"Bad Naturalist" - In conversation with author Paula Whyman
Jan
11
4:00 PM16:00

"Bad Naturalist" - In conversation with author Paula Whyman

Join us for an afternoon with Paula Whyman, who will read from her new book, Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop. A conversation with Adam Nemett will follow. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.

About the Book: When Paula Whyman climbs to a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of a home in the country, her plans for a tidy backyard ecology project quickly morph into a massive endeavor. Just as quickly, she discovers how little she knows about hands-on conservation work. In Bad Naturalist, Whyman struggles with conflicting advice from experts, an influx of invasive species, delayed plans, and the occasional rattlesnake—but none of it dampens her irrepressible passion for protecting this place.

Bad Naturalist is woven with Whyman’s lyrically deft, delightful storytelling as she attempts to coax a beautiful piece of land back into shape. Readers meander with her through orchards and meadows, forests and frog ponds as Whyman’s hair fills with broomsedge and she gets lost in her own woods. Preconceived notions about nature fall by the wayside when she discovers that fire can be good, and certain plants can be bad. The mountaintop is, after all, teeming with life and hope amid the seeming chaos of nature, and some of Whyman’s plans for the place eventually go right. In the end, she forms a deep connection with her own corner of the natural world and is reminded that the quest for control is a fool’s errand.

Bad Naturalist will be released on January 7. To order the book, please see below for the New Dominion Bookshop book order form or call the shop at 434-295-2552.

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Creative Mornings - Charlottesville: "When the Apocalypse is Over, I Hope You Like Your Job"
Jul
19
8:00 PM20:00

Creative Mornings - Charlottesville: "When the Apocalypse is Over, I Hope You Like Your Job"

Adam speaks on the July Creative Mornings theme of “Trust,” linking his literary work to his nonprofit music education and permaculture homesteading practice. More info and video here: https://creativemornings.com/talks/adam-nemett

Watch the talk (Adam starts at 11:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejxMWVkwBLM&list=TLGGu9czsrNzxuMxNjEwMjAyNA&t=1s

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"My Monticello" - In conversation with author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Dec
12
3:00 PM15:00

"My Monticello" - In conversation with author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

Adam Nemett in conversation with Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, local Charlottesville author of the much-acclaimed MY MONTICELLO. The in-person/simulcast event will feature a short reading and interview, along with audience Q&A (contact Adam to receive Zoom link). Sponsored by the Social Action Committee of Charlottesville’s Congregation Beth Israel.

MY MONTICELLO has been named

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
One of The Washington Post's 50 notable works of fiction
A Bookforum Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Best Books of 2021: Best Debut and Best Short Fiction

One of New York Public Library's Best Books for Adults

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s writing has appeared in Guernica, The Guardian, Kweli, Joyland, phoebe, Prime Number Magazine, and elsewhere. Her short story “Control Negro” was anthologized in Best American Short Stories 2018, guest edited by Roxane Gay, and read live by LeVar Burton as part of PRI’s Selected Shorts series. Johnson has been a fellow at Hedgebrook, Tin House Summer Workshops, and VCCA. A veteran public school art teacher, Johnson lives and writes in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Virginia Festival of the Book - The Secrets We Keep: Literary Fiction (Moderating)
Mar
24
12:00 PM12:00

Virginia Festival of the Book - The Secrets We Keep: Literary Fiction (Moderating)

Bill Clegg (The End of the Day), Zeyn Joukhadar (The Thirty Names of Night), and Zak Salih (Let’s Get Back to the Party) discuss their new novels exploring the mysteries of self and community, from the bonds and breaking points of friendship across generations, to a closeted Syrian-American trans boy’s search for family, and childhood friends’ attempts to navigate queer culture in contemporary Washington, D.C. Moderated by Adam Nemett (We Can Save Us All).

As part of the all-virtual 2021 Virginia Festival of the Book, this event is FREE to attend and open to the public. To attend, please register below or simply make plans to watch on Facebook.com/VaBookFest. The video recording from this event will also be available to watch after the event concludes, on VaBook.org/Watch.

This event will include live-captioning.

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Pratt Institute - "Another Earth" Course Visit
Oct
21
11:00 AM11:00

Pratt Institute - "Another Earth" Course Visit

Another Earth will explore the design of imaginary (or constructed) worlds. We will study examples of worlds built in literature and visual art and our creative work will span and combine these mediums. The class will be composed of readings, screenings, discussions, studio work, and writing workshops. The primary focus for each student will be creating written and visual art to flesh out a world of their own design.

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Fall for the Book - "I Will Survive: Exploring the Human Condition in the Face of Chaos"
Oct
12
1:00 PM13:00

Fall for the Book - "I Will Survive: Exploring the Human Condition in the Face of Chaos"

  • George Mason University - Marten Tent (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

What does a climate change disaster novel, a bloody prison riot satire, and an apocalyptic but redemptive collection of poetry have in common? Adam Nemett‘s We Can Save Us All, Ryan Chapman’s Riots I Have Known, and Jason Gray’s Radiation King use unusual (and sometimes extreme) settings to investigate the human condition in exciting, new, and even comical ways.

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Loudoun Book & Arts Festival
Jun
8
10:30 AM10:30

Loudoun Book & Arts Festival

  • Brambleton Library - Makerspace (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The inaugural festival is a free, daylong event in and around Brambleton Library, featuring talks with bestselling and up-and-coming authors, interactive displays with local artists, live music and a book sale courtesy of Second Chapter Books.

The festival morning kicks off with Adam Nemett, author of the novel We Can Save Us All. Comic book artist and illustrator Orion Zangara will give away an original piece of art inspired by the book.

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Virginia Festival of the Book - Vivid Tales of Connection and Loss: Transatlantic Fiction (Moderating)
Mar
22
10:00 AM10:00

Virginia Festival of the Book - Vivid Tales of Connection and Loss: Transatlantic Fiction (Moderating)

Abigail DeWitt (News of Our Loved Ones) and Ed Pavlić (Another Kind of Madness) discuss their far-reaching fiction, featuring characters faced with global and personal turbulence. Moderated by Adam Nemett. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.

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