About this Event
Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Literary & Garden Arts on Wednesday, March 20, at 7:00 PM to celebrate the release of Groundbreaking: My Unmapped Path as an Academic, Mother and Gardener by the late Clare Cooper Marcus and to honor her life and accomplishments. Presenting the book will be her close friends and collaborators, Wendy Sarkissian and Lynne Elizabeth, as well as her daughter, Lucy Marcus.
to preorder a copy of Groundbreaking.
“Groundbreaking reflects the qualities that defined Clare Cooper Marcus's life and work—curiosity, resilience, honesty, and a profound belief in the healing power of nature.” —Debra Levin, Hon. FASID, EDAC, President and CEO, the Center for Health Design
Groundbreaking is a sweeping memoir that spans nine decades of Clare Cooper Marcus’ personal history. It was completed only weeks before her death at age 91. Moving from a wartime childhood in England through her academic career in the United States, the book serves as a reflection on personal endurance and professional innovation, all grounded in the restorative power of nature.
The narrative alternates between richly detailed life episodes—growing up as an evacuee during WWII, becoming a pioneering woman in academia, raising a family as a single mother—and lyrical “Garden Stories,” meditations rooted in her Berkeley garden that serve as metaphors for growth, loss, and renewal. Through these interwoven strands, Marcus reflects on identity, motherhood, love, resilience, and the solace found in landscapes both cultivated and wild. Ultimately, Groundbreaking is a meditation on survival and thriving—on how land, gardens, and memory shape a life. It is as much a personal journey as it is a testimony to the enduring human need for grounding in place and nature.
CLARE COOPER MARCUS (1934–2026) was Professor Emerita, Architecture and Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning, University of California, Berkeley. She was internationally recognized for her teaching, research, and publications on the social and psychological implications of design, especially regarding urban open space, family housing, outdoor space in healthcare facilities, and environments for children and the elderly.
WENDY SARKISSIAN PHD is a renowned author, community planner and environmental ethicist. Her decades of work focus on community engagement and planning, design and climate change. She co-authored the seminal book Housing As If People Mattered (1986) with Clare Cooper Marcus.
LYNNE ELIZABETH is the founding director of New Village Press, an independent nonprofit publisher whose mission is to bring to the world books that nurture rich public discussion and promote understanding of issues vital to healthy, creative, and socially just communities.
LUCY MARCUS is a marine biologist and a nature guide in places as far-flung as Alaska, Costa Rica, Cuba, and the island of Tonga where she guided guests swimming with whales. Closer to home, Lucy ensures nesting birds and endangered species are protected during construction activities. She is an avid nature photographer, as well as an environmental documentary filmmaker.
THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 6:00 pm on May 20.
BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.
DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.
WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows.
WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event.
PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home.
OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Mrs Dalloway's, 2904 College Avenue, Berkeley, United States
USD 0.00
