Ann Litrel & Charles Seabrook in conversation with Sally Sears

Please note: Due to the government shutdown, this event has been moved from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library to Georgia Center for the Book.

This illustrated guide to the stunning landscapes that define Georgia invites readers on a journey through the state’s most breathtaking natural sites, celebrating the state's rich ecological and geological heritage through art, storytelling, and science.

Georgia Center for the Book and A Cappella Books welcome authors Ann Litrel and Charles Seabrook to discuss their new book, 35 Natural Wonders of Georgia to See before You Die. Litel and Seabrook will appear in conversation with award-winning news reporter and environmentalist Sally Sears.

This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue.

About the Book
The expression “natural wonders” can often conjure images of far-flung destinations like the Grand Canyon, the peaks of the Rockies, or Niagara Falls. Yet Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi, is home to a wealth of wonders that rival any found beyond its borders. Such wonders include the Altamaha River, Georgia’s own untamed Amazon; Providence Canyon, the “little Grand Canyon”; Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak and only cloud forest; and the vast, hauntingly beautiful Okefenokee Swamp.

Based on noted science journalist Charles Seabrook’s personal bucket list and artist Ann Litrel’s insightful watercolors and sketches, 35 Natural Wonders of Georgia to See before You Die offers a fresh take on Georgia’s natural beauty in the tradition of naturalists such as John James Audubon and William Bartram. Each of the thirty-five sites is introduced by paintings, field sketches, artist notes, and elegant science writing that highlight its unique attributes. The book captures the beauty and rich natural history of Georgia’s biological and geological treasures—inspiring leisure travelers, nature enthusiasts, and art lovers to explore these places on their own.

About the Authors
Ann Litrel is a nationally published artist whose paintings of botanical and wildlife subjects have appeared on prints, books, stationery, and textiles. As a writer and illustrator, she has collaborated on three books and has been a monthly columnist for a range of publications on topics of art, ecology, community, and history. Litrel’s passion for arts and community led her to cofound the Woodstock Arts Center, an award-winning, multidisciplinary arts center on a four-acre campus. She lives with her husband, Dr. Michael Litrel, in Woodstock, Georgia.

Charles Seabrook retired from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in 2005 after thirty-four years as a science and environmental writer. He continues to write on a freelance basis his popular weekly column, Wild Georgia, which runs every Saturday in the AJC’s Living section. He is the author of three books: Red Clay, Pink Cadillacs, and White Gold: The Kaolin Chalk Wars; Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses; and The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of the Southeastern Atlantic Coast. He and his wife, Laura, live in Decatur, Georgia.

About the Conversation Partner
Sally Sears is an award-winning news reporter and environmentalist. She is a native of Montevallo, Alabama, and a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Richard.