The Columbia County Libraries Association is hosting its second county-wide Community Read between March and May in 2025. We are reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Indigenous scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer, which explores the reciprocal relationships between humans and the land and provides a vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.
This book is available in English with both an adult and young adult edition, as well as in Spanish. For younger children, we will be reading the picture book The First Blade of Sweetgrass by Maliseet author Suzanne Greenlaw and illustrator Gabriel Frey, a citizen of Passamaquoddy at Sipayik. Books will be available at all 11 Columbia County libraries and also through the Mid-Hudson Library System and as e-books and audiobooks. Some free, giveaway copies of these books will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis at all participating libraries.
The Hudson Area Library will be part of several events connected to the Community Read, including a virtual discussion with Heather Bruegl (April 1), an author talk with Monique Gray Smith, Ash Bark Basket Making with Jenifer Lee, and our Nonfiction Book Group which will feature one of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s earlier books, Gathering Moss.
Libraries throughout the county will be hosting events, individually and jointly, related to the books and the many themes they discuss. Look for more information in the coming months as we finalize our program schedule! Check the CCLA website for more Community Read events near you.
The Community Read is made possible through a generous state legislative grant from Senator Michelle Hinchey and the Columbia County Libraries Association (CCLA).