Carleton Convocation Celebrates 200th Anniversary of Darwin’s Birth

Noted nature essayist and author David Quammen will present the weekly convocation at Carleton College on Friday, Feb. 20 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. His presentation, “Charles Darwin Against Himself: Caution versus Honesty in the Life of a Reluctant Revolutionary,” commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of the father of modern biology. Following his address, Quammen will sign copies of his book “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution.” Copies of the book will be for sale at the event and in advance at the Carleton bookstore. Quammen’s appearance is free and open to the public.

Quammen’s writing centers primarily on field biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation. He is the author of 12 acclaimed books, including “The Flight of the Iguana” (Scribner, 1998), “Wild Thoughts from Wild Places” (Scribner, 1999), “Blood Line” (Johnson Books, 2000), “The Boilerplate Rhino” (Scribner, 2001), and “Monster of God” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2004). “The Song of the Dodo” (Scribner, 1997) won both the John Burroughs Medal and the Helen Bernstein Book Award.

Quammen’s most recent book, “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin” (W.W. Norton, 2007), examines the two decades which elapsed between Darwin’s first understanding of evolution by natural selection and the publishing in 1859 of his ground-breaking work “On the Origin of Species,” discussing Darwin’s life, the scientific theory which he created, and his reasons for delaying publication. Next month, a reprint of his acclaimed collection of columns from Outside magazine, “Natural Acts:  A Sidelong View of Science and Nature” (W.W. Norton, 2009) will be released.

In addition to his many books, Quammen’s work has appeared in variety of publications, including National Geographic, The Atlantic, Harper’s, and the New York Times Book Review. He edited the 2000 edition of “The Best American Science and Nature Writing” (Mariner Books, 2000) and is a three-time recipient of the National Magazine Award for his essays and short works. Quammen is currently a contributing writer for National Geographic and the Wallace Stegner Professor of Western American Studies at Montana State University.

Quammen’s appearance is being sponsored by the Office of College Relations. For additional information or disability accommodations, contact Kerry Raadt at (507) 222-4308. “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin” is currently on sale at the Carleton Bookstore at a 15% discount. For more information, call the bookstore at (507) 222-4150.