At our upcoming monthly meeting on Thursday December 7, Mark Tovey will be talking about :
“The Long Lost Manuscript of Cronyn Observatory: A visual and poetic experience of the night sky”
Unearthed after 75 years, the lost manuscript of Beatrice W. Welling comes to life in Mark Tovey’s new book “A Cosmic Treasury: Seeing the skies through poets’ eyes — weekly poems and art for the year.” The anthology, completed in 1943, is a celebration of the heavens, featuring over 80 poems spanning more than 300 years of English literature, each dedicated to celestial phenomena. The manuscript was rediscovered in 2019 and complemented by a curated collection of more than 100 pieces of astronomical art spanning five centuries, selected by Observatory Curator Mark Tovey. Mark will tell the story of the manuscript, read a few of the poems and talk about the significance of the project. The book will be available for purchase and Mark will do autographs.
Club meetings are held at the Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 551 79 Hamilton Street North Waterdown, ON. Doors will open at 7:30pm and the meeting starts at 8pm. Members of the general public are welcome to join us at our meeting.
Mark Tovey
Mark Tovey completed his Bachelor of Arts at Western University, earning the Gold Medal for English and Linguistics. He went on to achieve his PhD in Cognitive Science from Carleton University. Tovey edited the first book on the use of collective intelligence to address global challenges. He also served as a Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and led a policy simulation project at the University of Waterloo. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Public History at Western University, Tovey took on the role of Adjunct Professor in the History Department. He is History Curator at the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory. Tovey is recognized for his unique creations of astronomical period rooms and his talent for bringing their stories to life. The International Astronomical Union honored has named asteroid (178088) MarkTovey. Tovey is RASC London Centre President for 2024.
