Exhibit Reception for Ed Croom’s Exhibit THE LAND OF ROWAN OAK

On Wednesday, February 1 at 3:30pm the Center will host a reception for Ed Croom. Croom has an exhibit in the Gammill Gallery of photographs from his recent book The Land of Rowan Oak: An Exploration of Faulkner’s Natural World.

More than fifty years after Faulkner’s death, Rowan Oak remains a sanctuary and a place of mystery and beauty nestled in the midst of Oxford, Mississippi. The photographs in The Land of Rowan Oak are botanist Ed Croom’s exploration and documentation of the changes in the plants and landscape over more than a decade. Croom encountered early morning mists, the summer heat and haze, and even rare snowfalls in his near-daily walks on the grounds. His photographs record a decaying fence line, trees and plants that have since disappeared, and the newly restored sunken garden.

This book honors the land Faulkner loved. While Faulkner’s novels have left an indelible legacy in southern and American letters, the landscape of his beloved home also serves as a record of the botanical history of this most storied corner of the American literary South.

Ed Croom of Oxford, Mississippi is president of Croomia Botanical Scientific and Regulatory Consulting, and he previously was a full-time faculty member at the University of Mississippi. His work has appeared in the books Herbal and Magical Medicine; Taxol: Science and Application; and Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements as well as other plant science and chemical journals. His photography has been exhibited at the University of Mississippi and appeared in USA Today, the Scientist, and the Saturday Evening Post.

Join us for a reception honoring Croom on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the lobby of Barnard Observatory. Photos are on display in the Gammill Gallery.

Croom will discuss the photos at a Brown Bag lecture at noon on the same day.