Submitted by the San Juan Island Library

There are two upcoming events at the San Juan Island Library

Intelligence of trees

The San Juan Island Library and The San Juan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society will present the film, “Intelligent Trees,” at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 27 at the San Juan Island Library. Griffin Bay Bookstore will also be on hand to sell Peter Wohlleben’s bestselling book, “The Hidden Life of Trees,” featured in the film.

Did you know that trees talk, know family ties, and care for their young? Discover the intelligence of trees in this documentary about the work of Suzanne Simard, a forestry professor at the University of British Columbia, and Peter Wohlleben, author of “The Hidden Life of Trees.”

A remote location

Griffin Bay Bookstore and the San Juan Island Library will present Lopezian Iris Graville and her memoir, “Hiking Naked,” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the San Juan Island Library. For those who have wrestled with making dramatic life changes, or are doing so now, be sure to spend the evening with Graville as she talks about her book, her reflections on life-changing experiences, and her family’s adventures in Stehekin.

Knocked off her feet after 20 years in public health nursing, Graville quit her job and convinced her husband and their thirteen-year-old twin son and daughter to move to Stehekin, a remote mountain village in Washington State’s North Cascades. They sought adventure; she yearned for the quiet and respite of this community of 85 residents accessible only by boat, float plane, or hiking.

Stehekin means “the way through,” and “Hiking Naked” chronicles Graville’s journey through questions about work and calling as well as how she coped with ordering groceries by mail, black bears outside her kitchen window, a forest fire that threatened the valley, and a flood that left her and her family stranded for three days. Ultimately, in the solitude bestowed by pines, firs, and mountain trails, she regained her spiritual footing and found her own “way through.”

Graville is the author of “Hands at Work: Portraits and Profiles of People Who Work with Their Hands,” recipient of numerous accolades including a Nautilus Gold Book Award, and Bounty: Lopez Island Farmers, Food, and Community. She also serves as publisher of SHARK REEF Literary Magazine. Iris lives and writes on Lopez Island.