Within a short span of time, Margie Patlak lost her mother, sole sibling, and father.  Reeling from those losses, Patlak returned to live in Down East Maine, where she spent her childhood summers.  While in mourning and writing about the wilder environment she experienced at her new home, Patlak uncovered many lessons nature was teaching her about the nature of life.  

The three generations of monarch butterflies that it takes to make their way from Mexico to Maine taught her the value of what is passed on from generation to generation, and the dramatic tides taught her how fleeting time is and the need to make the most of it. Patlak will share several of the vital lessons she and others have learned from nature about life, death, renewal and legacy--lessons that helped her personally heal from her losses.

Her talk will be illustrated with her striking photos of the alluring Maine coast. Patlak’s emotionally compelling presentation will be followed by an opportunity for questions, comments, and discussion.

Margie Patlak is a science writer, memoirist and photographer. Her memoir More Than Meets the Eye: Exploring Nature and Loss on the Coast of Maine was given the "Outstanding Book" award by the American Society for Journalists and Authors in 2022. Patlak's personal essays and articles have appeared in a number of newspapers, magazines, and literary journals including The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, Discover magazine, Hippocampus, JuxtaProse and many others. She has degrees in Botany and Environmental Studies and divides her time between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Corea, Maine. Her latest work, the photo book Wild and Wondrous: Nature's Artistry on the Coast of Maine was published in 2023.

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Presented in collaboration with Memorial Hall Library in Andover.