Downtown Chestertown
The second annual Locavore Lit Fest will bring national and regional writers to Chestertown for a series of talks about seafood, foraging, fermentation and the wonders of “wild” foods from March 30th through April 1st.
The weekend kicks off on Friday with a talk and demonstration by Sandor Ellis Katz, author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. Since its publication in 2003, Katz has taught hundreds of workshops across North America and beyond. Be part of the fermentation revival! Learn how simple it is to make your own kimchi, kefir, and other delicacies. The talk will begin at 6:00 PM in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on the Washington College campus and will be followed by a mini-farmer’s market featuring fresh local produce. Katz’s new book, The Art of Fermentation, with foreword by Michael Pollan, is due later this summer.
On Saturday, Chestertown bookstores will host a cadre of writers offering other perspectives on wild foods. Mick Blackistone, editor of the Maryland Watermen’s Gazette, will lecture at 10:30 AM at the Bookplate located at 112 S. Cross Street. Blackistone is the author of eight books for children and adults focusing on the Chesapeake Bay, watermen and the environment.
At the Compleat Bookseller, located on the corner of High and Cross Streets, novelist Jean Hegland will speak on edible landscapes at 11:30 AM on Saturday. Hegland's first novel, Into the Forest, has been translated into twelve languages and is taught in a number of community- and campus-wide reading programs. The novel has been optioned for film development by a creative team that includes the actress Ellen Page. Hegland lives in the woods of Northern California, where she enjoys nibbling the landscape as she works on her latest book.
The day finishes back on the Washington College campus at 2:00 PM with a skill-share and talk by Peter Bauer (aka Urban Scout), author of Rewild Or Die. Scout is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who created an international forum and wiki (www.rewild.info) and blogs about rewilding at http://www.urbanscout.org/. Scout will present some radical ideas about civilization and humans’ role in the natural world. After the talk, there is a skill-share at 3:00 PM. You may meet up with others interested in skills such as basketry, stone points and jewelry, leatherwork, fire-by-friction, animal tracking, nature awareness and story-telling. Bring a project to work on and share, or come and watch others demonstrate their skills.
On Sunday, meet Dr. Bill Schindler and forage for wild plants at Adkins Arboretum (12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely, MD). Participants will go into the field to learn how to identify, harvest, and prepare many of spring’s wild edibles. Schindler is a professor of anthropology and archaeology at Washington College. There will be workshops at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. The cost is $15 for members of Adkins Arboretum and $20 for non-members. Register for the walk here.
The Center for Environment & Society at Washington College sponsors the Locavore Lit Fest and supports the free exchange of ideas. Other community sponsors include Chestertown Natural Foods, the Rose O’Neill Literary House, Colchester Farm CSA, the Chestertown Spy, and the Kent County Arts Council. With the exception of the foraging walk at Adkins Arboretum ($20), all events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact 410-810-7162 or tholste2@washcoll.edu or ces.washcoll.edu.
- Friday, March 30
- 6:00- 8:00 PM
- Sandor Ellis Katz, author of Wild Fermentation
- Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, Washington College
- Demo and lecture, followed by Q&A and mini-farmer’s market
- Saturday, March 31
- 10:30 AM Mick Blackistone, editor of the Maryland Watermen's Gazette
- Bookplate, 112 S. Cross Street
- 11:30 AM Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest
- Compleat Bookseller, corner of Cross and High Streets
- 2:00 PM Rewilding lecture and skill share with Urban Scout
- Washington College
- Sunday, April 1
- 1:00 PM Foraging walk with Dr. Bill Schindler
- Adkins Arboretum
- 3:00 PM Foraging walk with Dr. Bill Schindler
- Adkins Arboretum
To register for the foraging walks, please visit the Adkins website. The cost is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Space is limited so register soon!
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