Begin your Hawaiian Flower Show reveries early with an evening lecture by former Philadelphia Inquirer writer Lucinda Fleeson and learn about her adventures living and working at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Hawaii’s garden island of Kauai. The event will take place on Thursday, February 9 at 6 pm in the PHS McLean Library.
In her book, “Waking up in Eden,” Fleeson describes how native plants are dying at an astonishing rate—Hawaii is called the extinction capital of the world—and invasive species (plants, animals, and humans) have imperiled this modern-day Garden of Eden. In the book she accompanies a plant hunter into the rain forest to find the last of a threatened species, descends into limestone caves with a paleontologist who deconstructs island history through fossil life, and shadows a botanical pioneer who propagates rare seeds, hoping to reclaim the landscape.
Her experience is a reminder of the value of choosing passion over security, individuality over convention, and the pressing need to protect the earth. And as she witnesses the island’s plant renewal efforts, she sees her own life blossom again.
At the Philadelphia Inquirer Lucinda Fleeeson wrote hundreds of news articles, features, and investigative stories that tracked everything from corruption in the Atlantic City police department, to the art and cultural beat.
Because of her amateur interest in gardening, she had befriended a Philadelphia botanist, Dr. William Klein, who became the director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii. Unexpectedly he offered her a job, and for two years she lived on Kauai. Currently she directs a program for international journalists at the University of Maryland College of Journalism, and teaches writing and reporting.
This lecture will coincide with the closing event of the Enchanting Orchids exhibit in the McLean Library. You can register now or purchase a ticket at the event. A wine and cheese reception and book signing will follow the lecture.
The cost is $10 for members, $20 for non-members. Contact Carol Dutill for more information or click here to register.
February 8th, 2012 → 8:32 am
[...] As a reminder, former Philadelphia Inquirer writer Lucinda Fleeson will tell of her adventures living and working at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Hawaii’s garden island of Kauai on Thursday, February 9 at 6 pm. Learn more and register here. [...]