COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina State Museum will be hosting a free Arbor Day event featuring acclaimed author and environmental writer Margaret Renkl on Tuesday, December 2 at 6 p.m.

Renkl, is a contributing writer for The New York Times and the author of three celebrated books of essays, including The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, winner of the 2024 Southern Book Prize. The Alabama native is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and is one of the South’s leading literary voices on nature, conservation and the environment. Her work encourages readers to rediscover the beauty and abundance in their own backyards and to act with compassion and urgency to protect it.

Presented in observance of South Carolina Arbor Day, the evening will include a moderated discussion, reception and book signing. The conversation with Margaret Renkl will be led by James Barilla, author of My Backyard Jungle and professor of creative writing at the University of South Carolina.

Margaret Renkl: Celebrating and Protecting Nature’s Gifts is a free program, but guests are encouraged to RSVP in advance at scmuseum.org. Copies of Renkl’s books will also be available for purchase during the event.

The South Carolina State Museum is located at 301 Gervais St., Columbia