FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOCAL AUTHOR TO SPEAK AT GREEN FESTIVAL EXPO IN PORTLAND
Sandy Smith Will Present About Her Futuristic Seed Savers Series and How Children’s Stories Can Inspire Social Change
SALEM, Ore. December 8, 2015–Sandy Smith, Salem resident and former teacher in the Salem-Keizer School District, has recently released Keeper, the newest installment in her Seed Savers series. She will speak on the topic of teaching gardening and motivating social change with children’s stories at the Green Festival on Saturday, December 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lifestyle Pavilion at the Oregon Convention Center. Set mostly in Portland’s Forest Park, Keeper continues the story of children Clare, Lily, and Dante, who live in a future where gardening is illegal and real food is virtually unknown and unattainable.
“Seed Savers is less a ‘how to’ book–there are plenty of those–and more of a ‘what if’ book,” Smith explains. “What if it were illegal to save or to plant seeds? What if a government and a large corporation merged to control the food supply? What if you, like the children in the book, knew nothing besides the packaged food groups but then started learning about real food? How far would you go in breaking the law?”
Inspired by something she saw on the film, Food, Inc., Smith began writing the Seed Savers series five years ago. The books have been popular with readers of all ages and especially with children in grades five through eight. The other books in the series are Treasure, Lily, and Heirloom. Rachel Parent, teen founder of Kids Right to Know, says of the Seed Savers series: “A creative, engaging, well written book series, that is filled with action, and a lot of truth as it touches the very real issue of preserving seeds from Greedy Corporate Seed Monopoly and understanding the importance of knowing how to grow our own healthy food. This book series is AWESOME!!!!!!!”
And from a former educator:
“Sandy Smith’s Seed Saver books are great reads for young people on many levels. The action is packed with secret acts of civil disobedience, escape from evil GRIM thugs and independent cross-country treks. Plus, teens will both recognize and learn about issues surrounding food sources. Seed Saver books have something for everyone: diverse characters, themes of empowerment, revolution, and even a little romance.”
Smith currently grows out and saves seed for the Marion-Polk Seed Bank and is a community center coordinator in Keizer. The Seed Savers books can be purchased online, ordered at bookstores, and are available locally at LifeSource Natural Foods.
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