d details are experienced the local politics in her hometown. in alaska. and senator martha mcsally, the first female she reflect on our military career. enjoy book tv, on "c-span2". >> first lady michelle obama, 2020 presidential candidate bernie sanders. democratic national convention tonight. live coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. live streaming on demand at cspan.org/d&c. artisan with the free c-span radio app read cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. hi everyone and welcome to the final virtual event for online edition of this festival.

i'm here with others author of the american god's country and for me in the heartland . on return to the bulk and marie in a moment . just have a couple of announcements to make . my name is danny i'm the owner of the raymond bookstore in kansas from city right now. the director of the literary festival. we appreciate you being here. with us, trend 12 the author. it would perhaps be more fun if we were altogether this beautiful sunny day. but we appreciate regardless. and we plan to be back stronger than ever in 2021. we had a great series of online events are all archived and available for replay just like raven bookstore at the top of the page. to get to the list of archived events. in a couple of other things about how this is going to work . marie is going to give a sort talk and show some photos about

the book. then we'll open it up to questions. you can ask a question by clicking the ask question buttoned at the bottom of your screen. we appreciate you asking questions to kind of keep the discussion moving and we want this to be a participatory event is much as we can in the strange online setting. another thing to note at the bottom of the screen is button that says by american button. we have plenty of these in stock. they can shift very quickly. it work we can deliver to your house tomorrow afternoon for free. so without further ado, let's get to american harvest braided which is a thoughtful and important book at the intersection of faith and landscape and agriculture in the heartland. for always thinking about things like this on campus. we were really excited about this would be put together. i went out wait to hear about ray talking about it. she's not just an author of the

novel, she is this the final book award. she's written for the new york times, national geographic, labor and other publications. talk of the nation and also on npr. she's faculty member of the writing workshop. the visiting writer and a college in california. she was in san francisco . she is coming to us from the moderate peninsula in california today. please welcome marie mockett. marie: thank you for having me. and what we get to meet even in this virtual space. and when way, suffer me to start my presentation i ticket. i will start with a few photos that i have little presentation around american harvest to explain what it is to you.

the opening line in "american harvest" is this in the land of primary colors. so here are some of the primary colors and refer to the book. these are a couple of large combines read i think most farmers refer to them as mines in lopsided of the business, they call them combine harvesters. to give you little bit more historical background, and california but my father's side of the family, my father's american. both sides of his grandparents emigrated to nebraska. it is my great grandfather. his english but born in spain and came to the united states into new jersey. and then became the union pacific railroad doctor period

and moved to western nebraska. here he is rubbing his horse and buggy. and adopts up to go help somebody who is sick worried somewhere in the prairie. i used to read these historical notes about how he became famous that part of nebraska during the 1980 flu epidemic. people would drive from homestead to homestead. he was asleep and wake up and take care people who are real. i used to think that story was amazing because i thought it would probably the arches of where my family has a tendency to drive for as is ours is they can before stopping to sleep by the side of the road. but now i think it's amazing because i realize that he anticipated and trying to relieve some of the suffering. as made me sort of reflect on the story a little differently.

but the migrate and currents, where partners, tracts of land and nebraska and colorado which became our family queens farm. as the picture my other great-grandfather was a town dentist pretty kind of amazing that have this picture. i think it was taken in the 50s. and there is my great grandfather melvin and his wife mildred. doing what farmers do, inspecting the crops. my father was born in nebraska. in the cliff notes version of events, went to austria limits my mother who was from japan. they were spelt studying operate got married in nebraska. here's my mother and first ever christmas. they got married and had me. so here we are. on one of her pieces of farmland. actually remember this. we were having a cookout.

