Storytellers Series

In this session of Storytellers at Riverworks co-authors Lennon Gross and Christine Rai chat about their in-progress book project documenting Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve’s spooky side and share a few of the tales they’ve gleaned. Residents and visitors report mysterious experiences in its wild woods, historic buildings, old cemeteries, and open vistas. It seems the serenity and solitude here allow people to perceive the strange and unusual more easily. These Ag Reserve mysteries and legends are being collected in a book by co-authors with personal connections to it and a passion for preserving history and exploring the unknown. Their book will be not only a collection of local folklore and legends, but will also capture the rich history and unique beauty of Montgomery County & western Ag Reserve. The stories are being gleaned and developed from site visits, interviews, and primary and secondary sources. The book can be enjoyed no matter your stance on the supernatural, whether stories to ignite your imagination about the unknown or simply inspiration for exploring the history and beauty of this area.

Taina Litwak has overwhelming concerns regarding human impact on the planet and has spent the last 40 years documenting science, helping taxonomists distinguish between and describe new species and communicate science to the public.  She has worked with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Smithsonian, NIH, the CDC and is now on staff with the Dept. Of Agriculture at the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.  She has two species of insect named after her.  Her own art making and arts community involvement has always been a vehicle for her concerns, for women’s place in the world and the state of the biosphere.  She has served as Executive Director of the Washington Women’s Arts Center and both national and local chapter president of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.  Her current creative work consists of a large series of acrylic paint and newspaper collages dealing with climate change and biodiversity loss.  It was featured in an exhibit “Climate Change News” at Riverworks’ Artist in the House Gallery at Locals in Poolesville, MD in the fall of 2022.