270. Nature, Art, and Literature: Pacific Northwest Book Launch & Season Preview
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Release Date: 10/09/2026
270. Nature, Art, and Literature: Pacific Northwest Book Launch & Season Preview
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Join the team behind Skipstone (an imprint of the nonprofit, independent Seattle publishing house, Mountaineers Books) for an evening of nature, literature, and advocacy to celebrate the launch of Cascade of Life: An Artist’s Seasonal Guide to the Wild Northwest by author and illustrator Emily Poole, joined by Mountaineers Books Editor-in-Chief Kate Rogers. More than just a book launch, this evening is an exclusive preview of the art and natural history books arriving from Mountaineers Books/Skipstone in the upcoming Fall season. From Red-winged Blackbird to Silver-haired Bat,...
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269. David R. Montgomery: How to Heal Our Soil
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
A century of conventional farming has left our planet with sick soil, accelerating the interlinked crises of food security, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and climate change. In his new book, ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health, David R. Montgomery lays out a practical and productive vision for recovering soil health and safeguarding the future of food. The answer: soil-building regenerative farming. In exploring this much-needed turning point for agriculture, Montgomery marshals more than a decade of research, interviewing innovative farmers and seeing firsthand how...
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268. Perrin Roosevelt Ireland: Poking the Squid
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
In the illustrated guide, Poking the Squid, Perrin Roosevelt Ireland illustrates the splendid diversity of nature’s eroticism. Chock full of delightful watercolor comics featuring pregnant seahorse dads, spider oral sex, and the four-headed echidna penis, Ireland takes us on a wild biodiversity ride through queerness, infidelity, consent, divorce, sex change, and even sexual cannibalism in the animal world. Ireland interviews researchers probing the leading edge of animal reproductive biology and, with the help of her cats Ursula and Pudge, brings readers along as she learns the...
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267. Lynda Mapes: America’s Arctic: Too Precious to Lose
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
The northernmost stretches of Alaska host an environmental wonder that very few people will connect with in their lives — millions of acres of largely undisturbed public land along the Arctic Circle. This region contains pristine tundra landscapes, unrestricted rivers shaped only by nature, and unique wildlife like polar bears, the only caribou herds in the United States, and more aquatic birds than can be found in any other Arctic wetland. And while the features and roles of these lands may be foreign to many even within the United States, science writer Lynda Mapes is committed to the...
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266. David Epstein with Katy Sewall: Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Limits are the key to stimulating creativity, innovation, and collaboration. In a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and prizes freedom above all else, we have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be, and how to spend our time. All that choice is wonderful, but it is also overwhelming. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don’t necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal...
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265. Psychedelic Salon: Psychedelics & Grief With Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, Laura Sullivan Cassidy, and April Pride
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Grief is one of the most universal yet isolating experiences we endure—and psychedelics may offer a path through it. This Salon explores how substances like psilocybin, MDMA, and 5-MeO-DMT are being used to support those navigating loss, whether from death, identity shifts, or life transitions. This session sheds light on how altered states can help us reconnect to love, soften the sharp edges of sorrow, and reorient to a life forever changed. Attendees will gain insight into the science and integration practices that support emotional processing and meaning-making in the context of grief....
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264. Steve Brusatte with David B. Williams: A New History of Birds: From Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Try to imagine a world without birds. It’s quite a challenge, given that we share the planet with tens of billions of birds spanning an astonishing 14,000 species. Birds find homes nearly everywhere that people do – and many places we do not – and their prowess and plumage have captivated human imagination throughout the ages. But impressive aerial feats and collective choirs of song aside, part of our fascination with birds is rooted in the awe of something so delicate and strange. How did such seemingly fragile creatures made of hollow bones and downy feathers break the mold of...
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263. Psychedelic Salon: Psychedelics & Disordered Eating With Dr. Amanda Downey and April Pride
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
A conversation about the emerging potential of psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, in addressing eating disorders—a psychiatric area marked by persistent treatment challenges. This Salon dives into groundbreaking research showing how psychedelics disrupt entrenched thought patterns, ease cognitive rigidity, and foster self-compassion and emotional reconnection. April Pride and invited experts will discuss the limitations of current treatments and how psychedelic therapies could offer new hope. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how psychedelic-assisted therapy might...
