MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH | 7:00PM
At Theodore's Books
Theodore's Books, Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, and Friends of the Bay proudly present an evening with acclaimed ecologist & author, Carl Safina!
Safina will be at Theodore's to discusses and sign his new book, Alfie & Me, a moving account of raising, then freeing, an orphaned owl, whose lasting friendship with Carl illuminates humanity's relationship with the world. Following the author talk, there will be an audience Q&A and book signing.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Copies of Alfie & Me will be available for purchase at the event.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they’d rescued, she’d be a temporary presence. But Alfie’s feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family, joining a menagerie of dogs and chickens and making a home for herself in the backyard. Carl and Patricia began to realize that the healing was mutual; Alfie had been braided into their world, and was now pulling them into hers.
Alfie & Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedom—and her raising of her own wild brood—coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year in which Carl and Patricia were forced to spend time at home without the normal obligations of work and travel. Witnessing all the fine details of their feathered friend’s life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfie’s perspective.
One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safina’s relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanity’s relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safina’s keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie & Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.
CARL SAFINA is a professor at Stony Brook University and the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” fellowship. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Time, the Guardian, Audubon, and National Geographic. He lives in East Setauket, New York.
ABOUT THE SAFINA CENTER:
At the Safina Center we advance the case for life on Earth by fusing scientific understanding, emotional connection, and a moral call to action. We create an original blend of science, art, and literature in the form of award-winning books and articles, scientific research, photography, films, sound-art, and spoken words. We bear first-hand witness and then we speak up, we speak out, and we teach. Our work is designed to inspire and engage others to devote their time and energies to conservation of wild things and wild places. Our creative works have proven their power to change people’s lives and their view of the world.
