Anchorage Public Library has partnered with Science Friday to bring the Sci Fri Book Club to the science and reading enthusiasts in our community. The SciFri Book Club is a program created by Science Friday to bring people together around all things science reading – anything from sci-fi short stories to nonfiction science books to science articles from various publications to science-y poetry!
There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our community space, attend an event, or send a message on the SciFri VoxPop app.
July Selection
This July, the SciFri Book Club is reading Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny. In 1938, the Colorado River was considered one of the most dangerous rivers in the world. But botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter knew the plant life of the Grand Canyon had never been officially surveyed, and set out to run the river so they could be the first. Brave the Wild River pulls together the letters and diaries of the two women, and charts their forty-three day journey across the river rapids as they explored and cataloged its thriving plant life.
Brave the Wild River brings together a range of topics, including botany, history, ecology, earth science, and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.
Get the book from the Anchorage Public Library.
This Book Club season kicks off on Monday, July 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- July 1-7: Chapters 1-3
- July 8-14: Chapters 4-6
- July 15-21: Chapters 7-9
- July 22-28: Chapters 10-13
- July 29-31: Final thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can purchase a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Join the SciFri Book Club community forum here.
Book Club Meeting
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
Parable of the Sower
Tuesday, June 25
4 PM | Zoom
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Parable of the Sower. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about climate change, afrofuturism, health, psychology, religion, conservation and more.
Brave the Wild River: the Untold Story of Two Women who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon
Wednesday, July 31
4 PM | Zoom
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Brave the Wild River. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about botany, history, ecology, earth science, and more.
Virtual Author Event
Join us online for a conversation with the author on the science topics featured in the SciFri Book Club pick. Come with your queries and wonderings—we’ll be taking your questions in the livestream comments!
Brave the Wild River Author Livestream and Q&A
Thursday, July 18
10 AM, Science Friday's YouTube Livestream
Risk vs. reward are always at play for scientists—more so when you aim to chart the unknown botany of the perilous Colorado River in the 1930s. Join us for a conversation with science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny on the experience researching and recounting Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter’s harrowing adventure.
Upcoming Selections
- July: Brave the Wild River by Melissa Sevigny. Ebook and audiobook available from the Alaska Digital Library. Audiobook always available on Hoopla.
- August: The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf. Ebook and audiobook available from the Alaska Digital Library. Audiobook always available on Hoopla.
