The event will take place in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on the college campus, and will include a book signing and a reception with oysters. This event is free and open to the public.

In telling the story of the Chesapeake Bay oyster, from the abundant shoals enjoyed by the first colonists to the endangered oyster populations of today, Livie tells the story of the region itself.  She weaves interviews with scientists, watermen and entrepreneurs into a dynamic narrative of what’s happened and what’s ahead for a species that is so vital to the Bay area’s economy and quality of life.

A Chestertown resident, Livie works as director of education for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, where she contributes to the museum’s blog  “Beautiful Swimmers” and writes for the Chesapeake Bay Journal. 

Says Livie, “As a kid growing up in the Chesapeake, oysters were a birthright. My grandfather would shuck them into my mouth, like a baby bird. But my career in Chesapeake non-profits taught me that oysters are so much more than a seasonal treat- they are intertwined so deeply in our regional sense of place. And we feel passionately about them- our relationship with oysters is unlike any other Bay species. Oysters are so integral to what the Chesapeake is today, and who we are as residents of the watershed. Besides that, they’re also just really delicious!”

This event is sponsored by the College’s C.V. Starr Center for the American Experience, the Center for Environment & Society, and the Theta of Maryland chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.