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Tuckasegee author to read at Walden Pond
Tuckaseegee author Thomas Crowe will read from his latest book, “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods,” at Thoreau’s Walden Pond in Concord, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 25, as part of a 10-day reading and lecture tour of New England.
“The Walden Pond reading is the icing on the cake,” said Crowe. “Since Thoreau is so much a part of this book, and since he has been such an inspiration to me over the years, it’s more than appropriate that my publicity work for “Zoro’s Field” should end at Walden Pond. When I got the call from the Thoreau Society asking me to do the reading at Walden Pond, I immediately said ‘yes.’ Then I began work putting together a larger tour around this event in order that I could afford to go.”
Tuckasegee writer Thomas Crowe will journey to Concord, Mass., for a Sept. 24 reading at Walden Pond. Crowe’s most recent book, “Zoro’s Field,” has been compared to Thoreau’s “Walden,” and Crowe counts Thoreau among his literary and philosophical influences. Crowe also will participate in the Smoky Mountain Book Fair, which is set for Saturday, Nov. 19, in Sylva.
“Zoro’s Field” is an account of four years (1978-82) during which the author lived off the grid along the Green River in Polk County. After a long absence from the southern Appalachians, Crowe returned to live alone in the woods. “Zoro’s Field” is a chronicle of a time when he survived by his own hand without electricity, plumbing, modern-day transportation, or regular income.
During the past four months, Crowe has appeared on WLOS on the “News at Noon” program with Bob Caldwell, has been interviewed on National Public Radio and has been interviewed for a feature piece that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
“This book will appeal to anyone who has imagined unhinging from the cumbersome structures of ‘progress,’ and consumerism in order to know the rhythms of quiet work and nature,” said Alison Deming, author of “The Edges of the Civilized World: A Journey in Nature and Culture.”
Crowe was 29 years old when he began his four years of solitary life. Thoreau was 28 when he began his two years at Walden Pond. Much like Thoreau, Crowe was isolated, but did not live the life of a recluse or hermit.
“On a scale of one to 10, I guess the level of my isolation was about a six or seven,” said Crowe. “On the other hand, in the wintertime about the only place I went where there were other people was to the Hendersonville Library to get books. I would walk out to the road and hitchhike to Hendersonville, which was about 15 miles away.”
Crowe, who spent his boyhood in Robbinsville, has lived in Jackson County for the past 20 years.
An internationally-published poet, author and recording artist, Crowe will participate in the Smoky Mountain Book Fair in Sylva on Saturday, Nov. 19.
More schedule information is available on Crowe’s Web site, www.newnativepress.com.
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