The natural world is not separate from us—we are woven into it. As climate disruption accelerates and the boundaries between human and nonhuman systems blur, we need new ways of seeing, thinking, and relating. Living Systems is a three-part author series exploring ecology not only as science, but as lived experience, cultural memory, and ethical challenge.
Each event features a contemporary author whose work engages deeply with questions of interconnection: between people and place, species and systems, knowledge and responsibility. Through essays, reporting, storytelling, and critical inquiry, these writers invite us to reflect on how we live now—and how we might live otherwise.
Zoë Schlanger, Tuesday, September 23rd at 6 PM
Join Zoë Schlanger, journalist for The Atlantic and author of The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, for a live remote Q&A that will challenge everything you thought you knew about plants. Ask your questions and discover the surprising ways plants perceive and respond to the world around them.
Ethan Tapper, Tuesday, September 30th at 6 PM
Join Ethan Tapper, forester and author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, for an in-person talk exploring the delicate, often surprising relationships between humans and forests. Gain insight into the work, challenges, and joys of caring for these vital ecosystems.
Bryan Pfeiffer, Tuesday, October 7th at 6 PM
Join naturalist Bryan Pfeiffer, known locally for his Vermont radio program For the Birds, for an in-person presentation on his 21-year search for the elusive Elfin Bog Butterfly, the first confirmed sighting in the state. Pfeiffer blends natural history, personal story, and reflections on the human condition in a talk full of curiosity and discovery.
Together, these conversations will explore what it means to listen to the living world, to learn from it, and to imagine futures that move beyond extraction and toward relationship.
This speaker series is free and open to all. It is hosted by Cutler Memorial Library in Plainfield, Vermont, in collaboration with the Plainfield Conservation Commission, and made possible by a grant from the Echo Center. All conversations will be held at the Plainfield Town Hall and Opera House.
Also check out other Arts events in Plainfield, Literary Art events in Plainfield, Contests in Plainfield.
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