my mom made both of her cats read my mother adjusting to family life in the united states. this is a picture from probably the late 60s or early 70s. in the point wanted to make here, if you have a lot of farm ready to grow wheat, eventually have to cut it. that is been made easier in the 20th century by this machine called the combine. and combine harvester . that is a picture my grandfather looking at an old machine. and here's a picture newer version of a machine. maybe was taken three years ago. one of the biggest differences you might notice is how long the thing is on the front. that is the header. the piece that actually cuts wheat and then got cut we had to be threshed and then later on, the rain is separated from the head of the wheat and then goes to the back of the combine. but at the front part, which is

much larger and therefore more efficient at cutting belief. and farmers like us, firemen like this gentleman eric, is the main character in american harvest, come year after year to cut the wheat rather than to having you commit to doing ourselves pretty number of farmers who do this rated we could just do that. it's very expensive and it can be financially for former santa cruz come through. so eric, becomes a major character in "american harvest" along with his son justin who was here in the left. in the bulk of the narrative the conversation is constructed from the american harvest is constructed run conversation that i have with eric and justin. every year, eric gets ready in pennsylvania. elisabeth is equipment on the

back of a semi truck. this is a photo that was taken by a drone. by the character in the book was named is samuel. after loading of equipment like this, eric and his crew of about 1700 miles to begin his work and that's where "american harvest" begins. in the map shows you with that journey was like. the blue dotted line is the harvest journey that eric takes every year pretty cutting week four harvesters in each of the states. and this is what i followed. this the spine of the story of "american harvest". in this map, a couple of other historic, the relay shows an historical capital trope. red line is the oregon trail roots. the mormon trail group would be very was parallel to the oregon trail roots and then you can see the union pacific railroad.

transcontinental railroad i should say. you can see the harvester magic in 2017 without of the famous roads through early mark in history. a lot of the details from the stories around, those historical incidents also appear in "american harvest" read and was on the road, the custom harvesters, had trailers like this and movable campsites. blood grape hung up tonight pretty think somebody to the american blackout for this picture. i think it looks nice and picture. every sunday we would go to church which was a new experience for me. so there's a lot of conversations around religion in the book cutting way to the middle of nowhere means that sometimes things break down. you're miles from town. so the guys who eric hires to her for him, unruly contract equipment are very good at fixing it. this is the picture we took of

the guys in the group. and they had come across some problems with one of the machines. and on back of the storm struck with a were building new parts or fixing whatever was broken so the combine could be fixed quickly and go back into service. very different way of life and my friends in the city help. her car breaks down, getting into a mechanic pointing to a stop and wait for some videos to fix it and then you get the car back. that's not really the way it works the farm. generally these guys try to fix things themselves. faster and is cheaper. then time is always something that they worry about with farming because you want to get the crop out while it is right before it is destroyed by any of the natural elements. our journey meant that we were exposed to many things of great beauty. this a picture that i took last year in nebraska. this one of the amazing great plains sunsets reflecting off of the week struck. and then i'm just going to lead

this roots here up again so that you can sort of imagine in your mind where the story takes place. i think actually the first line of equipment already on the road heading to texas because the wheat harvest will probably start him a no. in early may. in this youtube you can see how the roots goes through western kansas in the nips into colorado the nebraska and then there is a long journey through wyoming. that is a little bit of the background for american harvest i will come back to the virtual conversation. [laughter]. danny: those photos are gorgeous. what a great way to have a document. not only with the book you have

written about this express but also the gorgeous photos as well. really great to see those pretty to be do have a question from the audience. you've glanced at it. i'm certainly wondering about the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on these harvesters. so the question is details with harvesters are doing on the crisis. they been declared essential. as a business as usual for them. marie: i think it is business as usual for them. i just got a phone of the other day can be loaded up equipment that they have to move from pennsylvania to kind of the staging area. think actually set everything up for us in oklahoma before taking it down to texas. so the equipment is already on its way. so it is business as usual. i'm not heard the last time i have spoken to you, eric, i knew that every year the new guys to

join the group. and they have to get chuck rbc feel free to know that dmv has been closed in march it is a menu. but that's a problem, that will affect because of harvesters. and so many americans go to college in september so they use international workers pretty soon expands into october depending on of our people go. i'm not heard with the latest of the international work is . think they're not able to get into the country this year. it had already become more and more difficult read you cannot just leave the wheat in the field. so harvesters are on their way to at that point for us. danny: i wonder, with it being such a central part of the life. that will be different i imagine

unless services are gathering. marie: i was wondering about that freedom sure they will continue to go to church although i don't know ms. wendy virtual church. if they watch live stream over a computer and a trailer. our state do some version of house church. in the trailer the sort of personal bible study. i don't know. i don't know what the world will be like fort social gatherings . thing is already bearing a little bit in terms of states are opening and what is not. so this crew will be starting in texas and going after oklahoma. i can imagine a scenario which churches are to meet again. in those days before you do the coastal states. but it will be very interesting it will require more improvisation. danny: here's another question from the audience . there must be a lot that didn't make it into the book.

