About this Event
Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 PM when author Jennie Durant comes to the store to share her new book Bitter Honey: Big Ag's Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them. Jennie will be joined in conversation by Mary Volmer and will sign copies of her book after the presentation.
to preorder a copy of Bitter Honey..
"An ambitious, important, and utterly captivating book.”—Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Replaceable You and Stiff
Each February, a vast yet largely invisible migration takes place across the United States. Semi-trucks stacked high with honey bee colonies head to California’s Central Valley, carrying nearly 99 percent of the nation’s domesticated bees. There, the bees pollinate millions of acres of blooming almond orchards before fanning out across the country for apples, berries, and other crops. This massive undertaking sustains both beekeepers and farmers—but it comes at a heavy price.
In Bitter Honey, Jennie Durant takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the human and ecological cost of industrial farming for bees, beekeepers, and all of us who depend on them. Bees today face a gauntlet of threats: parasites and disease, pesticide exposure, and climate extremes—all magnified by Big Ag. Beekeepers, meanwhile, endure grueling practices just to survive, often losing half their hives each year.
But this isn’t a story of defeat. Durant introduces us to the beekeepers, farmers, and activists pioneering new ways to support both wild and managed bees. The stakes are high: nearly three-quarters of our major food crops depend on bees and other pollinators. Bitter Honey exposes the crisis threatening the nation’s bees and spotlights the advocates working to protect them for generations to come.
is a writer and researcher focused on bees, sustainable agriculture, and the environment. She has spent more than a decade working with beekeepers, scientists, and policymakers, including time at the USDA and UC Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in Grist, The Huffington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and other outlets. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
is the author of two novels, Crown of Dust and Reliance, Illinois, and co-founder of the arts collective Maker, Mentor, Muse. Her essays, reviews, and short stories have appeared in various publications, including Mutha Magazine, The Common Politic, Women’s Basketball Magazine, Fiction Writers Review, Historical Novel Society Review, The New Orleans Review, Brevity, and Ploughshares.
THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 6:30 pm on May 28.
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
