Join us for the start of the newly reimagined Chesapeake Forum Speaker Series, “Lectures on the Shore” – an event to look forward to every semester!
Kicking off our Series is Neil King, Jr., award-winning journalist, cancer survivor, and author of an American Ramble, a memoir about his walk between Washington, DC and NYC. In this Fall program, King will describe what he learned about America, and Americans, while traveling under his own foot-power on a journey of inspiration, surprise and achy legs.
In March 2021, King embarked on a 26-day, 330-mile walk from his house near the US Capitol to New York City. He chronicles those 330 miles with a veteran reporter’s sharp curiosity and a historian’s discernment in his remarkable new book, “American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal.”
Determined to rediscover what matters in life and to see our national story with new eyes, Neil turned north with a small satchel on his back and one mission in mind: To pay close attention to the land he crossed and the people he met.
What followed is an extraordinary journey through historic battlefields and cemeteries, over the Mason-Dixon line, past Quaker and Amish farms, along Valley Forge stream beds, atop a New Jersey trash mound, across New York Harbor, and finally, to his ultimate destination: the Ramble, where a tangle of pathways converges in Central Park. The journey travels deep into America’s past and present, uncovering forgotten pockets and overlooked people. At a time of mounting disunity, the trip reveals the profound power of our shared ground.
Join King and his friend Jeff McGuiness, author of “Bear Me Into Freedom,” a lawyer, photographer and documentarian from St Michaels, as he describes the inspiration behind this walk, the research that went into it, and the experience of the walk itself. He will talk about how such a walk can alter one’s perceptions of America, our origins, and one’s own place in the world. The program will focus on the wonders to be found through a slow, accumulative immersion in the American landscape. It will delve into the powers of true attentiveness and the freedom each of us have to carve out moments in our lives that transcend the ordinary.
What to expect: You will gain new insights into the complexities of America’s founding story along with a deep appreciation for the joys of walking, which go back to the very origins of mankind. Who knows? You might be inspired to plan and embark on your own ramble of self-discovery! Catered event.
Please note: If attending through our Chesapeake Forum livestream, active participation in any Q&A will be limited at best through the CHAT. You will be able to hear the in person questions and answers.
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