An Evening with Nature Writer Bill McKibben
Presented by the Wisconsin Humanities CouncilMADISON, WI, February 20, 2007 – The Wisconsin Humanities Council will present "An Evening with Bill McKibben" on March 27, 2007, at 7 p.m. The lecture and discussion will take place at the First Unitarian Society of Madison (900 University Bay Drive, 608-233-9774). Admission is free and no tickets are necessary; seats will be available on a first-come, first served basis. (A book signing will begin at 6:30 p.m., and will continue after the lecture has ended. A Room of One's Own bookstore will provide on-site bookselling services.)
Bill McKibben is one of our nation's most eloquent and passionate environmentalists and the author of numerous, award-winning books, including: The End of Nature; The Age of Missing Information; Long Distance; and Wandering Home. McKibben's works examine subjects such as global warming, alternative energy, technology, and economic sustainability.
Last summer, McKibben led a five-day walk across Vermont to demand action on global warming in one of the nation's largest demonstrations about climate change. In January 2007, McKibben founded StepItUp07.org, which is working to organize rallies in hundreds of American cities and towns on April 14, 2007 to demand that Congress enact measures that would slow global warming.
Mr. McKibben will read from his new book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, which will be published by Times Books in March 2007. It is a challenging and visionary look at the future of the growing global economy.
Regarding his latest book, McKibben writes: "I've set out to challenge the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, 'more' is no longer synonymous with 'better'—indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. I want us to think in new ways about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases need not be at odds with the things we truly value—Deep Economy offers a realistic, if challenging, scenario for a hopeful future. I believe that the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own."
McKibben is a frequent contributor to various magazines including The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The New York Review of Books, Granta, Rolling Stone, and Outside. He is also a board member and contributor to Grist Magazine and scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont.
This event is the first in the new Stephen G. Bunker Memorial Lectures, established with a gift from Arthur and Clarice Wortzel to honor their late son-in-law, an accomplished sociologist, writer, naturalist, and horseman who taught at UW–Madison. This series of occasional events will focus on issues of sustainability, natural resource extraction and consumption, and global economies.
For general event information, contact the Wisconsin Humanities Council: 608-262-0706.
For media inquiries, contact Dean Bakopoulos, WHC Co-Director, 608-265-5594.
To arrange interviews with Mr. McKibben or to obtain author photos and graphics contact:
Tara Kennedy
Assistant Director of Publicity
Henry Holt & Co.
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 646-307-5240
Fax: 646-307-5261
tara.kennedy@hholt.com
The Wisconsin Humanities Council
Established in 1972 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Wisconsin Humanities Council supports public programs that engage the people of Wisconsin in the exploration of human cultures, ideas, and values. To accomplish its mission, the Council awards grants to support programs in libraries, museums, universities, historical societies, schools, and other nonprofit settings throughout the state.