sixth annual festival convenes in October

By Patricia Platt

The chance to see and experience the world around us more deeply—whether that means understanding the stories of the trees, how the horse shaped empires or insights from wartime poets—will all been on offer during this year’s Haystack Book Festival.

“We bring together in unmoderated conversation writers and thinkers who have something to talk about as they explore new ideas in literature and the arts. A variety of events will be offered that address art, literature, nature, current issues and more,” said Michael Selleck, the festival’s co-director.

Now in its sixth year, Haystack will take place on October 4, 5 and 6. Most events will be at the Norfolk Library, apart from a Sunday morning hike in the Great Mountain Forest and a special event for children. Full details about all the programming, as well as information about the festival’s fundraising gala, can be found at https://www.norfolkfoundation.net/book-talks.

This year’s Brendan Gill Lecture will be given by its namesake’s granddaughter, Gillian Linden, on Friday, Oct. 4, at 5:30 p.m. W.W. Norton published Linden’s debut novel, “Negative Space,” earlier this year to positive reviews. Linden’s novel is built around one week in the life of a young mother navigating the instabilities of teaching, parenting and marriage in the wake of the pandemic.

Earlier on Friday, festivalgoers can hear Marina Harss, author of “The Boy from Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky’s Life in Ballet,” in conversation with Mindy Aloff, author of “Why Dance Matters.” They will discuss the history of ballet and its transformation from the choreography of George Balanchine to the modern dance of Alexei Ratmansky.

Highlights for Saturday, Oct. 5, include:

“A Conversation About Wisdom and Memory” with Michael Korda and Simon Winchester at 10:30 a.m. Korda is the author of “Muse of Fire: WWI as Seen Through the Lives of the Soldier Poets.” Winchester is the author of “Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic.” They will share thoughts on the wisdom learned from the past and how it can inform the way forward.

“Institutions and Ideas,” at 1 p.m., will explore the public circulation of ideas and why ideas matter during a conversation between William Egginton, author of “The Rigor of Angels: Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality,” and Samuel Moyn, author of “Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times.” They will dip into what is happening on college campuses today.

“Reading the Landscape: How Trees Tell a Story” will take place at 3 p.m. Noah Charney, author of “These Trees Tell a Story: The Art of Reading Landscapes,” will be in conversation with Mike Zarfos, executive director of Great Mountain Forest. Charney, a professor of conservation biology, studies the layers of soil, trees and underbrush to understand the formation and aging of the forest.

On Sunday at 8 a.m., Charney and Zarfos will lead a walk in the Great Mountain Forest. Together, they will explore the history of the woods by examining slopes, soil, trees and animal routes and survey the diversity of birds and other wildlife. Registration is required; the hike is limited to 20.

“Horses and Us: Treasured Companions and Engines of Power” will be held at 11 a.m. back at the library. David Chaffetz, author of “Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires,” will be in conversation with Sarah Maslin Nir, author of “Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love With an Animal.” They will talk about the history of our relationship with the horse from the turbulent history of the Silk Road to the lesser-known corners of today’s riding world. The festival will end at 1:30 p.m. at the Norfolk Hub with an event called “Once Upon a Horse” for children in the 8- to 12-year-old range. Nir will talk about her series “Once Upon a Horse” and the new novel in the series, “The Star Horse.” Both are inspired by real horses and the people who loved them. A free book will be given to all kids who attend.