Dear Gentle Reader,

Earth Day is today (Tuesday, April 22nd). a global event focused on environmental protection and raising awareness about various environmental issues. It’s a time to celebrate our planet and take action to support its health and well-being. Looking for a good read as part of your Earth Day observance? Our resident writer and interpretive naturalist Margot Lester’s got you covered:

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limon and just released in paperback!

The Plants of the Appalachian Trail: A Hiker’s Guide to 398 Species by Dr. Kristen Wickert

Go Forth and Forage: A Guide to Foraging Over 50 of the Most Common Edible & Medicinal North American Mushrooms by Whitney Johnson

Rooted: the American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership by Brea Baker

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell

Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World by John Vaillant

And don’t forget to join Margot in the Writers’ Room for her next Ask Me Anything on May 7!

And besides reading, what can you do for our Mother? Just a few quick ideas: plant a tree or pollinator plant(s), make a donation to land conservation organizations like TLS and Southern Highlands Land Conservancy, and show up to defend our National Parks as they will need defending in the near future (if not now).

This Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country where we celebrate what makes independent bookstores great– our customers. Together we foster community. McIntyre’s just celebrated on Sunday it’s 36th birthday– that is 36 years of donating to area schools, helping abate food insecurity, and working with area literacy groups. We love being Chatham’s homegrown bookstore and thank you for continuing to buy books from us and helping us give back to Chatham County.

The McIntyre’s elves have been busy preparing for a fun day. Weather permitting,Johanna Banana will host a special storytime at 10:30 am in the Village Center. McIntyre’s alum, Billy Sugarfix, will dust off his red ukulele to lead the kids in a few songs. At 11am, Andrew Taylor-Troutman joins us to celebrate the release of his book, This is the Day: Holidays, Limericks, and Fun. Throughout the day, at 30 minutes past the hour, we will be giving away bags of books and store merchandise, Speaking of store merchandise, we also brought in a few IBD special items (like some special edition Blackwing pencils). Oh, and Libro.FM has given us a Golden Ticket we are going to hide for a lucky someone to find (the Golden Ticket is worth 12 audio books). And did we mention cookies?!? The Fearrington House baking team is baking special cookies for us to dole out. It is going to be a great day! We hope you will come out and visit.

The Usual Suspects,

Pete, Johanna, Sarah G., Tyler, Amy, Sarah C. and Keebe