Central College welcomes Novella Carpenter to campus as a part of the Writers Reading series. Author of “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer,” Carpenter is visiting Central College Oct. 18 to read from her book about the process of growing her own food in the middle of downtown Oakland.
Natalie Hutchinson, library director and Writers Reading director, was excited to coordinate the reading. “I first heard about Novella’s work through Treva Reimer, the director of cultural affairs programming. We both liked her writing style and her speaking style, both of which are very warm and funny, and thought that an opportunity to hear her work would be meaningful to our community.”
Carpenter grew up in rural Idaho and Washington. She attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where she majored in biology and English. Carpenter is now a freelance journalist.
Bringing Carpenter to campus was just one of many ways to connect with the community. “Novella’s book is actually being taught in several courses this semester, and this event provides the students who are studying it the opportunity to learn more about her writing process, ask questions about the book and dig deeper into the issues she touches upon,” Hutchinson said. “I’m particularly happy that we’ll be able to coordinate the reading, which is an in-depth exploration of the joys and challenges of growing one’s own food, with a meal that is as locally-sourced as possible.”
Carpenter will read from her memoir at 7:15 p.m. in the Graham Annex. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Geisler Library and the cultural affairs office.
The reading will follow an international dinner, “All Around the World from Iowa,” at 6 p.m. in the Graham Annex, featuring dishes made with as many locally purchased ingredients as possible. The cost for dinner will be $15 per person, $5 for children 6-10 and Central students on the meal plan. Children under 6 are free. Reservations are required by Oct. 15 and may be made by emailing Treva Reimer at reimert@central.edu. The events may be attended separately.
