Bob McDonald, science writer, host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks, and scientific commentator for CBC Radio and Television, is making his way to the Eastern Townships for a special event organized by the Knowlton Literary Festival Association. McDonald will first make an appearance at Massey-Vanier High-School and Knowlton Academy to talk with students about his latest book, An Earthling’s Guide to Outer Space, and then he will provide a presentation to the community at Centre Lac-Brome on April 10.
“We are very excited. It will be in-person and we will be following all Covid protocols while he is here. We are hoping we won’t have to wear masks by that time, but we probably still ask people to wear them. We are very, very, excited about it,” said Lucy Hoblyn, vice-present and treasurer of the association.
Coming all the way from British Columbia, McDonald will be diving into science and climate change. “He will be talking about the science of Covid and climate change, so very current things, but he’s thoroughly entertaining and very funny,” noted Hoblyn. “He will also be bringing visual effects. I’m assuming that at the schools the science experiments will be large, exciting, and interesting, but he will also be bringing (to the community centre) a couple of props and he is doing a slideshow to talk about various aspect of science, how the climate has progressed in the last few years, and the effects of Covid on climate change as well.”
Being the Literary Association’s first in-person event in the last couple of years, Hoblyn said she hopes that it will take people’s minds off things for a little while.
“I think, basically, it will be uplifting, entertaining, and it will be live and these are all things that we need right now. He loves Q&A, answering questions, and he’s very personable,” mentioned Hoblyn. “I think we all have Covid hangovers and I think that’s the most important thing. We wanted to have an entertaining author come. We need entertainment and something to take us away from horrors of the world right now and I think Bob is a good candidate to do that.”
McDonald will be presenting on April 10th at Centre Lac-Brome at 2 p.m. and the tickets will be $25 a person. Tickets can be purchased on the Knowlton Literary Festival Association’s website https://www.knowltonliteraryfestival.ca/about
For more information, call Brome Lake Books at 450-242-2242.
