Rain: A History for Stormy Times

A natural and cultural tour of RAIN, from the torrents that filled the oceans four billion years ago to the modern story of climate change. A wellspring of life, rain also has a place in people’s souls, from an ancient perfume region in Northern India to Seattle’s inspirational rain-leaden skies. Too much and not enough, rain is a shared experience. This presentation shares the history of rain and how the world can come together to live more ethically with water and adapt to the stormy times ahead.

Cynthia Barnett is an award-winning environmental journalist and author of four books, including her latest The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of Oceans, named one of the best science books of the year by NPR’s Science Friday, and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History was longlisted for the National Book Award. She is the Environmental Journalist in Residence at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in Gainesville, where she lives with her family.

This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Historical Society of Avon Park. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the aforementioned entities.