what's your favorite teachout the did not make the final edit. marie: was at second hunting seen in texas. there was one more where we have seen where i've never been printing before. this really big problem as people who live in rural parts of america no. so those introduced me. that was too bad because i was really trying to capture that feeling up incredibly crazy things that you have. i'm not a hunter was a fiery again. i started to convey what that experience was. so much history that this book intersects with braided i think we had a cut out a lot of it . their supportive bit of history in the book. to those things did not make it in and there's also, the farm actually in kansas. which is where i had rather

expensive lesson in quality with the soil and work on the ground in did really fitted with the characters who are front and center so that got cut pretty similar number of things . the first chapter wrote was really long. so we had to give some of that material. i would be some of it. danny: is really interesting, as the writing process, as a writer myself. always wondering. you've written novels, you've written a memoir. name "american harvest" rated something else is the main character. what are the differences in the writing process for you between the three different types of projects. marie: what is so funny is that i intended for this to be very much to not be a book in which i

shared is a character. i was going to take a step back and portray this world associates. the problem that i ran into was that he couldn't stay into the background . female, and different looking enough that i kept having experiences that interrupted with that the narrative was going to be. about the narrative would be me describing what the harvesters were doing. so the people the city could understand how harvest happens pretty those interruptions became more intense and by the time we got to idaho which is the last place for the story the harvesting takes place, your campaign on indian reservation. in rp our community reservation harvesting wheat predict it was owned by indian tribes read but actually farmed by mormons.

it's really complicated piece of american history. as impossible to simply focusing on harvesting the way because everybody thought that i was native american. so just pretend this was not happening. he could pretend like we worked on an indian reservation. and all that intruded on the narrative. profoundly affected the shape of the story. one of the things that happened was my editor read first draft and said use the character initially appeared on page 80. i said is probably about the terrible as they have to be a character. so we had reads or my presence at the beginning. that was an interesting experience. some some ways is not that much different from the previous books. danny: strikes me that even, i am glad you became a character in the book because it would've been different to ignore all of

the stuff that was happening. i think it speaks to issues of the urban and urban divide. an identity popeyes of other interesting things that the book is dealing with. and speaking of the rural urban divide. you see any correlation between current debates around covid-19 and the rural urban divide in american rated i am very interested in hearing three of the say about this. dannymarie: i get to out justine is a significant character the goods want to do this. [laughter]. dannydanny: i didn't notice thet name. [laughter]. marie: i'm not going to pretend that question didn't come from justin. absolutely. i was thinking about this morning. i was actually thinking this morning, a childhood friend who lives outside of the city and

is, is saying the rain is pretty low. so is not going to hurt to reopen the united states for business at which point is that, while the infection rate, is lower than we thought it was going to be as people have been sheltering in place. it is him to understand because he does not live in an urban setting. in the partisan understand how greater activity could inhibit the infection rate in the death rate even higher etc. predict cyclic there is a huge - like the covid-19 has revealed that differences between the lifestyles and the ways that we work which are very different. the next time, listen to somebody from the midwest say new yorkers are lewd, going to point out how all new yorkers stay home and have people in the

midwest, stormed their capital waving guns saying reopener states. which is a gross over signification of what is happened that. and the kind rhetoric which is unhelpful. i think this pandemic continues to highlight those differences read. danny: here in kansas, there are two things that are think are relevant are going on. one is current hotspots in kansas are in dodge city garden city at the meat packing plants. there couple of large scale meatpacking plants are having a real hard time controlling the containing virus . in there's much debate is messing around the course about what churches can and cannot do. there's a church near that is really trying hard to keep this

rights to keep its services and purses in person. there's all sorts of metrics about the points of view. it certainly an interesting way. marie: few weeks ago i had this conversation with eric on the phone around food supply and we were talking about how covid-19 is impacted wheat farm universities which was published about a week or two weeks ago. in that conversation he is intimate, interesting thing to watch is meatpacking. meet facilities. this was weeks ago. it is often the case, now it is suddenly showing up. it's obvious us a comment on meatpacking facilities and south dakota and iowa. i think also nebraska. red grand island, anywhere along

that interstate 80, you can see how the virus is spreading and hovering across the united states . impacting meatpacking facilities. we'll see if there will be a meet shortage. it's interesting because it will also reveal to us i demanded we are across the country on people who live far away from us to supply us with food. danny: the very idea of who is essential has become such a political and motive an important question. marie: and really coverage was essential, which i understand, was always medical people in fresno. but someone farmers, because that is essential as well. farmers are.

