Inviting you to two Schuylkill River talks, on behalf of the River of the Year honor

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(I will be giving this talk on Tuesday October 14 at Montgomery County Community College and on October 16 at Trinity Urban Life Center, Philadelphia, PA. Both talks are free and open to the public. We would love to see you.)

Schuylkill River Heritage Area

140 College Drive

Pottstown, PA  19464

www.schuylkillriver.org

For Immediate Release

September 29, 2014

                                                                                    Contact:

                                                                                    Laura Catalano

                                                                                                      lcatalano@schuylkillriver.org                 

                                                                                                  (484) 945-0200

 Author to Speak about Schuylkill River and the Imagination

POTTSTOWN–“That’s the thing about this river: you have to imagine it to see it.” That line was written by award-winning author Beth Kephart in the prelude to her book Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River.

On Tuesday, October 14 Kephart will talk about the place the Schuylkill River has forged in her own imagination. Her talk will take place at Montgomery County Community College West Campus, in the Community Room in South Hall at 7 p.m. A second presentation will be held on Thursday Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Trinity Center for Urban Life in Philadelphia.

Both talks are free, but attendees are asked to register at riverdreams.eventbrite.com or by calling the Schuylkill River Heritage Area at 484-945-0200.

In addition to speaking about the place the Schuylkill River has in her own imagination and teaching, she will also look at the impact rivers have on all our lives, and the legacy of those who have worked to restore Philadelphia’s essential waterways.

Kephart is a National Book Award finalist and an acclaimed author and educator. Her book, Flow, is an imaginative telling of the life of the Schuylkill River written in short, thought-provoking, impressionistic chapters. The book was published in 2007 by Temple University Press, and was reprinted in paperback earlier this year.

The Schuylkill was named Pennsylvania’s 2014 River of the Year. Kephart’s talk, entitled RIVER DREAMS: History, Hope and the Imagination, will serve as the keynote address for the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s River of the Year Speaker Series. Kephart developed the presentation specifically for that purpose. 

“At a time of global uncertainty, the restoration of our rivers—and of our Schuylkill in particular—is a kind of poetry, proof of what remains possible," says Kephart. "I’m interested in the possible. I’m leavened by it.” 

“Our goal in hosting a River of the Year speaker series has been to introduce people to various aspects of the Schuylkill River,” said Schuylkill River Heritage Area Executive Director Kurt Zwikl. “We are pleased to be able to offer two presentations by a very talented author that focus on how the river has affected her as a writer and a teacher.”

Earlier presentations in the series included a talk by author Chari Towne about the environmental cleanup of the river, and a campfire presentation at Valley Forge about the role the Schuylkill River played during the Revolutionary War. The final installment in the series will be a screening of the film DamNation, about the environmental impact of dams. That will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Alvernia University’s Francis Hall, in Reading.

The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, managed by the  non-profit Schuylkill River Greenway Association, uses conservation, education, recreation, historic preservation and tourism as tools for community revitalization and economic development. Visit www.schuylkillriver.org to learn more.