David Leonard, president of the Boston Public Library, interviews author and philosopher Richard Kearney on the cultural and spiritual importance of nature and natural medicine as a primal power, the notion of divinity as a force running through all living things (panentheism), the challenge facing Ireland and other Celtic nations to embrace secular modernity while salvaging what is still precious in their ancient heritage, the powerful role of Ireland's 'islands' in contemporary literature and film, and the origin of Halloween in the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain. 

The event also features contributions by Noirin Ni Rian (singer), Fanny Howe (poet), and Sheila Gallagher (artist). There will also be an author signing facilitated by Trident Booksellers and Cafe.

About the Book

Salvage is a story about the ancient transformative powers of Celtic wisdom and healing. The novel's twentieth century heroine, Maeve, is still in touch with inherited forces of sacred spirituality and nature, as she braves the seductions of the modern world.

About the Author

Richard Kearney is an Irish philosopher and writer who holds the Seelig Chair of Philosophy at Boston College. He has written many books on European philosophy, narrative imagination, and Irish culture, as well as a book of poetry and two previous novels, Sam’s Fall and Walking at Sea Level. Kearney is also director of the international Guestbook Project of Narrative Hospitality.