Tired of eco doom and gloom? Acclaimed author and journalist Chris Turner traveled the globe in search of hope for a sustainable future. He chronicles his findings in his new book The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need. Turner will deliver an entertaining and incisive multimedia presentation to update his quest. Also, noted urbanist Amy Lavender Harris will moderate a Q&A session between Turner and the audience. — A This Is Not A Reading Series event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, Random House Canada, and EYE WEEKLY.

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St W, Toronto
Mon, Feb 18, 2008; 7:30pm (doors 7pm) free

THE GEOGRAPHY OF HOPE: What is the state of sustainability? Chris Turner supports his argument that optimism is warranted with first-hand accounts of solutions already at work around the world, such as wind farms in Canada and Europe’s most eco-friendly communities. Importantly, however, The Geography of Hope: A Tour Of The World We Need goes far beyond mere technology. Turner’s inspiring view of a sustainable future is predicated upon a new generation of political, economic, social and spiritual institutions—from the green hills of northern Thailand to the parliamentary houses of Scandinavia, from the villages of southern India, where micro-credit finance has remade the social fabric, to America’s most advanced think tanks. Selected by The Globe & Mail as one of the Best Books of the year, The Geography Of Hope provides a roadmap to the Earth’s future.

CHRIS TURNER is the author of the international bestseller Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation (2004). He writes a monthly feature on sustainability for The Globe & Mail. Turner has won four Canadian National Magazine Awards, including the 2001 President's Medal for General Excellence. His work has appeared in The Independent (UK), Time Magazine, Maclean's, Canadian Geographic, The Walrus, Azure and Utne Reader. Turner lives in Calgary, with his wife, the photographer Ashley Bristowe, and their daughter, Sloane.

AMY LAVENDER HARRIS is a writer, geographer and scholar who teaches urban studies, literary geography, theories of space/place and a course on Kensington Market at York University. Her book Imagining Toronto will be published in 2008 by Mansfield Press. She has also contributed to GreenTOpia and State Of The Arts: Living with Culture in Toronto. Lavender Harris is also a contributing editor at Spacing magazine. She lives in Toronto.

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