Join us for this Book Signing Event
Rick Van Noy
Borne by the River
Saturday, July 6
2:00 pm – ?
The Discovery Center at Point Breeze
101 Park Street, Bordentown
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Environmental author Rick Van Noy, a Radford University English professor, will be hosting a book reading and signing event at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze located at 101 East Park Street, Bordentown, NJ. The free event, which takes place on Saturday, July 6th at 2:00 pm, will be open to all who wish to attend although registration is suggested.
To register please email info@drgreenway.org or call 609-924-4646.
A signed copy of the book will be available to purchase after the reading event.
While admission to the event is free, a suggested $10 donation is greatly appreciated and can be made at drgreenway.org. A donation for this event provides the donor with a Point Breeze souvenir. All donations go towards events and exhibits showcased at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze.
With decades of writing experience, Van Noy is a wealth of knowledge on how our views about natural environments change through American literature and stories. Past publications include A Natural Sense of Wonder and Sudden Spring, which made him a finalist in the 2022 Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment book awards.
Van Noy’s latest publication, Borne by the River, follows him and his dog Sully as they float 200 miles down the Delaware River to his childhood home in Titusville, NJ. The two experience thought provoking adventures as he unravels the historical, cultural, and environmental importance of the Delaware River. Van Noy stories his own solo adventure along with the many encounters he has with other paddlers including members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.
“Borne by the River is an inspiring story of self-discovery and healing along the Delaware River, where our nation was born,” said Linda Mead, President and CEO of D&R Greenway Land Trust. “Experiences like this along our shared lands and waterways are important to helping us reconnect with the world around us.”
In the first chapter of his new book, Van Noy speaks about the common thread that ties together his three books, “All three projects relate to the sense of place, the specific conditions of topography and climate and culture that make places unique, worthy of attention. And for the way they reach deep inside us.” He tells the story of how a medical emergency impacted his life and how he found healing on the river. Van Noy says, “Places and rivers remain, and even if changed, or altered, are what is immortal.”
Point Breeze sits at the confluence of the Delaware River and Crosswicks Creek and is just south of the Abbott Marshlands. The Discovery Center at Point Breeze, which is managed by D&R Greenway Land Trust, is the historic home of Joseph Bonaparte’s gardener. The estate acted as an American refuge for the former king of Spain and has now partly become a museum to Bonaparte and the thousands of years of history of the area. Exhibits include the Crown Jewels Gallery, an exhibit on the Lenape Nation, archeological displays, and a natural history room. The air-conditioned museum is open noon to 4:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays and will be open on Monday afternoons during July and August. Those who wish to tour the museum before or after the reading event are encouraged to do so.
Just as the once-decimated riverside forests have regrown and pollution mostly stemmed, in Borne by the River Rick Van Noy comes back from devastating illness to find renewal in the waters, and community, of the Delaware. Although he paddles with his dog, throughout his voyage Van Noy is embraced by, and embraces, the people of the river, some of them as transient, some of them deeply rooted in the river’s history and culture. It’s a journey, and a community, that readers will happily join.
–Gary Letcher, author of Paddler’s Guide to the Delaware
Rick Van Noy’s Borne by the River is a potent tale of regeneration and interpenetration. It approaches fundamental themes of connectedness and healing with the light touch of seasoned paddler. It deepens the reader the way a river does a long sandy bank.
–Chris Dombrowski, author of The River You Touch
Everyone has a home river, whether they know it or not, some particular watershed where they were born. Rick Van Noy’s home river is the Delaware and this narrative is the result of deep love and serious study. The river in return has given Van Noy solace and comfort. Like Thoreau and John Graves before him, Van Noy has transformed his river into our river.
–John Lane, author of My Paddle to the Sea
Whether you are a seasoned paddler or someone who just loves being on or near water, this book will take you on a pleasant journey you won’t want to end. Rick Van Noy is an amiable guide who shares his experiences on the Delaware River with thoughtful reflection and good humor.
–Paul Bogard, author of The End of Night
