When a public library is as central to the community as are the schools, we can bet the town is a great place to be,  Whether it is the quilt exhibit, artists displays, community meetings (“Great Decisions”), or representative authors, the library has something for everyone while applauding the communities treasures.
Recently, David Dodd and crew brought in author Richard Powers.  We were eighth on Richard’s tour to publicize his ninth novel, “The Overstory.”  Reading from his novel-scientific treatise on trees- we were transported to the canopy 200 feet above the gigantic redwood forest floor.  And then we got a peek at this man, who is extraordinary in so many ways.
Most inspirational is that he allowed us to follow him – his passion, his core beliefs and what gives his life meaning.  He writes to connect fiction with science, and his books have engendered many prizes.  It was our own director, David Dodd, that honors Richard as his favorite author, discovering him in 1985 and creating an internet site for him.
Richard is a man that started out a scientist-physicist and changed to English Literature.  A professor at the University of Illinois and then Stanford in creative writing, who dropped out of academia because he needed to write and wrote, wrote, and wrote.
When asked what his favorite book was, he applauded Crockett Johnson’s “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” Rightly so, for Mr. Powers, who goes out into the world with Harold’s curiosity and connects science and stories to influence and expand knowledge of the natural world to fiction readers. He says “every child is a scientist.” “He loses that when he enters the material world.” We adults have a chance to open to Mr. Powers curiosity and learnings through his books.
An example of his immersion into his topic is that he read 120 books on trees before writing “The Overstory.” Through  his own life, living in the Great Smoky Mountains, alone; to his passion for the story he is pursuing, he is the scholar, the informer, the messenger.  He affects his world through his own pursuit of knowledge.
Once again our Benicia Public Library, inspired our community by bring Richard Powers into its Dona Benicia Room.
On June 16, starting at  noon,  we are all invited to spend some hours imbibing refreshments, listening to speakers and enjoying music and story time. It has been 25 years since our wonderful, new library opened its doors and invited us in to taste its offerings at its L Street location.  And we have been all the better for its existence.

Ellen Blaufarb is a Marriage Family Therapist.

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