The Art of Botanical Prose

Jonathan Damery, Associate Editor of Arnoldia, Arnold Arboretum

All writers must contend with translation. A poet translates the movement of a dancing figure into a brief couplet, and an essayist translates the noise and commotion of the city where she lives into a single paragraph. The three-dimensional world filters into text, and when done especially well—the realm of literature and art—readers often forget that translation has even occurred. In this talk, Jonathan Damery, the associate editor for Arnoldia, will provide a readerly tour through horticultural and botanical reference books, encouraging readers to see the artistic endeavor within even the most exhaustive of botanical descriptions.

Fee $5 member, $10 nonmember

Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.