The Seward Park Audubon Center welcomes the Creatures, Critters and Climate book club to Seward Park. This is a moderated discussion, just bring your thoughts. We will be reading 'Northern Light' by Kazim Ali. This is a short book so if you have already registered for our other March book club, you are welcome to both!
About the book:
The child of South Asian migrants, Kazim Ali was born in London, lived as a child in the cities and small towns of Manitoba, and made a life in the United States. As a man passing through disparate homes, he has never felt he belonged to a place. And yet, one day, the celebrated poet and essayist finds himself thinking of the boreal forests and lush waterways of Jenpeg, a community thrown up around the building of a hydroelectric dam on the Nelson River, where he once lived for several years as a child. Does the town still exist, he wonders? Is the dam still operational?
When Ali goes searching, however, he finds not news of Jenpeg, but of the local Pimicikamak community. Facing environmental destruction and broken promises from the Canadian government, they have evicted Manitoba’s electric utility from the dam on Cross Lake. In a place where water is an integral part of social and cultural life, the community demands accountability for the harm that the utility has caused.
Troubled, Ali returns north, looking to understand his place in this story and eager to listen. Over the course of a week, he participates in community life, speaks with Elders and community members, and learns about the politics of the dam from Chief Cathy Merrick. He drinks tea with activists, eats corned beef hash with the Chief, and learns about the history of the dam, built on land that was never ceded, and Jenpeg, a town that now exists mostly in his memory. In building relationships with his former neighbors, Ali explores questions of land and power―and in remembering a lost connection to this place, finally finds a home he might belong to.
You must register in advance for this event. Masks are required for all attendees.
Register via MeetUp
In May we'll be celebrating "Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone" by Juli Berwald. We hope you can join us Sunday, May 14th at the Seward Park Audubon Center.
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