Response to Farm-to-Fork-Tales
Mary Swander will discuss how agriculture is the mother of all arts, and in particular how food and farming give rise to stories of the land and the culinary arts. She will talk about how gardening, cooking, and agriculture have provided material for her own writing and how family histories about food and farming pinpoint the larger historical markers of our time—from the Irish potato famine, to the Dust Bowl, to our recent immigration raids in packing plants. Food and farming stories have also released some of the best jokes, tall tales, and humor in American folklore. Audience members will be encouraged to tell their own stories and discuss their significance.