How to Book a Talk with Amy Stewart

Available as a virtual event.

Amy Stewart’s Kopp Sisters novels, starting with Girl Waits with Gun, are based on the true story of three extraordinary women: Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp. In 2012, Stewart stumbled across a 1914 newspaper article about them and went on to uncover their amazing history through genealogical archives, court records, old newspapers, and interviews with family members. From their story, she is writing a series about the Kopp sisters and their adventures in crime-fighting. Stewart will share photographs and stories about these extraordinary women and the fascinating historical background that shaped their world a hundred years ago.

Fresh Air’s book critic Maureen Corrigan said that the novels “take readers on a lively chase through a lost world. It’s a colorful and inventive adventure tale that also contains a serious message at its core about the importance of meaningful work to women’s identities and, in some cases, survival.”

Available as a virtual event.

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks
A one-hour lecture with slides in PowerPoint

Author Amy Stewart is back with her fourth New York Times bestseller, The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks. Join her for an exploration of the dizzying array of plants that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol. From the sugar cane that gives us Caribbean rum, to the juniper berries that flavor gin, to the odd and obscure fruits that flavor Italian liqueurs, Amy Stewart takes a most intoxicating perspective on the leaves, bark, seeds, roots, flowers, and fruit imbibed around the world. It’s the compelling mixture of history, science, literature and humor that Stewart is known for.

Garden to Glass:  Adventures in Cocktail Gardening
A one-hour lecture with slides in PowerPoint

Edible gardening doesn’t just put food on the table—it puts a drink in your hand, too.  Join Amy Stewart for a talk on designing a cocktail garden that does double duty as a productive space to grow edibles, and a location for your next party. We’ll cover the most worthwhile cocktail-friendly plants to grow: Learn which variety of mint flavors authentic Cuban mojitos, discover patio-sized fruits for punches and smashes, and find out why growing your own celery for a Bloody Mary brunch is totally worthwhile.   We’ll look at examples of beautifully-designed cocktail gardens and outdoor bars, and innovative ideas for extending the season indoors.  You’ll also learn secrets to mixing great drinks and creating your own botanical infusions.

For all Drunken Botanist events:  Although Amy’s events do not include her performing cocktail-making demos or mixing drinks for a crowd, we can provide a list of cocktail recipes that are easy to batch ahead of time and serve during the event.

Available as a virtual event.

In her New York Times bestseller Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, Amy Stewart takes on Mother Nature’s most appalling creations. It’s an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, Stewart presents tales of bloodcurdling botany that will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.

Find out which plant killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother, which shrub ignited a global war, and what plant has killed 90 million people. From strychnine to castor bean, from poison sumac to monkshood, from carnivorous plants to weeds that spontaneously combust, Stewart introduces an unforgettable cast of characters and tells their tales with her own wicked sense of humor.

This 45-minute talk is accompanied by dazzling photographs, historical images, copper engravings, and other visuals as illustrations.

Botanical gardens and other institutions can go here to find out about hosting a Wicked Plants exhibit.

Available as a virtual event.

In addition to writing bestselling books like The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart has been painting and drawing for twenty years. In that time she’s filled countless sketchbooks with scenes from her own garden and her travels. Join Amy for a delightfully-illustrated talk about the pleasures of keeping a sketchbook, including a discussion of materials, techniques, and a video demonstration, followed by a Q&A.

For more on Amy’s art, visit her Paintings page.

A one-hour discussion and slide show.

Amy Stewart traveled around the world to learn more about the extraordinary business of flowers. At laboratories, greenhouses, airports, warehouses, and flower shops, she discovered a remarkable intersection of nature and technology, of sentiment and commerce. She told the story in her bestselling book, Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers.

What has been gained, and what has been lost, in the quest for the perfect flower? Does it matter if roses have lost their scent? How do we respond to a lily that has been bred for the convenience of the grower, not the desires of the customer? Are we better off with 209 varieties of daisies to choose from? In a global marketplace, is there such a thing as a socially responsible flower?

Join Stewart for an exploration of the individuals, the corporations, and the technology dedicated to the pursuit of the perfect flower. You’ll never look at a rose the same way again.

Join Amy Stewart for a darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the insect world. In this talk based on her New York Times bestseller, you’ll meet creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world’s most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the “bookworms” that devour libraries, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary power of six and eight-legged creatures. It’s a mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins–but doesn’t end–in your own backyard.

This 45-minute talk is accompanied by dazzling photographs, historical images, copper engravings, and other visuals as illustrations. In addition, Amy may bring actual specimens with her– but don’t worry–they don’t bite!

A one-hour workshop with slides. Designed as a workshop for mystery writers, but garden clubs and botanical gardens are also encouraged to partner with local mystery writers’ groups, mystery bookstores, or mystery book clubs to host a joint event.

Murder mysteries might be called “whodunnits,” but the “how” is every bit as important as the “who.” Mystery writers are always in search of a new way to kill off a character. Is there a poisonous seed that can be baked into a cupcake? A bitter herb that could be slipped into a cocktail? What about a stinging caterpillar with no known antivenin, or a beetle that provides the perfect alibi? The natural world is full of poisons, misleading clues, and dastardly characters.

Based on her sold-out workshop for mystery writers at the Tucson Festival of Books, Amy Stewart has assembled a treasure trove of dreadful poisons and venomous stings from her books Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs. She’ll also share true crime stories from the natural world—from a serial killer who used the seeds of a tropical tree on his victims, to the world’s most inept murderess, to a new twist on the ever-popular vampire story. It’s an unforgettable and wickedly hilarious talk that will appeal to mystery writers and their fans!