What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1141216
JULY 14-20, 2019 WHAT'S UP! 3 'Where the Crawdads Sing' First work of fiction a bestseller for Delia Owens BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette T he New York Times Book Review describes Delia Owens' debut as a writer of fiction this way: "A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature. … Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation, that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders — and dangers — of her private world." As fascinating as is the fictional story of Kya, who has grown up alone in the wild coastal marsh, Owens' story is just as interesting. Educated in zoology and animal behavior, she spent years in Botswana in the 1970s, studying the lions and brown hyenas of the Kalahari, then moved on to Zambia to live with the Luangwa elephants. She has written three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist, plus winning the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing, and been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology and other periodicals. "Where the Crawdads Sing" is her first novel — and quickly hit No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. Owens answered these questions for What's Up! before her visit to Arkansas for an "If All Arkansas Read the Same Book" tour. Q. What parts of you and your childhood do we see in Kya? A. Just like Kya, I was an outside girl. I was so fortunate to have a mother who was a real lady, but also loved nature. She encouraged me to explore deep in the woods, to observe wild deer and foxes. My mother taught me how to walk in the wild without stepping on a snake, but most importantly, she taught me not to be afraid of snakes. It was my mother who said to me, "Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing." I made collections of feathers, butterflies, and dried flowers just as Kya did. I learned the names of plants and watched fire flies (not in jars!) in the southern summer evenings. My young friend and I explored the forests and cleared the creeks of autumn leaves. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become a wildlife scientist and spend my life observing wildlife, which is what I did. Photo courtesy Dawn Marie Tucker Delia Owens went from the wilds of Africa to the wild coastal marsh of North Carolina to find inspiration for her first novel, "Where the Crawdads Sing." FAQ If All Arkansas Read the Same Book: 'Where the Crawdads Sing' By Delia Owens WHEN — 11 a.m. July 20; doors open at 10:30 a.m. WHERE — Bentonville Public Library COST — Free; seating is limited INFO — 271-3192 and WHEN — 3 p.m. July 20; seating will begin at 2:30 p.m. WHERE — Fayetteville Public Library COST — Free; the event will also be available for live viewing at livestream.com/faylib. INFO — 856-7000 BONUS — Books will be available for purchase and signing. See Owens Page 4 COVER STORY