In this landmark work of natural history, Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of this wild and unruly river, and the centuries of efforts to control it. The Mississippi River lies at the heart of America, an undeniable life force that is intertwined with the nation’s culture and history. Its watershed spans almost half the country, Mark Twain’s travels on the river inspired our first national literature, and jazz and blues were born in its floodplains and carried upstream. Carrying readers along the river’s last remaining backchannels, he explores how scientists are now hoping to restore what has been lost. The Great River delivers an account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power—a lesson that is all too relevant in our rapidly changing world.

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Copies of The Great River are available for purchase and will be signed by the author at the event.
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About the Author:

Boyce Upholt is a journalist and essayist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, National Geographic, the Oxford American, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other publications. He is the winner of a James Beard Award for investigative journalism, and he lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Upholt is also a native of West Hartford, CT!

About the Moderator:

Ben McGrath is the Riverman: An American Odyssey. He is a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker. His work has been featured in Best American Sports Writing, Best American Science Writing, and Best of Technology Writing, among other anthologies. He lives outside New York City in a small town on the Hudson, with his wife and two children.