David Mas Masumoto Reading August 24, 2009

David Mas Masumoto will read from his latest book, 'Wisdom of the Last Farmer'. When his father has a stroke amid the fields of their farm, Masumoto looks with new eyes on the land where he, and generations of his family, have toiled for decades. He sees the price they've paid to grow complex heirloom peaches - in a market that rewards tasteless, big, and red fruits - and the challenges of maintaining traditions and integrity while working in the modern, high-pressure agricultural marketplace. As his father's health declines, along with the profitability of the family farm, Masumoto has the further hard work of nursing his father back to health. Masumoto relays the realities of farming life while weaving in the history of American agriculture over the past century. The event is co-sponsored by the Tahoma Food Policy Coalition.

David Mas Masumoto is a third generation farmer who grows peaches, nectarines, grapes, and raisins on an organic 80 acre farm south of Fresno, California. He is the author of five books, including Epitaph for a Peach (1995) and the forthcoming Wisdom of the Last Farmer. Masumoto is currently a columnist for The Fresno Bee. He was a Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow from 2006-2008. His writing awards include Commonwealth Club Silver medal, Julia Child Cookbook award, the James Clavell Literacy Award, and a finalist in the James Beard Foundation awards. He has served as chair of the California Council for the Humanities.

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