A Botanical Banquet & the Wicked World of Plants

Join us for a delicious vegetarian feast in our Dining Hall on an unforgettable evening to celebrate spring, community, and our sense of wonder for the natural world. Dinner will be prepared by Chef Jim White and his team, who are passionate about bringing sustainably sourced foods and thoughtful dining experiences to students and adults alike. Your all-vegetarian meal will be seasonally-inspired, featuring many locally-sourced ingredients.

None of the plants served at dinner will be wicked, but they will be wickedly delicious!

Following our feast and dessert, we'll head into the Great Hall and learn from Amy Stewart.

In her New York Times bestseller Wicked Plants: The W**d That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, Amy Stewart takes on Mother Nature’s most appalling creations. It’s an A to Z of plants that K*ll, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, Stewart presents tales of bloodcurdling botany that will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.

Find out which plant killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, which shrub ignited a global war, and what plant has killed 90 million people. From strychnine to castor bean, from poison sumac to monkshood, from carnivorous plants to weeds that spontaneously combust, Stewart introduces an unforgettable cast of characters and tells their tales with her own wicked sense of humor.

This 45-minute talk is accompanied by dazzling photographs, historical images, copper engravings, and other visuals as illustrations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy travels the country as a highly sought-after public speaker whose spirited lectures have inspired and entertained audiences at college campuses, corporate offices, museums, gardens and libraries nationwide. Amy Stewart is the New York Times best-selling author of the The Tree Collectors, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world. She’s also written several novels in her beloved Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters.Amy travels the country as a highly sought-after public speaker whose spirited lectures have inspired and entertained audiences at college campuses, corporate offices, museums, gardens and libraries nationwide.

Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 18 languages. For more information about our author, please visit www.amystewart.com

YOUR TICKET INCLUDES:

Your ticket price includes dinner, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, and entry to our author talk, Q&A, and a book-signing. We'll have a no-host bar as well, where we'll be selling wine, beer, and specialty sodas and fruit juices. It will be a fun and spirited evening!

We work to ensure that all reasonable accommodations are in place so that everyone can fully participate and learn during their time on our campus. All indoor spaces and many of our outdoor spaces and field structures were built and are continually maintained to meet ADA code, adhering to WAC 51-50. Learn more about the physical accessibility of our campus here.

Service animals only, please.

Your health and safety, as well as that of our staff, is our first priority. Wearing a mask is optional and we are following all CDC and local state guidelines for your safety. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home and rest up! We care about you.

Info: Check-in with us, and if you arrive on the earlier end, you can learn a little about IslandWood if you're new! We have a beautiful Welcome Center. Dinner will be served at 6:00 PM in our Dining Hall, right next door.

Info: Your scrumptious all-vegetarian dinner is served in our Dining Hall - including dessert! You may visit our no-host bar to find various refreshments you can purchase as well. Non-alcoholic beverages will be served with your dinner and dessert.

Info: Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers. Amy will have time for a short Q&A, followed by a book sale and signing in our Welcome Center.

Info: We're so glad to partner with our local bookstore, Eagle Harbor Books, to do a book sale of Amy's books, and if you so choose - Amy will personally sign your copy! This is a completely optional part of the event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Avenue Northeast, Bainbridge Island, United States