In the summer of 2019, I published a novel about a scientist in the aftermath of a catastrophic pandemic. Less than six months later, life began to imitate art. Join me for an online reading from my novel, Ecological Memory, and we'll discuss the creation of a fictional pandemic and explore the potential of ecology as a source of perspective and hope in the face of loss.
Elzy Rodriguez still can't remember how—or where—she survived the fall of civilization. It's been twenty years. All she has now is a few memories of the trees she played among as a child. Fortunately, Elzy is apprenticed to the brilliant and mysterious itinerant ecologist, Andy Cote. If anyone can figure out where the forests of her memory grew, he can.
My novel, Ecological Memory, is set twenty years after a catastrophic global pandemic.. It is NOT a dystopia—although I use catastrophe as a starting point, my vision for the future is quite optimistic. The story explores how the characters, society, and the planet find ways to heal. It's a book about what happens AFTER you lose everything. I wrote the book well before our real pandemic, but now I find my story has become unexpectedly timely.
Caroline Ailanthus is primarily a science writer; even her fiction blends science and story, and she is also the author of the Climate in Emergency blog. Ecological Memory is her second published novel. She grew up in Delaware and attended various small, odd schools, mostly in New England, earning a BA in Environmental Leadership and an MS in Environmental Studies. She lives in Maryland with her husband and assorted animals.
This event is free and open to the public.
Any questions please contact Tracey at 885-3108 or stlvtprograms@gmail.com.
This program will be held over Zoom.
Sign up required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-discussion-of-the-novel-ecological-memory-tickets-156536594167
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