Events

Portland Public Library, Downtown Branch
5 Monument Square, Portland, ME 04101
In the Rines Auditorium

What does it mean to take responsibility for a place at a moment of irrevocable changes? Dr. Olson will read from her forthcoming book, which documents lived experiences of climate change in Maine and explores how communities are reimagining a relationship to place amidst the unpredictable currents of climate change.

Dr. Kate Olson is a writer, climate sociologist, and mother. Her work explores the interconnections among people, places, and livelihoods in a changing climate, from mega-dams in Southeast Asia to clam harvesting in rural Maine. Her writing on rural futures and climate change has been published widely, including in Smithsonian Magazine, The Guardian, and DownEast, among other places, and her essay “Dis-ease” was the recipient of the 2021 John Burroughs Nature Essay Award.

Kate is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Bowdoin College.  She holds a PhD in sociology from Boston College, an MA in urban and environmental policy and planning from Tufts University, and a BA in sociology and psychology from Middlebury College. Her forthcoming book, Living Change: Finding Place in a Warming World, explores reconnecting with place as an antidote to climate despair.

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Portland’s Sustainability Series is co-hosted by the Portland Public Library and Momentum Conservation. We think about sustainability as the endurance of systems and processes through time. The Portland Sustainability Series provides a diverse range of speakers to educate and share different aspects of the movement towards greater endurance and resilience in all areas of Maine life. This series exists to explore how Maine can strive towards long-term environmental and community resilience. Additionally, the speaker series offers an inclusive and community-oriented space in which people can gather to learn about sustainability, stewardship, and place, energizing our community through shared learning.

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