August 30, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - William Woys Weaver, an internationally known food historian and author of 14 books, will visit Western Kentucky University in September as part of the kickoff for Archives Month.
At 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Weaver will be at the Kentucky Library & Museum for “Cookin’ in the Courtyard,” a family festival, with games for all ages and door prizes. At 10 a.m. Sept. 28, Weaver will present “Food and Folkways,” a presentation on historic gardening and preservation. Weaver also will meet with students in Consumer and Family Sciences and provide an overview of food sourcing and the mainstreaming of heirloom vegetables.
“One of the key things I want people to think about is that heirloom plant foods contain about 30 percent more nutritional value than modern hybrids, so the issue is not just nostalgia for old-time tomatoes, it is a much more fundamental problem,” Weaver said.
“We’re very excited to have William Woys Weaver as a guest of the Kentucky Library & Museum,” said Timothy Mullin, director of the Kentucky Library & Museum. “It’s not only a great opportunity for the community to learn about historic gardening and preservation, it’s also a wonderful opportunity for students, particularly those interested in culinary arts, historic preservation and folk studies to learn more,”
Weaver has been featured on such national programs as “Good Morning America” and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” CNN and “Foodessence” of the Canadian Life Network. He has been the subject of articles in Americana, Food and Wine, Food Arts, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times and Country Living.
“Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking,” Weaver’s most recent cookbook, received the Jane Grigson Award (a Julia Child Cookbook Award) and was also nominated for a James Beard Award. His latest garden book, “Heirloom Vegetable Gardening,” received a Julia Child Cookbook Award (for food reference) as well as the Jane Grigson Award for scholarly excellence.
Weaver is a Contributing Editor to GOURMET, Contributing Editor to MOTHER EARTH NEWS, and Professor of Culinary Arts and Food Studies for Drexel University’s Goodwin College of Professional Studies. He is pursuing a doctorate in food tourism at University College Dublin, Ireland.
For information, call (270) 745-4502 or visit University Libraries online at www.wku.edu/library.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Timothy Mullin at (270) 745-6261 or Cindy Troutman at (270) 745-4502.
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