New book, published today:
After five years of growth in the underground humus of writing and editing, The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors has lifted its leaves into the sunlight.
Ed Yong, writing this morning in The Atlantic.com, gives a great overview of the book.
You can purchase the book at bookstores or online. Many libraries have copies on the shelves. Links to bookstores:
IndieBound (connect to local bookstores), Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, iBooks
Over several years I visited a dozen trees, sitting with each to listen to its story. The trees are located in very different places – the Amazon rainforest, Shakerag Hollow in Sewanee, the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, a city park in Denver, an ancient hearth in Scotland – but they all, in their own ways, tell of life’s surprising interconnections.
The book’s web pages have more information about the book, including sound clips, photographs, a Q&A, and advance praise from writers and scientists. Outside Magazine just published a profile of my work by Paul Kvinta, featuring the Manhattan street tree that I befriend in one of the book’s chapters.
I hope you’ll enjoy these tales of biology and human culture. I’d be very grateful if you’d consider sharing news of the book’s publication with friends and family.
With my gratitude,
David
Lectures and readings:
I’ll be speaking at the following venues in the coming months, with more to be announced soon. I’d love to see you there. If you have friends or family who might be interested, please pass along the date.
Tacoma, WA: Slater Museum, University of Puget Sound. April 7th, 2pm.
Tacoma, WA: King’s Books. April 7th, 7pm.
Seattle: Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave, Seattle, WA. April 8th, 7:30pm.
Cambridge/Boston, MA: Arnold Arboretum and Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. 6pm, April 12th, 2017.
Sewanee, TN: University of the South. Convocation Hall. 4:30pm, April 17th.
Chattanooga, TN: Benwood Auditorium, University of Tennessee Chattanooga. April 18th, 7pm. Lecture to benefit Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Hosted by the UTC Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science.
Oxford, MS: University of Mississippi. April 20th, 2017.
Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Audubon and Chattahoochee Nature Center. 6pm, April 22nd, 2017, reservation required. (Location: Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA 30075)
Nashville, TN: Parnassus Books. April 30th, 2pm.
Portland, OR: Powell’s Books. May 3rd, 2017. (7:30pm, Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St., Portland.)
Denver, CO: Tattered Cover Bookstore. 7pm May 4th, 2017. (LoDo store: 1628 16th Street, Denver)
Point Reyes Station, CA: Point Reyes Books. May 7th, 2017.
San Francisco, CA: California Institute of Integral Studies. May 10th, 2017.
Pasadena, CA: Vroman’s Bookstore. 7pm, May 11th, 2017.
Asheville, NC: Malaprop’s Bookstore. May 31st, 2017.
Easton, MD: Adkins Arboretum. June 8th, 2017. 4pm – 6pm at the Academy Art Museum 106 South Street.
Millbrook, NY: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. June 9th.
Sewanee, TN: Young Writers’ Conference. July 10th, 2017.
St Louis, MO: Missouri Botanical Garden. July 25th, 2017. Wild Ideas Worth Sharing Speaker Series and Visualizing Biodiversity for a Better World.
Byron Bay, Australia: Byron Bay Writers Festival. August 4-6, 2017.
Canberra, Australia: National Library of Australia. August 9th, 2017.
Bendigo, Australia: Bendigo Writers Festival. August 11-13, 2017.
Nashville, TN: Southern Festival of Books, Nashville, TN. Oct 13th and 14th, 2017.
Fairlee, VT: Northern Woodlands Conference. The Hulbert Outdoor Center. Oct 20th-22nd, 2017.
Birmingham, AL: Audubon Society. Dec 7th, 2017.
David George Haskell 
David, alas, a long and boring story. Bear with me. On 28 November 2012, you autographed your “Forest Unseen” book to my grandson Henry Spellman. Henry was one-and-a-half years old. He’s now approaching six years old. If I send you my copy of “The Songs of Trees,” which I pre-ordered long ago and which should arrive any day now, would you autograph it to Henry? I’m gonna do everything I can to help him become a naturalist, an environmentalist, and a good progressive. Like you! Thanks in advance, Dave Mills, Jackson, Wyoming. (If you say, “Yes,” please tell me where to send the book.)
Hi Dave, I’d be honored to. Best address is 735 University Ave, Sewanee, TN 37375.
Congratulations David from all the Grants! Can’t wait to read it 😊
Loved “Forest Unseen.” Now one my second time reading it. Look forward to this new book.
Thank you!
Sandra, Haskell’s speaking schedule is below. Larry
poundsl471@aol.com
Congrats on the new book’s release! Hope to see you at Parnassus Books in Nashville in a few weeks.
Thank you, Kelly. Looking forward to visiting Parnassus.
Oh, I am dancing right now!!! Will be dancing right to the library, and then dancing to the songs of trees! Super excited, and thank you!
Kristina
Wonderful: thank you!!
YES!! Pre-ordered mine and can’t wait (but unfortunately I’ll have to) for it to arrive so as to indulge in something wonderful and worthwhile. Or as Henry Thoreau put it- “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” Thanks David!
Thank you!
Congratulations! Have learned a lot and very much enjoyed your writing and look forward to reading your new one. Glad to see Cambridge on your list, there should be an attentive audience (I know I’ll be there).
Thank you, Claire! Delighted that you’ll be able to attend.
Even if the new one is as half as good as the first, it will be a great read. Thanks and good luck from Tel Aviv.
Thank you very much! I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the olive chapter: up the road from Tel Aviv.
My pre-ordered copy of your new book, The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors, arrived a few minutes ago.
After checking the contents, I opened up to one of my favorite trees, the Cottonwood. There I found this sentence “Runners scratch a percussive beat on sandy concrete.”
Ya still got it boy!
I’ll soon be starting from the beginning…… under my personal Palo Verde.
Disappointed not to find Phoenix. AZ on your schedule. Wishing you a productive and pleasurable tour.
>
Thank you! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed dipping in.
David — Congratulations. I can’t wait to read it. I’ll be in Sewanee over Easter weekend, but have to leave Monday morning, so I’ll miss your Convocation Hall talk by just a few hours. Hoping you can schedule a central Virginia stop on your book tour.
William Cocke in Charlottesville
Thank you, William. No plans for Charlottesville yet…but perhaps in coming months.
I preordered, and have been waiting impatiently. Dipping in, my first impression is of a powerful, timely book. Probably your big gift to the world.
Thank you!
How could it happen that David Haskell would do a book signing in Memphis TN to help raise funds for our old growth city park, Overton Park. We need to raise a million dollars is less than two months. I so love reading The Songs of Trees. >
Jim, I’m booked up through May with work and other commitments. What is your time line? Some other mechanisms might include signed books? Email is best way to get me. dhaskell@sewanee.edu
I hope you won´t forget your european readers and a translation of your new book, either in french or in german will be soon available. A lot of people are already impatiently waiting for it.
Thank you! Translations are in the works…
Oh ! That´s very nice.
Thank you.