Wendy Williams

Centuries ago Aristotle called the octopus “stupid.” That sobriquet defined our attitude toward these highly developed cephalopods until only a few years ago, when scientists began to unravel the true nature of the octopus, the cuttlefish, and even the giant squid.

For hundreds of years, squid—giant, colossal, and otherwise—have been demonized as mysterious monsters of the deep. Even today they maintain a mystique, but scientists are gradually discovering some of their long-hidden secrets. Squid have been the source of some of medicine’s most important breakthroughs in the areas of neurosurgery, obstetrics, and geriatrics.

In her presentation, Wendy Williams will tease out fact from fiction based on the findings in her new book, Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid. “Kraken” is the traditional name for gigantic sea monsters. The book examines the world’s enthralling cephalopods, including the octopus and the cuttlefish, and explores their otherworldly camouflage and bioluminescent abilities. Williams will reveal in her lecture some of the most recent findings about cephalopods and share her uproarious adventures with squid hunters, octopus aficionados, and some of the animals themselves.

Author of five books, Williams has written about science for the last thirty years. For more than eight years, she has chronicled the developing story of Cape Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind farm. She appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart after her book on the money behind the opposition reached a national audience. Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Science, Scientific American, and Ladies Home Journal. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband.

Copies of Williams’ book Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid will be for sale at Pacific Collections and there will be a book signing after the lecture.