On Friday, November 15th at 4pm at the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship located on Roxbury Street in downtown Keene, meet Duncan Watson, a local author with a unique journey from childhood recycling attendant to a leader in the City of Keene, New Hampshire’s solid waste program for the last 33 years. On his first day with the Public Works Department, he arrived to a mountain of recyclables being hand-sorted with no headway in sight. He has since “turned his passion for recycling trash into creating a nationally recognized facility in Southwestern NH,” describes award-winning writer and filmmaker Dayton Duncan.

In Watson’s debut book, Everyone’s Trash, he tackles the startling fact that all Americans discard about five pounds of waste each day. For him, every bit of that daily 1.6 billion pounds has a story. He shares those tales through the rich characters he’s met along the way at the “dump.” He also peppers in colorful life experiences from his time spent as the beloved voice of Charlie Brown, a well-known yoga teacher, and a lifelong storyteller.

“His skill as a recycling and waste professional is only surpassed by his ability to share heartfelt stories of humanity,” notes Mike Durfor, former executive director for the Northeast Recovery Association. Equal parts heart, humor, and hope, Everyone’s Trash recognizes the earnest recycling of most Americans. In fact, “More people in the United States recycle than vote,” Watson shares.

He shows that in that commitment lies possibility, even in a world with plenty to worry over. New York Times bestselling author, Sy Montgomery, says the book “is about way more than recycling and trash. It’s a poignant x-ray of a small city’s soul—and a testament to the power of connection, compassion, and community.”

In celebration of the book’s release this fall, Watson will be giving a live reading and signing personalized copies of Everyone’s Trash at a Book Release Party on November 15 from 4pm to 5:30pm. The event will take place at the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship located at 25 Roxbury Street in downtown Keene, NH.

All are invited to join the celebration! Copies of Everyone’s Trash will be available at the release and can also be purchased from your local bookseller or at https://tinyurl.com/muduwkx6. About: Though Duncan Watson spent his childhood in Northern California, he settled in New England, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s in Resource Management from Antioch University New England. From there, he became the Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Keene, NH. And for the last 33 years, he has been privy to the pitfalls and possibilities of today’s recycling and waste management. For more on his unusual life story and brand-new book, follow along on Instagram and Facebook @duncanwatsonstoryteller.