American Peace Gardens: A Memoir, 1996 to 2020

by Stephen C. Fowler

In August of 1996, Steve Fowler set out on an odyssey, gathering soils from organic farmers all across America in preparation for a ceremony, with Native American collaborators, on the Mall in Washington, D.C. On October 6th, thirty-eight soils were placed in a circle around a crucial monument, each containing a 5" x 8” placard with the farmer’s photograph and a statement.

The narrative of that adventure, and the personal challenges that led up to it, are the subject of this short book. The connection between peace work and farm practices is the main theme. An epilogue brings the story up to date. Quixotic and quirky, this is the script of a work of performance art by an actor and poet (50 Cent Poems, 2017) who is a gardener by trade.

Format: Hand assembled in loose-leaf binders; includes a 70 minute CD which contains 32 tracks, mostly interviews with farmers, plus a few musical interludes.

Copies for sale: 40. Sale price: $25.

Title calligraphy by Judith Bernstein