Everyday conversations. Extraordinary ideas.
A Book for the 'Burg is a community-wide reading program launched in 2013 to engage our community in conversations around a thought-provoking theme. Community members are encouraged to explore the selected reading and attend a number of related events and activities.
A Book for the 'Burg is organized by the Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, and community partners include JMU Libraries, Eastern Mennonite University, Massanutten Regional Library and the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum.
Programs are free, open to the public, do not require participants to have read the selected book and include events such as guest lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, facilitated book discussions, and more. Additionally, each of the partner libraries will have relevant book displays. Participants are challenged to reflect on interconnectedness, consider how humans affect our planet, and take action to create a sustainable future.
The program for 2023 has concluded. Please check back here for announcements about future programs.
For questions and comments, please contact the JMU Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World at stewardship@jmu.edu or 540-568-5265.
Previous Book Selections
2023 Silent Spring
2018 A selection of books about bees, butterflies and other pollinators (list)
2013 Mountains Beyond Mountains
2023 Silent Spring
In Spring 2023, our programs were inspired by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which appears on numerous lists of notable books of the twentieth century. In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of publication of Silent Spring, A Book for the 'Burg explored the book, birdsong, and environmental awareness. In addition to book displays at each of the partner libraries, program events included:
The Great Backyard Bird Count: Winter Birdsong with local expert Rich Wood
Sponsored by: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
Rachel Carson and Her Sisters Book Discussion
Sponsored by: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
Litten Lecture - Sound Ecology: How Soundscapes Impact the Gray Catbird and their Avian Communities Featuring research by Dr. Dana Moseley and music with Anna Showalter and Amanda Gookin
Sponsored by: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and the College of Visual and Performing Arts
Lecture by Robert K. Musil, PhD, MPH, author, Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America's Environment, and President of the Rachel Carson Council
Sponsored by: Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, JMU Libraries
Exhibit: Echoes of Silent Spring: 50 Years of Environmental Awareness (1962-2012)
Partner: Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, exhibit courtesy of The MSU Museum
The ‘Burg and the Bees with local apiary Knapp’s Bees
Sponsored by: Massanutten Regional Library
The Power of One Voice Film Screening
Sponsored by: Eastern Mennonite University Library
A Conversation about Sound Ecology Panel Discussion
Sponsored by: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World
The Power of One Voice Film Screening
Sponsored by: Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, JMU Libraries
Silent Spring Book Discussion
Sponsored by: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
The Beauty of Birdsong Musical Performance
Sponsored by: College of Visual and Performing Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World
