,” will attend a virtual author visit Oct. 21 hosted by the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.
The Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s eighth annual One Book, One Village community reading event will culminate next week with a virtual visit from the author of this year’s title.
Robin Wall Kimmerer will join the Zoom audience from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, to discuss her book, “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.” Registration is available at ahml.info, by calling the library at (847) 392-0100, or by visiting the info desk.
Amid the pandemic, last year marked the first time the author event was held virtually — normally, it’s a packed house at the Forest View Education Center — but nearly 400 online attendees in 2020 set a record.
“We were a little nervous about it just because it’s a change of format; however, we had our highest attendance numbers,” said Megan Young, the library’s programs and exhibits supervisor.
The library has hosted a mix of virtual and in-person events in conjunction with this year’s selection, which has included off-site book discussions at Eddie’s bar, The Bakester pastry and coffee shop, and Arlington Heights Historical Museum.
The library’s new Makerplace branch on Belmont Avenue hosted a hands-on, natural fabric dyeing workshop.
To register for programs still to come through Nov. 3, visit ahml.info/onebook/programs.
“Braiding Sweetgrass” is described as a collection of essays about the natural world that weaves together Indigenous wisdom, plant science and personal narrative. Kimmerer is a botanist, member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, university professor, and founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
Her book was chosen by a committee of 15 library employees who read and evaluated 25 different titles. There’s some 600 copies of the book available in the library’s collection, including those in e-book, audio and large-type formats.
