BookPeople Presents: Christopher Brown - A Natural History of Empty Lots

Please welcome Christopher Brown and Jesse Sublett to celebrate A Natural History of Empty Lots!

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 7:00 P.M.
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a signing line.
• Location: The second floor of BookPeople.

The author will be signing and personalizing copies of the book after the speaking portion of the event.

• To get a book signed, a copy of the event book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.

Guidelines:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

• If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
• All event guidelines are subject to change.
• BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.

About the book:

A Natural History of Empty Lots is a genre-defying work of nature writing, literary nonfiction, and memoir that explores what happens when nature and the city intersect.

During the real estate crash of the late 2000s, Christopher Brown purchased an empty lot in an industrial section of Austin, Texas. The property—abandoned and full of litter and debris—was an unlikely site for a home. Brown had become fascinated with these empty lots around Austin, so-called “ruined” spaces once used for agriculture and industry awaiting their redevelopment. He discovered them to be teeming with natural activity, and embarked on a twenty-year project to live in and document such spaces. There, in our most damaged landscapes, he witnessed the remarkable resilience of wild nature, and how we can heal ourselves by healing the Earth.

Beautifully written and philosophically hard-hitting, A Natural History of Empty Lots offers a new lens on human disruption and nature, offering a sense of hope among the edgelands.

About the author:

Christopher Brown is the Philip K. Dick, World Fantasy and John W. Campbell Award-nominated author of the novels Tropic of Kansas, Rule of Capture and Failed State. Also an accomplished lawyer, he has worked on two Supreme Court confirmation hearings, led the technology corporate practice of a major American law firm, and been the General Counsel of two public companies.

About the moderator:

A legendary Austin musician and artist, Jesse Sublett is the author of 14 published books. In 2022, the Austin American-Statesman named Sublett “one of Austin’s best living writers.” His most popular book may be the true crime chronicle Last Gangster in Austin: Frank Smith, Ronnie Earle, and the End of a Junkyard Mafia. Other titles include 1960s Austin Gangsters, Armadillo World Headquarters: A Memoir (with Eddie Wilson), Esther’s Follies, and Never the Same Again, a harrowing yet uplifting memoir of music, M**der, and cancer. Taken together, the work comprises what one reviewer called “Sublett’s extended literary universe of nightlife and hustles, shenanigans and sleaze, across mid-century Texas.”
Also a legendary musician, Jesse shook up the Austin music scene in the late 1970s as an original member of the city’s first two punk bands, The Violators and The Skunks. The Skunks were inducted in the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2008. As a painter, Sublett is known for his bold, colorful acrylic paintings of birds in iconic Austin backgrounds. He lives in Austin with his wife Lois Richwine.

By purchasing a book from BookPeople, you are not only supporting a local, independent business – you’re showing publishers that they should continue sending authors to BookPeople.

Thank you for supporting Christopher Brown, Jesse Sublett, and your local independent bookstore!

Host or Publisher BookPeople