Coming on Friday, May 12, an All But True reading featuring two novels with environmental themes:
In our new era of climate-change denial and environmental rapine, Kate Brandes offers a timely contribution to the genre of ecofiction. The Promise of Pierson Orchard, debuting on Earth Day, centers on an impoverished rural community in Pennsylvania and a family torn apart by one son’s decision to allow fracking on their ancestral farm. Kirkus Reviews praises the book as “An expertly paced, moving exploration of grief and responsibility and an eloquent portrait of a small town struggling with compromise.” After a 20-year career as a geologist and environmental scientist, Kate know whereof she speaks. This is her debut novel.
In Viet Dinh’s After Disasters the earth doesn't wait for humans to fracture it. The book follows the lives of four aid workers as they respond to a massive earthquake in India. A finalist for the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Award, this richly layered novel has earned international acclaim for its unflinching probe of the traumas inflicted by disaster—psychological, physical, and environmental. Dinh was born in Vietnam, grew up in Colorado, and currently teaches at the University of Delaware. He has received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and an O. Henry Prize for his short fiction.
All But True readings take place at Mighty Writers West, 3861 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia. The event begins at 7 p.m. In addition to reading from their works, the authors will discuss them with the audience and autograph copies. No tickets or reservations are needed, and refreshments are complimentary.
