In 1938, no one thought that two female botanists and a small crew of boatmen could run the Colorado River and make it out alive. But that’s exactly what Lois Jotter and Elzada Clover did as they mapped the Grand Canyon’s botany for the first time, as described in the book Brave the Wild River.

Actors from the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival will perform a dramatized scene based on the book, and the author will read book excerpts. There will be a Q&A and discussion about the book and women in science.

Part of Flagstaff Festival of Science, a free annual 10-day event wholly designed to promote awareness and enthusiasm for science in and about northern Arizona and beyond, and is fondly known as the Best 10 Days of the Year. Established in 1990, it is the longest, continuously running, entirely free science festival in the world.