The Head & the Hand Press founder and Seeds of Discent author Nic Esposito has turned his tales about living on a small urban homestead in Kensington into his first work of nonfiction—Kensington Homestead, a collection of essays that center around growing food in a city.
After finishing Seeds of Discent in 2011, which chronicles urban farming in Philadelphia, Esposito promised himself that he’d written his first and last book about farming in a city. Then he moved from West Philadelphia to the working class neighborhood of Kensington. There, along with his wife Elisa, they manage the Emerald Street Urban Farm (and a dog, two cats, four chickens and some bees.) He’s dealt with rogue bee swarms and chicken kills that have gone awry, but his essays hone in on his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. It was these experiences that led to his newest venture.
The Head & The Hand Press, a craft publishing company, is teaming up with Johnny Brenda’s to debut the essay collection on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Doors open at 8 p.m. and Esposito’s reading begins at 8:30 p.m. After the reading, there will be a Head & The Hand house band lineup led by band leader Rob Berliner of Hoots and Hellmouth. Brave the cold to support a local author and urban farmer. Tickets are $10 at the door and books will be sold for $10 during the show. For more information, visit Head & The Hand Press.
“Is Nic Esposito a farmer who writes, or a writer who farms?
Either way, he’s a first-rate storyteller,
and you can expect to see his passion for words
and farming on full display
in Kensington Homestead.” – Alex Mulcahy, publisher of Grid
