Event Details
Join authors of the popular Royal Ontario Museum Field Guides for a lively discussion on exploring nature in the city, and beyond.
Event Details
Join authors of the popular Royal Ontario Museum Field Guides for a lively discussion on exploring nature in the city, and beyond.
Speakers for this event
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Deborah Metsger
Deborah Metsger
Deborah A. Metsger has been Assistant Curator of Botany in ROM’s Department of Natural History since 1982. She is acting Curator of the Green Plant Herbarium (TRT), and communicates all things botanical in ROM galleries, exhibitions, public programs, and popular publications. She is also Curator for ROM’s native plant gardens and Trees for Toronto. She was lead curator for ROM exhibition Florals: Desire & Design (2020–22). Deb’s botanical interests include documenting Ontario flora, maple taxonomy, and the intersections of science, art, and culture as expressed in plant motifs in the decorative arts. Her publications include Managing the Modern Herbarium (co-editor, 1999), The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario (co-author, 2004), and Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Toronto (co-ordinating author, 2016), part of the City of Toronto Biodiversity Series.
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Gary Barwin
Gary Barwin
Gary Barwin is a writer and multimedia artist and the author of 36 books of poetry, fiction and essays. His novel, Yiddish for Pirates was a national bestseller, was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award (in fiction and in French translation) and won the Leacock Medal for Humour and the Canadian Jewish Literary Award. Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted was chosen for Hamilton Reads, also won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Vine Award. His latest novel is The Comedian’s Book of the Dead (Book*hug). He lives in Hamilton, Ontario. garybarwin.com
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Mark Peck
Mark Peck
Mark Peck was the Collections Specialist in Ornithology at ROM for 41 years. Mark is the Vice President of the Ontario Field Ornithologists and was given the Distinguished Ornithologist of the Year Award by OFO in 2024. He is also an enthusiastic contributor to several citizen and community science programs and a long-time member of the Toronto Ornithological Club.
Books
A Field Guide to Birds of Ontario
A comprehensive guide to Ontario birds.
From watching the soaring Red-tailed Hawk to hearing the haunting call of the Common Loon, birds are our daily connection to nature. Birds, their migrations, and the state of their populations help us recognize the health of our ecosystems. Their songs and colours add beauty to our lives and their presence in almost every environment, from the most built-up inner city to the most remote forest, reminds us that we are part of nature, no matter where we are.
A Field Guide to Birds of Ontario is the latest addition to ROM’s bestselling field guide series and offers a closer look at the diversity of bird species regularly found in our province.
This guide offers detailed descriptions of migrant and resident Ontario bird species and accidentals, including notes on appearance, sound, habitat, and breeding. Close to 600 full-colour photographs from Ontario bird photographers have been carefully selected for quick and easy identification in the field. Includes distribution maps showing summer, migration, and winter ranges, alongside a handy glossary, checklist of Ontario birds, and an index for ease of navigation.
The perfect companion for your next outdoor adventure.
AuthorMark Peck, Emily Rondel
PublisherRoyal Ontario Museum
A Field Guide to Trees of Ontario
From the cherry blossoms ushering in spring to the maple leaves changing colours for fall, our local trees are beloved markers for the changing seasons.
Featuring more than 1,400 vibrant photographs and illustrations, A Field Guide to Trees of Ontario, describes the trees likely to be encountered, whether on a hike in the woods or on a walk down city streets.
The book features an illustrated glossary of botanical terms, distribution maps, and photographs depicting distinctive characteristics of individual tree species, both naturally occurring and cultivated species. it includes diagnostic descriptions for quick recognition, informative notes and anecdotes, and easy-to-use identification keys to trees in summer and winter condition.
AuthorDeborah Metsger , James Eckenwalder , Timothy Dickinson
PublisherRoyal Ontario Museum
The Comedian's Book of the Dead
A profound and imaginative underworld quest, and a fresh, funny page turner, from one of Canada’s most beloved and awarded storytellers.
Death is a comedian and devoted family man, but everything falls apart when the Fates choose him to guide departed souls to the Beneath. Having to perform this new role erodes his humanity and causes him to do some perhaps unforgivable things, and when his only son dies by suicide, Death realizes he’s likely the one to blame.
Attempting the impossible, Death goes into the Beneath to beg the Fates to allow him to bring back his son. Naturally, things are not what they seem, and Death is forced to reevaluate everything he knows— everything except the deep love he has for his child. Blending Barwin’s celebrated wit with deeply moving scenes of empathy and compassion, The Comedian’s Book of the Dead is a heartbreaking and humorous journey into the joy and pain of parenthood, and a thoughtful exploration of choice and agency, sacrifice and love.
AuthorGary Barwin
PublisherBook*hug Press