The League of Women Voters position on the environment states that "As citizens of the world we must protect our planet from the physical, economic and public health effects of climate change while also providing pathways to economic prosperity." Join Carole Bulakowski, Ph.D, our Facilitator and LWVPA Treasurer, for a discussion of World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Open to LWVPA members and their guests. Friday, November 12, 2021 11:30 AM Granite City Food and Brewery 801 Plaza Dr., Schaumburg Order off menu and separate checks
From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction—a collection of essays about the natural world and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance.
“What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts.
The League of Women Voters of the Palatine Area is a nonpartisan political organization and does not support any political party or candidate.