Living in the greatest existential crisis facing humankind, we ask ourselves and one another: What can we do to fix the mess we’ve made? First, we can listen to a particular dog!

Norwich native Meg Dean Daiss Hurley will read from her and Dori’s novel The Dog Who Ate the Vegetable Garden & Helped Save the Planet. Probably the only book in the Library of Congress listing a dog—Dori, a real dog—as the author, the story has been called quirky, audacious, witty, maddening, sad, delightful, and deadly relevant—and much of it takes place in Norwich!  Canada’s leading literary review journal—The Miramichi Reader—describes the book as “an exceptional work of internationally published literature.” This year, Guernica World Editions re-released the second and updated edition. Internationally-renown scientists, poets, publishers, and the world record holder in women’s track cycling and Olympic Silver Medalist have, among others, praise Dori’s saucy and direct take on how humans treat animals, which drives the destruction of the planet and causes most deadly and debilitating illnesses in humans.  And YES, if her message is taken to heart, this particular dog will help save the planet. She moves readers to the place where they can find hope. The solution offered up by this young, white, cheeky, plant-based Boxer is basic and one in which everyone can partake to heal all life.

Writer, abolitionist animal-rights activist, feminist, Meg Hurley’s work has been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies in the United States and Korea, including Ms., Mothering, Parents, Gokdongsanae, and Yosong Shinmun. Recognized in Best American Essays as a Notable Essayist, she was also nominated by former Grove Atlantic editor Alison Draper for the Pushcart Editor’s Book Award “for books rejected by today’s bottom line, profit driven commercial presses.” In 1995, Meg was the first Westerner to interview Korean birthmothers.  The film The Hanji Box (Amazon Prime) is based on her experiences in Korea. Up next, she’s finishing her book of poems for publication. Meg, Jack and the dogs Ottis and Heidi live in New Hampshire. She is a graduate of Wellesley College.

Best friend. Alter ego. Willful. Independent. Mouthy. Dorothea Orane Hurley (Dori) kept her human family in line, making them question and assess their relationships with animals—including pets. This is her one book.