Reading with David Gessner: The Book of Flaco
March 9 @ 2:00 pm
Join best-selling nature writer David Gessner for an insightful conversation about his latest work, chronicling the extraordinary journey of Flaco, “the world’s most famous bird.” In this powerful parable of freedom, wildness, and urban ecosystems, Gessner delves into the year-long odyssey of Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped captivity in February 2023 and made Central Park his new home. This compelling narrative serves as a cautionary tale about our urban environments and the impact of human activity on wildlife.
Don’t miss this thought-provoking reading that highlights the connection between nature and urban life.
Free; $5 donations suggested
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Gessner is the author of thirteen books that blend nature, humor, memoir, and environmentalism, including the New York Times bestselling All the Wild That Remains. Gessner is a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he also founded the literary magazine Ecotone. His own magazine publications include pieces in the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Orion, and others. In 2017, he hosted the National Geographic Explorer show The Call of the Wild.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the book, Flaco’s escape sparked controversy, dividing opinions between those advocating for his return to the zoo and supporters of the “Free Flaco” movement. And his end—with a grim necropsy revealing Flaco had suffered a viral infection from eating pigeons and had multiple rodenticides in his system—serves as a Rachel Carson-esque warning about the harm we’ve done to our urban environments, inspiring the passage of long-sought legislation protecting urban birds and regulations meant to reduce the use of rodenticides in New York City.