“Words empower us, move us beyond our suffering and set us free. This is the sorcery of literature. We are healed by our stories."
- Terry Tempest Williams
My Vote for Best Book Festival: Tucson Festival of the Book
Recently I attended the Tucson Festival of Books as well as a related Writers Workshop. I’ve been to several other book festivals and conferences, and to my mind this one combines the best of both – a focus on readers, but with plenty for authors to enjoy.
It was a full and fun time: two days of festival events and being a featured indie author (as in, given space in a tent to sell my novel) and two days as a fellowship recipient for a fiction workshop and lectures. The festival is held on the gorgeous campus of University of Arizona and attracts more than 130,000 attendees.
Most fun of all was spending time with my friend and wonderful web designer Heidi and her family and with workshop writing buddies Renée, Miriam, and Vida.
NEWS & EVENTS
Recent podcasts and radio interviews featuring The Stark Beauty of Last Things:
On New Books Network: https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-stark-beauty-of-last-things
On The Culture Buzz: https://archive.org/details/celine-keating-aut.-mar-2024-the-stark-beauty-of-last-things-online-audio-converter.com
Montauk Library book club, Montauk library, Sunday April 21, 1 pm https://montauklibrary.org/events/event/special-sunday-book-club-with-guest-author-celine-keating/
Keene Valley Library, May 24, 2 pm, with author Lorraine Duvall
Winning with Wind: An Environmental Heroine to Celebrate
When I first learned that there was a proposal to build the first ever utility-scale wind farm in U.S. waters 35 miles off Montauk's shores I had mixed feelings. I knew that it was crucial that we drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but I didn’t want the spectacular view of the ocean to be marred. (Little did I know that the turbines would not be visible from shore.) I also had concerns about the industrialization of the ocean, the impacts on fish and ocean mammals as well as on the commercial fishing industry. My environmental organization (CCOM) held discussions pro and con, cross-examined company spokespeople, and held and attended forums on the issue. Over several years of study, and with the results of many tests and analyses from the five Block Island wind turbines that were the first off the Atlantic coast, the entire environmental community on Long Island became strong advocates for the wind farm. The recreational fishing community has largely joined in support, both in Montauk and in Rhode Island, where I now live.
But before that consensus developed, a group on Long Island formed that was adamantly opposed to the project. They masked a disinformation campaign as concern for the environment, a tactic that is occurring across the country as renewable energy is gaining traction and those financed and tethered to the fossil fuel industry look for ways to convince people to resist solar and wind power. When the Long Island anti-wind activists' petition to the local Town Board did not muster enough support to stop it, they tried to block it legally, with no success, but their efforts stalled the project for two years. In response, a local group formed, Win With Wind, to bring clarity to the situation. Thanks to their efforts, and with help from trusted messengers like National Audubon and Natural Resources Defense Council, the motives and misinformation of the opposition group were debunked and WWW built a groundswell of support for the windfarm over time.
My good friend and fellow CCOM Board Member, Jessica James, was a founding member of Win With Wind, and it is thanks to her that I went from skeptic to supporter. She worked tirelessly for years researching the facts and helping educate the community. I am honored to know her and thrilled that she opens and closes this short and inspiring video. The project is now fully online. Please take a moment to watch: https://southforkwind.com/about-south-fork-wind#video
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS with a sense of place
My Antonia by Willa Cather is one of those classics I never got around to reading, though I’ve loved others of her books. Cather is a master of setting and descriptive writing, and I can see why this is one of her most highly regarded works. She casts such a spell that I came away feeling as if I, too, grew up on the plains of Nebraska. The story is told from the point of view of a neighbor of Antonia, a young boy who admires her. Both their families are living hardscrabble farming lives, and the writing is sublime whether about the characters, the town, or the way of life. For an immersive reading experience and a glimpse at what life was like as pioneers on the prairie, this is a perfect, and seminal, novel.