danny: it is an interesting question from the audience pretty hard spend some time with people who are so different from you always are not so hard. first before you answer that, how long were you on the road with the crew and were you a camping alongside of them pretty can you talk little bit more of the presence of this book then is the question about spending some time with people who are different pretty. marie: thing i was on the road with the harvesters for about i months total. from may all the way through september. i have been a little bit shy of that breed the work of the times were had leave the an immune understanding about how extraordinary people on the book. right at a purchased rated i didn't understand this completely for some he had purchased additional trailer for the girl. his trailer that eric lives in with his family that event

chance of the guys he was a, i bought a new trailer for a girl. because a character named bentley was going to go along for harvest reprieves also say, you say that trailer. before i really fully understood the implications of what that meant. he was extraordinary. we had been having a number of conversation over the years really about farming. my family and disharmony new my farm. i know still my farm ground better than i do. i was trying to actually to share his knowledge of agriculture and farming with me. i just wheat farming and the breast of all kinds of farming. talk about chicken farms and he did make my first layer part buried in a dairy farm etc. it's when you so that i can start to get the whole picture of agriculture. they would happen was in 2015,

he was very nervous before the election pretty remember so many of us thought that there was no way that donald trump would win . or catalytic concerns pretty fed he thought it was possible he would win . and then if trump ticket in eric felt well one of the reasons of this is because this gap understanding. within a country works. so that's when it was sort of a decision or invitation was put forward that i go along with harvest to develop moving bigger picture with his urban and rural divide was. so at the back of the book. as far as how difficult it was his only difficult in the sense that i didn't always understand what was happening. what i was saying and what it was very but there's also degree to which i like to be placed in a situation like that.

it was challenging but i never, it wasn't like an unwelcome challenge. because i feel like is the environment in which i thrived. and think that i like to do. those are the kinds of things that the conversation the generally like to have. danny: but was one of the biggest surprises you became out of the process of writing the book. marie: one of the biggest surprises would be that i and asked the question of what christianity was. and was there anything that i could understand about it that i had never understood before. in all the conversations around that where surprising and wonderful to me. i would say that was one of the largest surprises. the other thing is the deeper understanding of american history, is surprise me then and continues describing out predict as we delay in an interview, what was one of the biggest questions you learned. i said well, i only recently found of the spread understand

why the founding fathers with some nuts when they discovered this consonant pretty united states at the ability to produce enough food is population. there are a few countries they can do that. talk about food shortages, in the united states. and it shows so many people wanting a pet the banks to get good pretty my mother grew up in japan . after the war and there were a number years of starvation predict partly because japan had colonized iran had moved a lot of the farming off of the main island of japan. one of the reasons they had such starvation is because they could not create enough food to feed their own population. united states does not have the problem. made me understand among other

things, incredible greed the man initially with weeks of country. it would be extraordinary to have a landmass they could provide food for all the people. that is something that i didn't understand the degree to do now. it is not terribly comfortable. it's amazing. i think they're very few countries in europe to produce enough food for the population. i don't think china produces enough calories to feed itself either. danny: i suppose this is the price me as well. have never thought about that either. thank you for bringing up. reminds me of a question from the audience read about american history and you mentioned it briefly. but what extent is there an awareness the native american among the people he spent time with. speech of so we do go into that a little bit in the book read

different characters have diffet awareness is of american history. i think most telling moments is that the "the character emily says, how long am i supposed to feel bad. about the history of the native americans in this country. i then have a series of other conversations and the answer is, the really reconciliation is not about feeling bad. about being aware of other people stories. and you see different characters at the end of the book. trying to infect demonstrate awareness that the right on the path before. some characters do not. they do not change your behavior. down to a greater awareness through action. that's really dark in public in an uncomfortable question . and some of the darkest moments in the book happen around those

