Gretchen Legler

Gretchen Legler and her partner, Ruth, wanted to build an agrarian life far from the rapid-fire pace of the modern world. Living on eighty acres in backwoods Maine, they have honed life skills brought with them (carpentry, tracking and hunting wild game) and other skills they learn along the way (animal husbandry, vegetable gardening, woodcutting). Gretchen has chronicled her experiences intentionally focusing on not just making a living but making a life in her new book, Woodsqueer. Gretchen will share stories from her agricultural adventures and answer audience questions during this presentation.

Gretchen Legler is a farmer, gardener, teacher, writer, and lover of the natural world. Her three book length works of literary nonfiction include: All the Powerful Things: A Sportswoman’s Notebook, On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station Antarctica, and Woodsqueer: Crafting a Sustainable Rural Life. Her writing has won numerous awards including Pushcart prizes, a Notable Essay in Best American Essays, and has been published in venues including Orion and The Georgia Review. She teaches creative writing and English at the University of Maine Farmington, where she is also the Director of the Campus and Community Garden.

This event will take place in the Community Room and will be livestreamed via Zoom; FMI: elewis@rocklandmaine.gov.