Join us for an evening with Alison Deming discussing her book, “A Woven World,” in conversation with Elizabeth Bradfield.

Part memoir, part cultural history, A Woven World celebrates the fading crafts, industries, and artisans that have defined communities for generations.

The desire to create is the cornerstone of civilization. But as we move into a world where machine manufacturing has nearly usurped craft, Alison Hawthorne Deming resists the erasure of our shared history of handiwork with this appeal for embracing continuity and belonging in a time of destabilizing change.

Sensing a need to preserve the crafts and stories of our founding communities, and inspired by an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute featuring Yves St. Laurent’s “sardine” dress, Deming turned to the industries of her ancestors, both the dressmakers and designers in Manhattan in the nineteenth century and the fishermen on Grand Manan Island, a community of 2,500 residents, where the dignity of work and the bounty of the sea ruled for hundreds of years.

PRAISE FOR A WOVEN WORLD

“At first glance, the worlds of fashion and fishing may appear to be disparate topics, but using poetic language, childhood experiences, and knowledge of cultural history, Deming captivatingly weaves together these communities . . . A charming, heartfelt homage to the makers, past and present, who have defined lives and communities across the world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“With the skill and care of an artisan poet, Alison Hawthorne Deming brings us the textures of nearly lost words and the craft that required them. Her tactile exploration of makers from fisherfolk to dressmakers makes me long for the embrace of a handsewn garment, stitched of relationships to land and history, embroidered with story.” ––Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass

“Deming has a poet’s eye for details . . . Champions of a home-crafted way of life will find much to savor here.” —Publishers Weekly

This is a First Friday partnership program with Print: A Bookstore.

This event is free and open to the public; pre-registration is required. Register here to receive the Zoom meeting link.