The Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries present “The Weird & Wonderful World with Mary Roach" -- March 1.
Wednesday, March 1, 7 p.m.
Presented Online by the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries
On March 1, the Rock Island Public Library, Moline Public Library, and Illinois Libraries Present will host an entertaining and hilarious virtual evening with a New York Times best-selling science author in The Weird & Wonderful World with Mary Roach, with the author discussing her frank approach to science, the importance of humor, and her exploration into the weird, wonderful world in which we live.
Since the release of her 2003 nonfiction debut, a firsthand account titled Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, New Hampshire native Roach has published five additional New York Times bestsellers: 2005's Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife; 2008's Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science & Sex; 2010's Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void; 2013's Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal; and 2016's Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War. Dubbed “America’s funniest science writer” by the Washington Post, Roach has also written essays and feature articles for such publications as Vogue, GQ, The New York Times Magazine, Discover Magazine, National Geographic, Outside Magazine, and Wired, as well as columns for Salon, In Health ("Stitches"), Reader's Digest ("My Planet"), and Sports Illustrated for Women ("The Slightly Wider World of Sports"). Although Roach writes primarily about science, she never intended to make it her career, telling TheVerge.com, "To be honest, it turned out that science stories were always, consistently, the most interesting stories I was assigned to cover. I didn't plan it like this, and I don't have a formal background in science, or any education in science journalism."
In 2012, Roach was the recipient of the Harvard Secular Society's Rushdie Award for her outstanding lifetime achievement in cultural humanism, and the same year, she received a Special Citation in scientific inquiry from Maximum Fun. Prior to those accomplishments, Roach's article "How to Win at Germ Warfare" was a National Magazine Award finalist in 1995, while her article on earthquake-proof bamboo houses, "The Bamboo Solution," took the American Engineering Societies Engineering Journalism Award in the general-interest magazine category in 1996. For her Weird & Wonderful World presentation, Roach will be joined in conversation by Annalee Newitz, who has a Ph.D. in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley and is one half of the comedy podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. On the show, Newitz and her co-host Charlie Jane Anders delve into the weird, wonderful, and nerdy framework of science in pop culture.
The March 1 event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP, an organization committed to inclusion and accessibility. is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.
The Weird & Wonderful World with Mary Roach will be presented on March 1 at 7 p.m., participation in the live virtual event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org, or calling (309)524-2470 and visiting MolineLibrary.com.
