CHESTERTOWN — A reading and book signing of “In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees” will be held Wednesday, Oct. 23 when Anthony D. Fredericks is featured in The Bookplate’s ongoing author series.
The event, which gets underway at 6 p.m., will be held at the Sultana Education Foundation’s Lawrence Wetlands Preserve in Chestertown.
The public is invited at no cost, but reservations are recommended.
For more information, or to reserve your seat, call The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or email contact@thebookplate.net.
The Lawrence Wetlands Preserve is a walk-in facility (no onsite parking) located at 301 South Mill St. Visitors are encouraged to park in the public lots in the 300-block of Cannon Street or on the surrounding streets.
“In Search of the Old Ones” has been described as “an extraordinary journey to visit the oldest trees in the United States that beautifully reveals the connection between humans and natural history.”
Award-winning author Fredericks traveled across the U.S. to uncover the remarkable secrets and lives of ancient trees. He introduces some of the oldest trees in the country using up-to-date research, interviews with scientists, captivating storytelling and “a contagious wonder for the natural world,” a news release states.
Some of the featured trees include: a 13,000-year-old Palmer’s oak in California that survives by cloning itself; the 1,200-year-old Seven Sisters Oak in Louisiana that has survived in the path of at least 10 major hurricanes; 2,000-year-old redwoods (the tallest trees in the world) on the California coast; and the 2,600-year-old bald cypress in the Black River of North Carolina.
Fredericks grew up in southern California, attended high school and college in Arizona, and now lives in Pennsylvania.
An educator for more than a half-century, he has taught at the elementary, secondary and college levels. He is professor emeritus of education at York College in Pennsylvania where he taught general science and creative writing courses for 30 years.
Fredericks has authored more than 800 magazine and journal articles; has written for an eclectic array of periodicals; has published more than 180 books, including three college textbooks, more than 85 teacher resource books and several adult trade books; and is the author of more than four dozen children’s books.