Jessica Leigh Hester Presents “Sewer” with Angela Chen
P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome Jessica Leigh Hester to celebrate her new book, Sewer (Bloomsbury), part of Object Lessons: a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Jessica will be joined in conversation by Angela Chen, a science journalist at the ideas editor at WIRED.
What can underground pipes tell us about human eating habits and the spread or containment of diseases, such as COVID-19? Why are sewers spitting out plastic and trash into waterways around the world? How are clogs getting gnarlier and more numerous? Jessica Leigh Hester leads readers through the past, present, and future of the system humans have created to deal with our own waste and argues that sewers can be seen as a mirror to the world above at a time when our behaviors are drastically reshaping the environment for the worse. Sifting through the muck offers a fresh way to approach questions about urbanization, public health, infrastructure, ecology, sustainability, and consumerism- and what we value. Without understanding sewers, any attempt to steward the future is incomplete. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Pre-order your signed edition of “Sewer”
Available to ship most places
- This is a free in-store event with limited amphitheater-style seating
- We encourage all guests to wear masks.
- The talk will be followed by a book signing. Books signed at P&T Knitwear events must be purchased from P&T Knitwear. If you would like a signed copy and cannot attend the event, we’re happy to take your pre-order. We ship to most places!
About the autor
Jessica Leigh Hester is a science journalist. She has worked as a senior editor and staff writer at Atlas Obscura and an editor at CityLab, where she covered the environment and urban infrastructure. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, New Yorker, New York Times, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City and Baltimore, where she is also a PhD student at Johns Hopkins University studying the history of medicine.
About the moderator
Angela Chen is a journalist and writer in New York City. Her reporting and criticism have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Atlantic, Guardian, Paris Review, Electric Literature, Catapult, and elsewhere. Chen is a member of the ace community and has spoken about asexuality at academic conferences and events including World Pride. Find her on Twitter @chengela or at angelachen.org.
Time: 7:00 PM — 8:00 PM EST
Free!
