Editors John A. Stempien and John Linstrom will discuss their new book, The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener's Companion: Essential Writings (published by Cornell University Press), in conversation with Cornell Professor of Development Sociology Scott Peters. Beginning with their own formative experiences of coming to know and love Bailey's extensive corpus of literary garden writings, Stempien and Linstrom will dip into some of their favorite passages from the anthology to explore why Bailey found gardening so important to human flourishing. What did Bailey mean when he said that "the amateur is the ultimate conservator of horticulture?" Why did he think that something he called the "garden sentiment" was the most important aspect of good gardening? What does gardening have to do with civics, or education, or art? The editors invite their audience to explore these questions with them through the entertaining essays and poems that appear in this new collection, many of which have never been available in book form until now. Attendees will also have the option of a self-guided audio tour of some of the gardens around the facility following the event. Refreshments provided.