AUs English professor, Dr. Deborah Fleming, will be reading from her new book Resurrection of the Wild: Meditations on Ohio’s Natural Landscape on Tuesday, April 16 at 4 p.m. in the Ronk Lecture Hall in the Schar College of Education.

The reading is sponsored by the English department and is free and open to the public.

Fleming’s book is $24.95 and will officially become available to buy in the AU bookstore, the Kent State website, and Amazon on April 14.

“It includes several essays that discuss Ohio ecology, particularly eastern Ohio along the river and Ashland County,” she said.

She talks about her own farm and the experiences she had while observing nature in the different seasons and breeding and raising two foals.

Growing up in Ohio, Fleming found a deep appreciation for its beauty, she said.

“Most people are under the impression that it is completely flat but those flat areas actually have a very vibrant ecosystem,” Fleming said. “They are not uninteresting.”

Her book also discusses the importance of preserving these landscapes.

“The delicate relationship among the different parts of the ecosystem are so fascinating that it seems to me that this miracle is worth preserving,” Fleming said.

Hilary Donatini, English department chair, colleague and friend to Fleming, has enjoyed her artistic ability and being exposed to a different area of study.

“I am always very impressed by Dr. Fleming’s passion for the environment and the natural world,” Donatini said.

Book readings are popular among college campuses and provide an educational experience for readers, she said.

“The most exciting thing about these book readings is that you are face-to-face with a living author,” Donatini said. “You can actually ask what the author was trying to do.”

The event will not last longer than an hour and there will be refreshments. Fleming plans to read a few snippets from each section of her book.

“I’m going to read some of the funny parts,” Fleming said. She wants it to be enjoyable for all listeners.

Along with learning more about the nature of Ohio, Fleming hopes readers will be inspired to preserve and appreciate all there is.

“I welcome anybody,” she said. “This is not a book written for academics, it is written for the general reader.”