# Event Details - **Event Name**: Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 01 Apr, 2026 at 06:30 pm – Wed, 01 Apr, 2026 at 07:30 pm - **Event Description**: Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin join us with their new titles which explore the relationship between human nature and the natural world.About this EventGaze at Ernst Haeckel’s gracefully sinuous moon jellies, or any nineteenth-century compendium of nature illustrations bearing a title like “Animal kingdom arranged in conformity with its organization,” and the relationship between the natural world, and the human desires for beauty and order, starts to become apparent.As heirs—and challengers—to this lineage, Jessica Riskin and Josie Iselin both explore the relationship between human nature and the natural world, skillfully blending scientific ideas with history, art, and culture. We are delighted that they will be joining us to discuss their newest titles, The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest.About the BooksJosie Iselin The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp ForestThe Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest by Josie Iselin offers a mesmerizing tour of our underwater forests and what they can teach us.Offshore and out of sight to most beachgoers on the North Pacific coast is a wondrous habitat: the bull kelp forest. Each year, tiny bull kelp saplings explode into sixty-foot “redwoods,” until winter storms tear them loose and fling great tangles of wrack on the shore. While they flourish, these underwater forests harbor abalone, salmon, and rockfish, and they entreat cormorants and murrelets to hunt among their thrumming canopies. Meanwhile, fluffy-furred otters and pizza-sized sea stars gorge on spiny urchins who, if left to run rampant, will devour a kelp bed down to barren wasteland. In The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest, Josie Iselin profiles thirteen species—with stylish illustrations from Ellen Litwiller—to be our ambassadors to this undersung world. She explores how their interspecies dramas play out in eight coastal regions, from Alaska to central California, exploring instances of interdependent, compromised, and resilient coastal ecosystems. An array of sea creatures feature in these pages, as well as shorebirds that connect land and sea. Land-dwelling humans are also deeply implicated in this saga—by turns beneficiaries, agents of harm, and stewards of these subtidal sanctuaries.Jessica Riskin The Power of LifeThe Power of Life explores the tumultuous life and radical science of a revolutionary thinker, and the history of an idea that changed the world.In the early nineteenth century, the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the first evolutionary theory of life and, with it, a new science: biology. Yet for centuries, evolutionary theorists have endeavored to discredit Lamarck and his theory of self-transforming organisms, rejecting the idea that animals play an active role in shaping their own evolution. In his lifetime, he was mocked by his adversaries and personally insulted by Napoleon. In this virtuosic melding of biography, history, politics, and science, Jessica Riskin sets out to correct the record. Riskin tells the story of Lamarck’s life and work as an intense struggle between rival forces to answer questions that remain foundational to our modern worldview: What is a living being, and what is science?New findings suggest Lamarck’s basic claim was, in many ways, right, and a reconsideration of his life and work is long overdue. Denying the agency of living beings has informed two centuries of eugenic policies and environmental destruction, allowing people to regard the living world as so much raw material to shape and exploit for economic, industrial, and imperial gain.COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.ACCESSIBILITY: We never want cost to be a barrier to admission for our community. Please email events [at] keplers [dot] org if you would like to attend this event but cannot afford a ticket. To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for this event, please email events [at] keplers [dot] org at least one week prior to the event. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985 - **Event Categories**: art, performances, theatre, entertainment - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 16.74, max: 34.59, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Menlo Park - **state**: CA - **country**: United States - **location**: Kepler's Books - **lat**: 37.453569 - **long**: -122.182167 - **full address**: Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events3/banners/6d05bdb465c5aeeff9dae029323d4bb660e0e7ba07604ec10e01b8c31d65bb0a-rimg-w1200-h675-dc14161b-gmir.jpg?v=1771659786 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art being held? - **A:** Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art takes place on Wed, 01 Apr, 2026 at 06:30 pm to Wed, 01 Apr, 2026 at 07:30 pm at Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, United States. - **Q**: How much do tickets cost for Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art? - **A:** Ticket prices for Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art range from USD 17 to USD 35 depending on the ticket type. Here's a full breakdown of available ticket types:Ticket TypePriceAvailabilityGeneral AdmissionUSD 17 + USD 2 feeAvailable"The Power of Life" by Jessica RiskinUSD 35 + USD 3 feeAvailable"The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest"USD 28 + USD 2 feeAvailable - **Q**: Who is organizing Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art? - **A:** Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art is organized by Kepler's Literary Foundation. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Menlo Park, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin on Nature, Science, and Art", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events3/banners/6d05bdb465c5aeeff9dae029323d4bb660e0e7ba07604ec10e01b8c31d65bb0a-rimg-w1200-h675-dc14161b-gmir.jpg?v=1771659786", "startDate": "2026-04-01", "endDate": "2026-04-01", "url": "https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Kepler's Books", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1010 El Camino Real", "postalCode": "94025", "addressLocality": "Menlo Park", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "37.453569", "longitude": "-122.182167" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Josie Iselin and Jessica Riskin join us with their new titles which explore the relationship between human nature and the natural world.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "2026-04-01", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "lowPrice": "16.74", "highPrice": "34.59", "price": "16.74", "url": "https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985", "price": "16.74", "name": "General Admission" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985", "price": "34.59", "name": ""The Power of Life" by Jessica Riskin" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/menlo-park/josie-iselin-and-jessica-riskin-on-nature-science-and-art/100001983403407985", "price": "28.29", "name": ""The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest"" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Keplers Literary Foundation", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/keplers-literary-foundation/22639584", "description": "Kepler's Literary Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to enriching the community through literary and cultural programs. 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