questions. and i discomfort is right writing about because i felt like, this is not the story of native americans is not my story to tell. on the other hand, here we are living in an rv park on an indian reservation and said pretty and i'm mistaken for native american to the point where i was invited to participate in events as though i were a native american. something that could chime away from. but then hearing the different characters kind of that history and interpreted that history understood that history. it became very uncomfortable. there is a point i'm having a conversation with a woman who is native american and has adopted the mormon faith. within says, got it to go airline because we were unrighteous. which was so distressing to be here. but he realized that this is a

way in which i had seizure has been justified. it is not into the people continue continue and continue to wheel against each other did i know that. i knew that. but to see it in action and see how it impacted people in their sense of security and ability and happiness. seeing it firsthand was deeply deeply distressing. maybe realize it's something they have to live with. danny: i noticed her telling the people in the book, this is a nonfiction book. one of the characters is asking questions. this strikes me as very interesting read but as any of them, anyone you have written about in the book, how they run

it pretty. marie: they have read it pretty yes. danny: how did that feel to know that people read it pretty. marie: bullet had to be done right. >> there's no way around it. once it was written, people rated london notes. so seems to matter more in the book was written in the story was told the questions were asked and to remain silent. as the job. danny: i ask this because i'm curious. marie: will i can tell you off the record, one half the record. but this sort of project. i was told this for my friends to write nonfiction, the people who are in the book are called subjects right. need to know your subjects pretty rich will continue sever your connections with them .

this way this project generally proceeds. without really wasn't going to work this case. so trying something different. [laughter]. but it was important to me to be honest and say, here the things that i saw and hear the things that happened. it was really, i was very aware, very early on that there's a conventional narrative that i would be expected to follow braided and conventional attitudes and stances that i would be expected to have. so is important to me that i not have that as a whip forwarded not several book. there's a sort of sneering why is a close to being the b of the country. will that was it would be appropriate. son actually my personality anyway. i remember somebody saying to become a frequent writing book about the arm, the correct ending is for you to go back and live on the pump reducible bus

people from the city don't go back and live on the farm. that's not what was really company and it farming in america. so even if you think that's what the stories '. it's actually not an accurate function of what is going on right now the united states. nagy ablation of farmers rated and diminishing number who people. i don't know what's going to happen as a result of the pandemic. but that would not be realistic. so interesting how we think we know the story is supposed to go. when without even realizing it, we carry the bias is really important to be good not be that way. suet so how would you characterize your relationship to the land and to farm. marie: it's ever-changing. and i think about it's all of the time. i'm not the person in us on the six it when the brakes . that's what my father send me. before this process, writing a book we talk about farming, you

send me it's a two things pretty missing well, it wonderful people and farm. the farm surrounds itself pretty and they said you can't harm pretty you know how to fix anything. it was the number one skill they saw those lucky. my response to things breaking in the city's i will call the experts who knows how to fix it right . local guy and a son fix my car in a seven fix the plumbing. possibly the most farmers live. most farmers live by the wonderful code of self-reliance. we try to fix it first. and i don't know how to fix things. by the same token one of my mouth, one of the guys who works for eric was a wow i wish i had farm land. would cost me a minimum of $700,000. and while i have this incredible privilege that are emily held

onto this farm ground. and i would be ungrateful to say i don't know how to armed the land that was given to me. i should be grateful. i know it's going to be. essentially, the landlord. which is not particularly attractive title. so i don't know. danny: i would argue that using it as a launchpad to the wonderful thoughtful exploration of these issues it's worth while certainly a good use of the land. marie: if i want to writer than i would not been able to write this book. and is true, i just try to do something constructive with it. there's also part of me, i'll never know the land as well as the people who apartment. they were there physically read

sue and yes indeed. the question here. from the audience read catches steve make about landscape. and of the areas you travel through on harvest and what you wrote about in japan. marie: was the night written and visited about to be afraid i'm not sure exactly quite what that means but how do people relate to the land . with everything about the relationship between people of the land what was he in terms the relationship between people and the thing i understand with the question means . i thought about about how the process of modernizati modernization, people use the term globalization a lot. i understand that term. but think a lot about the process of modernization.

