Marty Essen, the award-winning author of ‘Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents’ will present his high-energy, funny, multi-media show, ‘Around the World in 50 Minutes,’ at noon, Wednesday, March 23, in the auditorium of the Penn State Beaver Student Union Building. The public is invited to attend.
Essen’s program follows a three and a half year trip he and his wife undertook to explore nature, animals, and science on the seven continents. His presentation highlights his various encounters with nature, including charging elephants, deadly snakes, and friendly penguins as well as rafting with humpback whales, kayaking in the rainforest, swimming with piranhas, and surviving a hippo attack. In addition, the program will feature photos he took while traveling the world.
‘Cool Creatures, Hot Planet’ has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2009 Green Book Festival Award for Animals, the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Travel/Essay, and the Best Books 2006 Book Award for Travel/Essay. Also, it was chosen at one of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Top 10 Green Books.
Essen has spoken at colleges, nature centers, and museums across the country and was recently named the Hot Speaker for 2011 by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities.
For information, visit http://www.coolcreatureshotplanet.com/, or contact Robin Schreck, coordinator of student activities and residence life at Beaver, at ras62@psu.edu or 724-773-3947.