Turn Here Sweet Corn Book Reading and Reception

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) presents a reading and reception for author Atina Diffley's Turn Here Sweet Corn, the winner of the 2013 Minnesota Book Awards for Memoir and Creative Non-Fiction, on Thursday, November 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

In telling her story of working the land, coaxing good food from the fertile soil, Atina Diffley reminds us of an ultimate truth: we live in relationships—with the earth, plants and animals, families and communities.

A memoir of making these essential relationships work in the face of challenges as natural as weather and as unnatural as corporate politics, her book is a firsthand history of getting in at the “ground level” of organic farming. One of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest, the Diffleys’ Gardens of Eagan helped to usher in a new kind of green revolution in the heart of America’s farmland, supplying their roadside stand and a growing number of local food co-ops. This is a story of a world transformed—and reclaimed—one square acre at a time.

A book signing will follow the reading. This event will be held at MSHS, 2705 Lincoln Drive in Roseville. This event is free and open to the public; pre-registration required by November 6th due to limited space. Register online at www.northerngardener.org/classes or call 651-643-3601 / 1-800-676-6747.

Turn Here Sweet Corn will be available for purchase in its new paperback format. Minnesota State Horticultural Society members will receive their 15% discount with their membership card.

Review copies of the book are available to media—contact Heather Skinner at skinn077@umn.edu.

About the Author
Atina Diffley is an organic vegetable farmer who now educates consumers, farmers, and policymakers about organic farming through the consulting business Organic Farming Works LLC, owned by her and her husband, Martin. From 1973 through 2007, the Diffleys owned and operated Gardens of Eagan, one of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest.