Guest author Melissa L. Sevigny to visit Yuma area for book discussion

Melissa L. Sevigny, author of Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of The Grand Canyon will be visiting Arizona Western College (AWC) and the Main Yuma Library Thursday, March 21, to present her research and lead community discussions regarding her newest book.

Per AWC, “Brave the Wild River vividly portrays the journey of botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter as they explore the Grand Canyon in 1938… They aim to study the diverse plant life in this remote part of the American West. The Colorado River is the world’s most perilous river, facing challenges such as snowmelt surges, muddy landslides, whirlpools, and treacherous waves. At that time, surviving a boat journey through the Grand Canyon was an achievement few men–and no women–had accomplished.”

Here are the times and locations of both free discussions:

• 2-3 p.m., Arizona Western College – MAC Lecture Hall #106, 2020 S. Avenue 8E

• 6-7 p.m., Yuma Main Library – 1st Floor Meeting Rooms, 2951 S. 21st Drive

Sevigny’s presentation will include video and audio to help explain her book and her research process. The afternoon presentation at AWC’S brand new MAC building and the evening presentation at the public library will consist of largely the same material, but group discussions could lead in any direction.

“When we do One Book Yuma, we like to be able to have those two sessions, because we know some people aren’t able to come in the afternoon because of work or other responsibilities.” said Julieta Calderon, manager of Library Collection Services at the Yuma County Library District.

One Book Yuma, originating in 2005, is this region’s creation as part of a national movement involving collaborators such as the Library of Congress, the American Library Association (ALA) and state library associations to bring community learning centers together.

Community learning organizations such as public libraries and universities work in tandem to choose region-oriented learning events. One Book Yuma – consisting of a partnership between NAU-YUMA, AWC, and the Yuma County Library District – decided to center their event around Sevigny’s book because, as a native Arizonan and University of Arizona graduate, she is representative of this community.

Sevigny currently serves as the science reporter for KNAU (Arizona Public Radio) in Flagstaff, and she teaches with NAU as an adjunct professor. She has also been a previous One Book Yuma speaker for a previous book.

Beyond Sevigny’s personal background, her book specifically tackles issues that are important to Yuma, considering the Colorado River’s proximity to Yuma, and mapping its botany is especially important to understanding Yuma’s agriculture.

“We always look for titles that have topics that pertain to the region but also provide some new information for community members to foster an appreciation of learning, and to get those who may not have been reading for a while back into reading,” Calderon said.

“I think it’s going to be an adventure to hear her story,” said Elizabeth Dawson, technical services librarian at AWC. “I hope that it speaks to our students to try to be innovative and try things that haven’t ever been tried before. We have history all around us that we’re absolutely unaware of, so I think it’s a way for people to be more informed about our state and what was going on.”

In addition to drawing community members to this informative event, AWC and NAU-YUMA have both made strides toward including their students in events like these to learn more