Library speaker considers ‘Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth?’

A Northwest legend is once again in the spotlight.

David George Gordon, a speaker from the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, presents “Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth?” at two Olympic Peninsula libraries.

Gordon, author of “The Sasquatch Seeker’s Field Manual: Using Citizen Science to Uncover North America’s Most Elusive Creature,” speaks at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, and at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12.

Throughout the Pacific Northwest, people have been reporting encounters with the Sasquatch — a hairy, 8- to 10-foot-tall hominid — for hundreds of years. Aside from a collection of large footprint casts and a sizable assemblage of eyewitness accounts, no scientifically accepted evidence has been offered to establish its existence.

Gordon will discuss the data gathered about the legendary Northwest icon, the rules of critical thinking and the workings of the scientific method, and how one can become an effective “citizen scientist” by gathering credible evidence that can be used to substantiate the Sasquatch’s status as either man-ape or myth.

Attendees are encouraged to tell their tales and share their experiences with the creature.

Gordon has spoken at the American Museum of Natural History, The Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, Yale University, the Smithsonian Institution and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums. He has been interviewed by National Geographic, Time, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and appeared as a guest on television shows that include The Late Late Show With James Corden, The View and ABC’s Nightline.

Speakers Bureau is one of Humanities Washington’s oldest and more popular programs. Its roster of 31 cultural experts and scholars provide low-cost, high-quality public presentations across the state, encouraging audiences to think, learn and engage in conversation.

For more about Speakers Bureau, visit www.humanities.org/programs/speakers.

For additional information about this program, visit www.nols.org and select “Events,” call 360-417-8500, or email to discover@nols.org.