Author of the book “What I Found in a Thousand Towns”
Nationally known singer-songwriter and author Dar Williams will be visiting Chelan on Tuesday, Oct. 2 to host conversations about community resilience.
Williams wrote the book “What I Found in a Thousand Towns” that explores how communities thrive in the midst of significant change and challenge. What she discovered by visiting communities and seeing them close up is that the key to maintaining a sense of community is developing positive proximity — places and projects that bring people together from all walks of life and diverse perspectives to create a stronger community.
Dar’s October 2nd schedule in Chelan:
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – Williams will meet with the leadership students from Chelan High School to get their perspective and insight into what makes the valley a great place to live and the challenges they see to maintaining a sense of connection and belonging.
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Williams will be meeting at City Hall with community leaders, or anyone who is passionate about getting involved with how we retain our sense of community.
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – The community is invited to join Williams in a downtown Chelan walkabout. Participants will be discussing “positive proximity”, a key concept of her book. The walkabout will start at The Vogue.
6:00 -7:00 p.m. – Williams will grab her guitar and step on stage at The Vogue to sing some songs and discuss what she has observed in our community and share insights from other communities who face similar challenges.
Williams’ book is available at the Chelan Public Library and on sale at Riverwalk Books.
The day in Chelan is the first of five days of community conversations in North Central Washington facilitated by Williams. On Wednesday, she’ll visit with students in Wenatchee, spend Thursday speaking with students and civic leaders in Leavenworth, and talk with Wenatchee civic leaders on Friday afternoon.
Her visit to the valley will culminate with two public events — a 7 p.m. reflection session on Friday, Oct. 5 at Pybus Public Market where she’ll discuss what she found in all three communities. She will conclude her visit with a concert at Snowy Owl Theater at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6.
Major funding for her visit is provided by the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Together for Youth, the Sleeping Lady Foundation, the North Central Regional Library, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Woods Family Music and Arts Fund, Our Valley Our Future and the Historic Downtown Chelan Association.
More About Dar Williams’ Book
What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A traveling musician’s guide to rebuilding America’s Communities — one coffee shop, dog run, and open-mike night at a time.
Dubbed by the New Yorker as “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters,” Dar Williams has made her career not in stadiums, but touring America’s small towns. She has played their venues, composed in their coffee shops, and drunk in their bars. She has seen these communities struggle, but also seen them thrive in the face of postindustrial identity crises.
In her book, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities.
What I Found in a Thousand Towns is more than a love letter to America’s small towns, it’s a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America’s lively and resilient communities.
