Dr. Don McKay has been called the Canadian poet laureate of ecological philosophy. A revered poet, esteemed naturalist, distinguished scholar and editor, celebrated teacher, and famously witty speaker, Dr. McKay will give the 2018 UPEI Don Mazer Arts & Science Lecture on Thursday, March 1 at 7:00 pm in room 246 of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. All are welcome. Dr. McKay’s talk, “Dragon, or Tectonic Lithofacies Map of the Appalachian Orogen,” will be “an attempt to approach one of the most famous and important maps in geology from both sides of my brain, the scientific and aesthetic.” The Appalachian orogenic belt is an ancient mountain range extending from Alabama to Newfoundland. Dr. McKay, who lives in St. John’s, will talk “poetically” about the tectonic theory of mountain building, and focus on Gros Morne in Newfoundland, with reference to New Brunswick and to PEI with its “detritus from worn-down mountains.” Hank Williams will feature prominently in Dr. McKay’s talk: not the singer, but the legendary and colourful Newfoundland geologist. Williams advanced plate tectonics, as a unifying theory for continental drift and mountain belt evolution, inspired a new generation of geologists, and helped establish Memorial University as a leader in earth science research. An expert mapmaker as well as visionary thinker, Williams produced the famous Appalachian Orogen map, a bestseller with 10,000 copies sold worldwide. The map also helped demonstrate relationships between our landforms and those across the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. McKay will also give a poetry reading on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 pm in the Carriage House at Beaconsfield Historic House in Charlottetown. His reading is supported by the UPEI Department of English and Dean of Arts, with assistance from The Canada Council for the Arts. The UPEI Don Mazer Arts & Science Lecture is sponsored by UPEI’s Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Science. The lecture series is named in honour of Dr. Don Mazer, an esteemed UPEI psychology professor, whose interests have bridged the arts and sciences. The public is invited and admission is free.