which overlaps with globalization. the slightly different. we see the same processes happen. certainly before the pandemic. they happens in countries that might arise. people leave, they leave rural areas. the move to the cities. for knowledge worker jobs predict and that is passed traditional cultures. in exasperates certain tensions produce certainly something happening to pan. the same way that happens the united states but in japan, another waste of plays out. the reason i investigated, traditional folk religions are preserved in the countryside in the way that they are not in the city. in japan. so very old traditions are preserved in japan with the are not the cities . is a little different in the united states because of younger country.

we also still see that rural urban tension i think in terms of people giving up leaving the rural area to go through the city for knowledge worker job. it helped that can bring it tensions. and i thought about how this really moving experiences negative places that used to go to in japan as a child. goodwin temple going to as a kid. being taken care of by some price carbon. it is a part-time minute tours comes by pretty is no longer enough people in the town secure temple. his graying population. we see that and summa rural communities. there's no relationship there. not sure if that was look like that question was asking. but that's initially what comes to mind. danny: on this interesting and thoughtful and will said pretty so we will roll with it regardless of whether it is. marie: preserved by people who

practice agriculture and rural communities that are very different from the city because ivan sheltering in place . i been ordering polls which i think he probably could nebraska. in a kind of them a ago. and occasionally go out there to see if there starting to come out pretty is a don't have faith in the process. they just have it around the ground yet . they look like they're sounding pretty think a really good farmer would not do that spring up back so makes sense that certain old traditions that we revolve around having faith and believing in the power of nature to preserve life cycle. there are existing and rural communities that they died in the city will reschedule our lives times. danny: having spent so much time writing about the urban and

rural divide, to see a way for path forward for increased mutual understanding between the coast and in the middle rated. marie: such a great question. if i could come up with pretend like i have full points . know that i could probably major media really happy. i resist the temptation to say here's what we need to do because it seems disingenuous. two things to say. the first is in this book, you see me and really difficult conversations with people who are very different than i am. our conversations are brown god and evolution and gender. and really everything braided there's really nothing that didn't get turned over and talked about.

i hope is that the reading this book, the people can say, these conversations. maybe i can have them too. thus a part of afraid to be artists, i really hope we have a leader. in november it is not exasperates our differences review does not talk down to farmers. it doesn't talk down to anybody. but really loves the country. and can speak to us in a way that is intelligent. it would be very helpful to think because right now i think, problems are exasperated by having a leader place it like to inflame the population. seems to thrive of people being riled up being upset rated the subsample. danny: indeed. omari, thank you so much for joining us today. it was fascinating. and wonderful in importance.

marie: thank you so much for having me to be part of the festival. it hustles that be there in person. i really appreciate and we get to be here like this . and help people buy the book. it is not my book, i hope the people bike. danny: thank you. maria's book is "american harvest" in god's country informing the heartland pretty and beautiful hardcover. it is in the center of the country, the stories published buried and you can fight by clicking the button down there . in plenty in stock. though shift fast. thank you marie rated thank you everybody we will see you next year in real life. tonight on the communicators, shirley bloomfield, ceo of mpca, the rural broadband association expanding broadband to rural

areas. in the challenges all providers space with the coronavirus pandemic. >> my broadband preventers, are literally taking into action immediately. i not only thought about how they can continue to operate safely and keep their staff sick but they all really and think about how to get the school kids who don't have an activity online. they're getting calls demands from providers who, from customers are not yet customers realize the daytime activity that they needed higher speed read and then most poorly, the survey a lot of communities that were economically significantly impacted by covid-19. really had to work through you connect people and know that you're not going to necessarily get paid for it right away. >> tonight at eight eastern on the communicators. on "c-span2". weeknights this month were featuring tv programs is a

preview of what is available every weekend on "c-span2". tonight, starting at eight. p.m. eastern, on her journey from somalia the refugee . to becoming one of the first muslim woman elected to the u.s. congress. an author heather of the details very experience local politics in her hometown of alaska. and senator martha mcsally, the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat. she reflects on a military career interest or guiding principles. enjoyable tv, "c-span2". first lady michelle obama, 2020 presidential candidate senator bernie sanders. the democratic national convention, tonight, life coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. live streaming on demand at csor