Award-Winning Vermont Children's Author to Visit Hanover

On November 14, The Hanover Inn at Dartmouth College, Everybody Wins! Vermont (EW!VT), and the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) will host a presentation by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, an award-winning children’s author from the Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont. The event will take place from 1 – 3:30pm in the Hanover Inn’s Daniel Webster Room. It is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5 per family going to offset the costs of the event.

Kinsey-Warnock grew up on a Vermont dairy farm in the Northeast Kingdom, where her Scottish ancestors settled almost two hundred years ago. Her mother, a teacher, instilled in her a love of books and reading, and a curiosity about everything, while her father encouraged her interest in the natural world, whether it was identifying birds, trees and wildflowers, or pointing out constellations on a starry night. Kinsey-Warnock’s book, As Long As There Are Mountains, is based on her childhood and love of her family’s farm, the land, and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Everybody Wins! Vermont is a statewide mentoring and literacy organization, which matches elementary school children with mentors at 21 schools across the state, including two in New Hampshire. The pairs read together one-on-one during lunchtime once a week throughout the school year. EW!VT has come together with the Upper Valley Land Trust, a regional land conservancy based in Hanover, to bring Kinsey-Warnock to the area for this all-ages celebration of literacy and localness.

Kinsey-Warnock’s two loves, land and reading, are the themes running through the November 14 event. The program will include a presentation for all-ages and book signing by Kinsey-Warnock, a family tree craft activity for children, and snacks made from fresh, local ingredients provided by The Hanover Inn at Dartmouth College. In addition, the Norwich Bookstore will be on-hand with a selection of Kinsey-Warnock’s books available for purchase.

Local Groups Host “KING CORN” Screening in Canaan

The Upper Valley Land Trust, Vermont Earth Institute, and Cardigan Mountain School will host a screening of the film, “King Corn” on October 27, 6 – 8pm in Cardigan’s Humann Theatre. “King Corn” is a 90 minute documentary film about America’s food system, which illustrates the interdependence of the environment, human health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of communities.

In the film, two friends, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, return to a rural area of northern Iowa where their great-grandfathers at one time lived just a few miles apart. Their plan? To plant an acre of corn and trace it as it flows in to the food system. Throughout the course of the film, the friends follow the corn plant from genetically modified seed and federal subsidies to hamburgers, high fructose corn syrup, and Type II diabetes. Though food is cheaper now than it was in the 1970s, the film explains that low prices come with hidden costs to the environment, human health, and society as a whole.

The 2007 film has received numerous awards. The Washington Post called it, "Lively, engaging and visually arresting . . . 'King Corn' should be required viewing by anyone planning to visit a supermarket, fast-food joint or their own refrigerator. Funny, wise and sad, it suggests that being well-fed has nothing to do with being well-nourished.”

The three local nonprofit organizations hosting the October 27 screening all have an interest in encouraging sustainable agriculture in the Upper Valley region, and beyond. “King Corn” brings attention to the large-scale systemic challenges faced by local, community-based agriculture. The groups also hope to bring attention to the value of small-scale, local agriculture in the Upper Valley. UVLT President Jeanie McIntyre says, “We are fortunate to live in a rural landscape where many of us know the people and the land that grow our food. As our region and our planet face changes and challenges, we see the importance of supporting local farmers and protecting the land we all need to have a healthy food system.”

More information about “King Corn” can be found at http://www.kingcorn.net/. Driving directions to Cardigan Mountain School can be found at http://www.cardigan.org/. There will be signs directing visitors from the entrance of the school to the Humann Theatre for the film screening. For more information contact Nora at noradoyle-burr@uvlt.org or (603) 643-6626 ext.102.