‘Soul of an Octopus’ author Montgomery to visit Sequim, Port Angeles libraries

By Sequim Gazette Staff • October 30, 2019 1:30 am
Author-naturalist Sy Montgomery visits Sequim and Port Angeles libraries in early November. Photo by David Scheel
Author-naturalist Sy Montgomery visits Sequim and Port Angeles libraries in early November. Photo by David Scheel

Sy Montgomery, an award-winning author and naturalist who is the featured writer for this year’s Clallam County Reads, visits local libraries in November.

Montgomery will share her experiences as a writer of more than 20 books — including “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness,” this year’s Clallam County Reads selection — at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., and at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.

After the discussion, Montgomery will take questions from the audience and sign copies of her books. Copies will also be available for purchase on-site.

Researching articles, films and books for adults and children, Sy Montgomery’s work has taken her from the cloud forest of Papua New Guinea for a book about tree kangaroos to the Altai Mountains of the Gobi for a publication about snow leopards.) For “The Soul of an Octopus,” a National Book Award finalist, she befriended octopuses at the New England Aquarium and scuba dived and snorkeled with wild octopuses in Mexico and French Polynesia. She then drew on her scuba skills to cage dive with great white sharks.

Montgomery lives in New Hampshire with her husband, the writer Howard Mansfield, their border collie Thurber and their flock of free-range laying hens.

Stop by any North Olympic Library System branch location to pick up a copy of “The Soul of an Octopus” and its accompanying reader’s guide. A limited supply of paperback copies are available at all four branches and are yours to keep or share.

The book is also available for check-out at the library in other favorite formats including hardback, audio and downloadable versions.

For more information about the Clallam County Reads program, visit www.nols.org/CCR or email to discover@nols.org.

Clallam County Reads events and materials, including more than 700 copies of the title, were generously funded by the Friends of Sequim Library, Port Angeles Friends of the Library, Friends of the Forks Library and Clallam Bay Friends of the Library.

Additional community organizations involved in the planning and support of Clallam County Reads include: Feiro Marine Life Center, Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Cabled Fiber & Yarn, First Federal Bank, Barhop Brewing & Artisan Pizza, Park View Villa, Port Angeles Senior Center and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library.