Oil spills, endangered species, disposal of nuclear waste, the pollution of rivers, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, the status of various food crops are all topics which make headline news.
These events are the result of either our influence on the environment or its influence on us. “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma!” participants will explore the complex inter-relationship between man and his environment in the reading and discussion series, “Living in the Environment: Humans in the Natural World.” The series, sponsored by the Chickasaw Regional Library System, begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9.
All programs open with a presentation by a noted Oklahoma scholar followed by group discussion. This year’s scholars include Dr. Trisha Yarbrough of East Central University on Sept. 9, Dr. Robert Greenstreet of ECU on Sept. 23, Caroline Larsen, J.D. with the Federal District Court on Oct. 7 and Dr. Ken Hada of ECU on Oct. 21.
On Sept. 9, Dr. Yarbrough’s presentation will center on Aldo Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac,” considered by many to be the bible of the environmental movement of the 1960s and ’70s. Yarbrough received her master’s and doctorate degrees from Arizona State University and a bachelor of science degree from Oklahoma Baptist University.
For the past 21 years, she has taught literature and composition at ECU and served two years as chairman of the English department. Her specialties include contemporary American literature, including Native American literature, women’s literature, mystery fiction and southern literature. Yarbrough has been awarded the Teaching Excellence Award, and has been twice honored with the “Faculty of the Year” award and the “Faculty of the Month” award.
Other books in the discussion series are “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson, “My First Summer in the Sierra” by John Muir and “The Voice of the Desert” by Joseph Wood Krutch. Books, services and other materials for this series of programs are provided by “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma,” a project of the Oklahoma Humanities Council. This series was funded by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma” program is free and open to the public. Get your book(s) and sign up at the CRLS Regional Library Headquarters, 601 Railway Express in Ardmore, located behind Two Frogs Grill. To ask questions, call (580) 223-3164 or toll free (888) 520-8103. A complete schedule is available online at www.regional-sys.lib.ok.us
