John Mitchell will discuss his book Ceremonial Time. In print for 40 years, this book is a deep history of the square mile of land known as Scratch Flat, near where John lives, 35 miles west of Boston. The book expresses a concept learned from Native Americans living in the area--the concept of "ceremonial time" in which past, present, and future can be realized in a singular sacred moment--usually during dance or ritual.
Along with his 12 nonfiction books, six of which are collected together form The Scratch Flat Chronicles, which examine the interrelationship between human cultures and nature. John's first book, Ceremonial Time: Fifteen Thousand Years on One Square Mile, was the Editor's Choice in the New York Times' Book Review. That book launched the five others in his series about Scratch Flat, a tract of agricultural land just east of the Groton line and Beaver Brook in Littleton.
John Mitchell
