Join us for a captivating book launch with Christopher Brown, author of “A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places.” This genre-bending work combines naturalism, memoir, and a social manifesto for rewilding cities, selves, and society. Brown explores the resilience of nature in seemingly “ruined landscapes” and shares his twenty-year journey documenting and living among these liminal spaces. Discover the magic in the wild, even at the edges where pavement ends, and be inspired by Brown’s insights into human disruption and natural wonders.

Lushly written and philosophically hard-hitting, A Natural History of Empty Lots by Christopher Brown is a genre-bending blend of naturalism, memoir, and social manifesto for rewilding the city, the self, and society. Through his keen examination of abandoned industrial sites, empty lots, and deserted agricultural land, Brown discovers that even in these so-called “ruined landscapes” nature’s resilience shines. Inspired by its unfailing persistence to return, Brown shows us how easy it can be to bring the wilds back to these damaged places and why it is critical that we do.

Over the course of twenty years, Brown documented these liminal spaces, explored them with his son, and even built his home in Austin, Texas on a brownfield site bisected by oil pipelines. Infused with Brown’s deep love of nature and a constant sense of awe, A Natural History of Empty Lots combines field notes from Brown’s travels with his personal story as he traverses the nexus of the city and the wilds.

“A Natural History of Empty Lots is the best and most interesting book I’ve ever read about the spaces we often overlook. Christopher Brown comes to these places with a deep curiosity and understanding of both human and nonhuman history. An instant classic.” –Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author