MEET RACHEL CARSON, AS PORTRAYED BY KATIE KNUTSON

The 2024 Bishop Hill Chautauqua in Bishop Hill IL has an all-new line-up of colorful characters from America’s past. On August 24th, in the village park gazebo, you are invited to meet Native American Grandmothers, First Lady Mary Lincoln, First Lady of Flight Amelia Earhart, a founding Mother of Ecology, Rachel Carson and the Queen of Country Music, Patsy Cline. In a modern-day Chautauqua, professional historians and storyteller portray famous figures from history.

Before 1961, Rachel Carson was best known for her poetic, accessible writings about sea life that encouraged countless average Americans to think and care about nature. When she connected the mysterious deaths of animals to the new chemicals widely used by the government and individuals, Carson wrote Silent Spring. Her well-written, well-researched book, which was first previewed in The New Yorker, became an immediate best seller. Still considered one of the most important and influential books in US History, Silent Spring prompted an outcry from chemical companies. Carson faced the attacks on her character and gender with grace, humor, and dignity – rebuffing propaganda with facts and studies. She testified before the House and Senate on the dangers of DDT and similar chemicals shortly before her death in 1964. Now considered the mother of the modern environmental movement, Rachel Carson made our world a safer place. The formation of the EPA and Greenpeace, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Endangered Species Act, and the banning of DDT can all be tied to Carson’s work, even if she did not live to see these fruits of her labor. In this FREE presentation, you will meet Rachel Carson after the publication of Silent Spring and hear about her process.

The 2024 Bishop Hill Chautauqua is sponsored by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Community State Bank, Galesburg Community Foundation, Geneseo Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, Bill and Susan Sherrard Foundation, the Twinflower Inn Bed and Breakfast and generous donations from the community. Regional Media is our major media sponsor. The audience is encouraged to bring a lawn chair. For more information about the Chautauqua, email bhha@mymctc.net or call 309-927-3899.