Join YaleWomen CT for a curator-led tour of “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas,” an exhibit about Rachel Carson at the Beinecke Library.
Biologist and author Rachel Carson (1907–1964), who dedicated her life and work to nature and the environment, once said that “no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.” With a long career as a government employee in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, Carson knew how to write about nature in prose that was at once elegant and scientifically grounded – and that could also be a call to action. Her best-known book “Silent Spring” (1962) documented the harms of pesticide use and galvanized generations of environmental activists around the world.
“Silent Springs, Windswept Seas” explores Carson’s career, the influences of earlier thinkers on her life and writing, and the social and cultural realities of her time. It also examines her impact on other writers and locates Carson’s work in relation to later social movements, such as those fighting for labor rights and environmental justice. Presenting nearly 100 objects—including handwritten manuscripts of her famous Sea Trilogy, photographs, previously unpublished personal letters, and various notebooks—the exhibition introduces viewers to Carson’s life and legacy and invites a fresh consideration of her cause today.
What: Tour of “Silent Springs, Windswept Seas”
Where: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale
When: Thursday, August 27, 5:30 to 7:00 pm
We’ll get a guided tour of the exhibit, led by the curators, with time for Q&A and independent viewing. Following our tour at the Beinecke, you are welcome to join us for an optional, no-host dinner at a restaurant near the Yale campus.
Suggested Readings:
Jill Lepore, “The Shorebird,” article on Rachel Carson in The New Yorker, 2018. PDF will be sent to respondents (This is recommended if you only have reading time for one thing!)
Rachel Carson, Theta Sigma Phi Speech “The Real World Around Us” 1954. She discusses the sexism she encountered and makes a special appeal to women to preserve the beauty and wonder of nature.
Eliza Griswold article in The New York Times on 50th anniversary (in 2012) of the publication of Silent Spring
Link to Beinecke Carson Exhibit description on Yale events calendar
Link to the Springsong Museum website that will be located in Silver Spring, MD, and dedicated to Rachel Carson