Author Talk: Dust is the Only Secret--The Interplay of Poetry, Memoir and Science

On Tuesday, October 8th at 6:00 PM, the Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to host an author talk with Fan Ogilvie, Ursula Goodenough, and Janet Holladay, entitled “Dust is the Only Secret--The Interplay of Poetry, Memoir and Science.” The talk is inspired by Ogilvie’s new book series, Dust is the Only Secret-Assent to Life. This event will be held on the main floor of the library with refreshments provided by the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library. 

Released in April 2024, Dust is the Only Secret-Assent to Life is divided into three volumes: Book One: To Understand, Book Two: To Incorporate, and Book Three: Then to Let It Go. The three-volume series explores the meaning of life and death by interweaving Ms. Goodenough’s writing on cellular biology with a collection of poetry, paintings and memoir by Ms. Ogilvie. Janet Holladay edited and designed all three books in the series. 

Fan Ogilvie is a former Poet Laureate of West Tisbury (2009-2012) and co-founder of the Featherstone Festival of Poetry. Previous works by Ogilvie include Easinesses Found (2020) and YOU: Selected Poems and KNOT: A Life (2008). 

Ursula Goodenough is Professor of Biology Emerita at Washington University, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Microbiology Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a past president of the American Society for Cell Biology. She is the author of  The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved (Oxford University Press, 2023). 

Janet Holladay is a book designer at Tisbury Printer and an organizer of Martha’s Vineyard Ballroom Off-Season Dancing and Music series. 

For more information, please call the library at (508) 696-4211 or send an email to vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org.