From cumberlandite and Westerly granite to the Narragansett beach stone you might have in your pocket right now, the rocks of Rhode Island have interesting tales to tell. Join local poet Karen Donovan and URI geoscience professor Beth Laliberte to learn what the rocks in our own backyards can tell us about ourselves and the wonderful planet we live on. A Q and A will follow. Karen Donovan will sell and sign copies of her book Letters to Boulders: Stone Prose and can accept cash and Venmo.

Free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but those who register at least three days prior to the event will receive an email reminder. Register below or contact the library for assistance. If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate, please contact access@cranstonlibrary.org at least 7 days prior to the event.

Karen Donovan is the author of Letters to Boulders, a collection of short prose paired with color photographs of rocks she collected in her bayside neighborhood. Her other books of poetry and prose are Monad+Monadnock, Planet Parable, Aard-vark to Axolotl, Your Enzymes Are Calling the Ancients, and Fugitive Red. She lives in Riverside.

Dr. Beth Laliberte is currently a Teaching Professor in the Department of Earth Science, Planning and Design at the University of Rhode Island. She earned a B.A. in Geology from Smith College and a Ph.D. in Geological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and has worked as a geologist and marine research scientist.