Did you know that Kurt Vonnegut spoke at the very first Earth Day in New York City on April 22, 1970? Although that historical fact may have passed you by, you now have the opportunity to celebrate the Earth with Christina Jarvis, author of the new book Lucky Mud & Other Foma: A Field Guide to Kurt Vonnegut's Environmentalism and Planetary Citizenship. Dr. Jarvis is a noted Vonnegut scholar and a professor of English at the State University of New York, Fredonia. She will be a special guest at several Charles Bruce Foundation supported events. First, she will lead an assembly for students at Carlisle High School. There she will discuss Vonnegut's participation in the first Earth Day, share some of the origins of Kurt's environmental stewardship (offering a Hillis Howie connection to Galápagos), and outline some of Vonnegut's key lessons in planetary thinking that can be drawn upon as we work for a more sustainable present and future. Next, you will have the opportunity to attend her meet the author speaking event from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm at Bosler Memorial Library. She will do a brief reading from her book, focusing on Vonnegut's 1970 Earth Day speech, and then share rare, archival photos from the book which highlight key moments within Kurt's life and planetary citizenship and unravel some of the compositional stories behind Vonnegut's most famous works. She will conclude with a lively question and answer session. After her talk, you can get your book signed at Whistlestop Bookshop from 1:00 - 2:30 pm where she will joyfully personalize inscriptions to channel Vonnegut fans' favorite works. Finally, she will lead a special presentation at the Harrisburg Earth Day Fest from 5:00 - 6:00 pm at The Bridge, 2200 Market St, Harrisburg.

Studies show that reading inspires empathy in its readers, but Priscilla, Princess of the Park has inspired something more. It is an honor to announce that Sid's House, a mental health association in Walnut Cove, NC, will be staging a live performance of scenes from The Priscilla Series to help raise awareness about homelessness, mental health, and poverty. The performance will be in support of the Bloomin' Tunes 2023 at Fowler Park festival on Earth Day, April 22nd. Many thanks to Tom Garner (who will play Ken Kritzell), Occupy Homeless, and all the other good folks involved in this production. Costuming has taken place, and we were provided with this lovely picture to get us in the spirit. We all wish we could be there to watch the show, but our own Earth Day festivities create a scheduling conflict. If you are free that day and can attend the show, we would appreciate any photo or video shares you might get. Details about Bloomin' Tunes 2023 are available by clicking the button below.