KENT: Children aren't the only ones with winter reading programs at the Kent Free Library.
The Hiram College Science Reads program will make a stop at the library on Monday for a discussion of the New York Times best-selling and James Beard Award-winning book "Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food," hosted by Matt Sorrick, the director of science education at Hiram College.
In addition to the book discussion, there will also be a fish-related book display and children's book selections related to the topics of the discussion.
On Tuesday in the Hiram College's Kennedy Center Ballroom, the book's author, Paul Greenberg, gave a free reading and presentation from the book, which focuses on the four species of fish that comprise the bulk of the seafood offerings at most restaurants: tuna, cod, salmon and sea bass. Greenberg, who is also a fiction writer and commentator on numerous public radio programs including Fresh Air and All Things Considered, also examines the route these fish take before they land on dinner plates and also explores mankind's relationship with the ocean and the creatures who call it home.
He also lectures on environmental and ocean sustainability issues and the legal topics related to these topics.
Additionally, the book covers the changing role of fish in our environment and diets, including the balance between fish raised at farms and those found naturally in the ocean.
The Science Reads program is operated by the Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature and the Center for Deciphering Life's Languages at Hiram College. It includes a month of free public readings, lectures, book discussions and hands-on events connected to the book.
Most of the events are based on the college's campus, but Monday's reading and discussion will be one of the few that take place off-campus. As part of the event, free copies of the book will be available to the first 10 people who come to the information desk on the ground floor of the library.
As part of the month-long schedule of Science Reads events, the Hiram College dining hall will be open to the public from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Feb. 22 for $5 fish dinners, with professors from the college's departments of biology, chemistry and environmental science serving as hosts to facilitate conversation centered around the book.
Monday's book discussion at the library begins at 7 p.m. The event is free and registration is not required.
