Kingbird Highway Book Read

Join us for second book of our Wild America book club series, featuring Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman.

Now revered as one of North America’s top birders, Kenn Kaufman hit the road at age sixteen and spent a year crisscrossing the country to see as many birds as he could, in a birding competition known as a “big year.” In what has become a classic among birders, Kingbird Highway chronicles the subculture of birding in the 1970s and a teenager’s search for his place in the world. In a new afterword, Kaufman looks at the evolution of bird-listing since his own big year.

Led by RTPI Scholar-in-Residence, Jenn Lodi-Smith, founder and director of The Spark Bird Project (www.spark-bird.org), as well as authors Kenn Kaufman and Scott Weidensaul. This continuation of our four-part program is part of this year’s first main-floor exhibition, Art that Matters to the Planet: Wild America, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of this classic in environmental literature.

These sessions will be held via Zoom. One book per session. Read each book in advance (or as much as you can.) Jenn will lead the discussion for each book. Bring your questions, your insights, and your curiosity for a fun and lively discussion.

Monday, June 2, 6:00-7:30 pm EST Wild America, Roger Tory Peterson & James Fisher

Tuesday, August 12, 6:00-7:30 pm EST Kingbird Highway, Kenn Kaufman

Wednesday, October 8, 6:00-7:30 pm EST Looking for the Wild, Lyn Hancock

Thursday, December 4, 6:00-7:30 pm EST Return to Wild America, Scott Weidensaul