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Chicken Poop for the Soul author presents homesteading nitty-gritty

Nelson Daily Staff
By Nelson Daily Staff
September 26th, 2011

Finding the heart and soul of the food movement can sometimes mean getting your hands dirty—in a good way.

Kristeva Dowling’s Chicken Poop for the Soul (Caitlin Press, 2011) is a witty, humorous and often bizarre journey of trial and error as the author sheds urban life for rural independence.

Dowling reads from her book on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Nelson Public Library and Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Kaslo at the St Andrew’s Heritage Hall.

The Kaslo event, in partnership with the Kaslo Food Security Project, starts with a dessert potluck at 6:30 pm, followed by Kristeva’s reading at 7:30 pm.

Coordinator for the Kaslo Food Security Project Aimee Watson was excited to participate in bringing Dowling to North Kootenay Lake.

“Kristeva’s story serves as inspiration for many who have moved to the Kootenay region to create a life of self-sufficiency. It is an essential story we need to hear,” she said.

Food sovereignty is defined as having the right to determine where your food comes from and how it is produced. In 2008, alarmed by the impact agro-business was having on Canadian food quality and security, Dowling decided to take control of her own food source.

In an attempt to achieve 100 percent self-sufficiency on her small holding in BC’s Bella Coola Valley, she ploughed under her land, converted her garage to an intensive care unit for chickens and learned to hunt, fish, gather and preserve her own food. Chicken Poop for the Soul is about a common dream: to leave the city and return to a simpler life.

Both readings are a celebration of good, local food; at Kaslo’s  potluck dessert event, local ingredients will be featured. Dessert chefs are asked to bring desserts to the hall by 6:30 pm, with a tag indicating ingredients.

The Nelson Library reading is co-sponsored by the Kootenay Country Store Co-operative, who will also provide refreshments in that grand Co-op community tradition.

Both readings begin at 7:30 p.m. Dowling’s reading tour is a project of the Kootenay Library Federation and the host libraries.

Dowling’s reading tour is a project of the Kootenay Library Federation and the host libraries.

— Della Schafer photo

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