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262. Suzanne Simard with Lynda Mapes: When the Forest Breathes
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has long been fascinated by the sharing of natural knowledge. From the interconnected root systems she studied in her book Finding the Mother Tree to her ongoing work as an educator, Simard has learned to see the importance of cooperative efforts to share resources and knowledge. Joined in conversation by Seattle-based nature journalist Lynda Mapes, Simard expands these connections into a considerate exploration of the elaborate cycles of forest ecosystems, the challenges they currently face, and the intergenerational value they can provide through...
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261. Cate Osborn: Wildly Unprepared
Town Hall Seattle Science Series
Comedian, historian, and bestselling author Cate Osborn brings a special program derived from her live touring show, Wildly Unprepared. This evening features a curated portion of the performance, exploring the strange and surprising history of magic, spectacle, and belief, along with storytelling and conversation about curiosity, culture, and the stories we inherit. While this program draws from the larger theatrical show, it is designed as a standalone event created especially for Town Hall audiences. The show will be followed by a Q&A with Cate. About the Book Just shy of her thirtieth...
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Join the team behind Skipstone (an imprint of the nonprofit, independent Seattle publishing house, Mountaineers Books) for an evening of nature, literature, and advocacy to celebrate the launch of Cascade of Life: An Artist’s Seasonal Guide to the Wild Northwest by author and illustrator Emily Poole, joined by Mountaineers Books Editor-in-Chief Kate Rogers.
More than just a book launch, this evening is an exclusive preview of the art and natural history books arriving from Mountaineers Books/Skipstone in the upcoming Fall season. From Red-winged Blackbird to Silver-haired Bat, delicate winter twigs to spring’s rushing creeks, these books ask readers to explore a year-round relationship with the natural world.
About Cascade of Life: An Artist’s Seasonal Guide to the Wild Northwest
Cascade of Life invites readers to step beyond the typical field guide and into a deeper dialogue with the natural world. Award-winning artist and naturalist Emily Poole explores the wondrous variety of the Pacific Northwest — from rocky shorelines to alpine slopes to arid steppes — through the rhythms of the four seasons, spotlighting species that are especially active at different times of year. Original illustrations and essays feature popular species like gray whales and Anna’s hummingbirds, as well as overlooked or misunderstood plants and animals, such as pickleweed and coyotes.
Blending stunningly vivid paintings with personal anecdotes and field-based insights, each chapter encourages the reader’s curiosity and offers accessible, hands-on activities to deepen their connection with nature. Part field guide, part journal, Cascade of Life is a welcoming, inspiring exploration of our landscapes and the species that define them.
Acclaimed artist Emily Poole has been exploring the wild spaces of the western United States since childhood. Her work has been used by organizations such as Creature Conserve, HawkWatch International, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art and has appeared regularly in High Country News. Her illustrations have been featured in six natural history books, including BirdNote, Northwest Know-How: Trees, and A Little Book of Hummingbirds. She lives in Eugene, Oregon. Find her online at epooleart.com.
Kate Rogers is editor-in-chief of Mountaineers Books, a Seattle-based independent, nonprofit publisher of outdoor literature and art, nature and ecology, and conservation and stewardship titles that includes two imprints, Skipstone and Braided River. Her publishing career has spanned more than thirty-five years, including positions at Waldenbooks, Bantam Doubleday Dell, and Sasquatch Books, and as founder–principal of a book packaging firm. A graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute (DPI), she also is a part-time lecturer on editing and publishing at the University of Washington and DPI.
Katie Campbell is a digital editor and reporter at KUOW, Seattle’s NPR station. In 2024, Katie created the KUOW Book Club, featuring stories and authors from the Pacific Northwest. She’s interviewed numerous luminaries in the region, including Sonora Jha, Lynda Mapes, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe, and Daniel James Brown. All readers are invited to join the KUOW Book Club at kuow.org/books. She also covers books and the local literary scene for Seattle Now Arts & Culture on Sundays. Originally from Florida, Katie is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism.
About Skipstone Books
Skipstone titles promote a deeper connection to our natural world through sustainable practices, visual art, and thought-provoking written word. Skipstone books inspire us to effect change without losing our sense of humor, celebrate the freedom and generosity of a life outdoors, and explore where we fit in on our planet and our own natural neighborhoods.
