Chaucer’s Book Talk Amanda Leland & James Workman

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 – 6:00 PM

Chaucer’s Bookstore (3321 State Street) hosts Amanda Leland and James Workman for a book talk and signing of Sea Change: Unlikely Allies and a Success Story of Oceanic Proportions.

Book Description

Sea Change is the captivating, deeply-human tale of how fishermen—along with some unlikely allies—helped carry out the biggest conservation success story you’ve never heard of.

Exploring a victory for the world’s most vital ecosystem, Sea Change tells the story of unlikely partnerships and surprising solutions that are quietly revolutionizing the fishing industry. Like in other ocean areas, the Gulf Coast fisheries were being fished out to the detriment of wildlife and the people whose livelihoods and communities hinge on sea catch. Fisherman Keith “Buddy” Guindon had followed every suggested policy and practice to no avail, until he—along with scientists, government agencies, and environmental groups—helped lead real change that is preventing overfishing and securing resource longevity. Sea Change demonstrates that success is possible, that the time is now, and the methods are here to conserve our natural world and the people who depend on it.

About the Authors

James Workman is a storyteller, entrepreneur, and author of resilience strategies, including the award-winning book Heart of Dryness. Drawing on fieldwork with Indigenous Kalahari people, he founded AquaShares, a firm pioneering water credit trading. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Orion, Trout, and Washington Monthly. Jamie studied at Yale, Oxford, and Stanford, and taught at Wesleyan and Whitman. But his real education came from restoring wildfires, reintroducing wolves, blowing up dams, smuggling to dissidents, getting married and raising two daughters. 

Amanda Leland fell in love with the sea at five years old, when her grandfather taught her to fish. She has since gone on to get her Master’s Degree in Marine Biology, work as a marine mammal zookeeper, take more than 1,000 scuba dives, and kayak every chance she gets. As Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund, Amanda brings unlikely allies together to find the ways that work to support healthy communities and economies while reducing climate impacts. She previously led EDF’s Oceans program, a global team in 14 countries focused on reversing overfishing while supporting thriving fishing communities, triggering the dramatic economic and ecological recovery of U.S. fisheries and beyond.

Praise for Sea Change

“In an easy-to-read, storytelling style… [Sea Change] emphasizes galvanizing opportunities to make positive change in myriad other areas of policy and sorely needed optimism in the world of environmental thinking and planning.”
—SHELF AWARENESS

“Finally, some good news! An uplifting read that will leave you hopeful about people, our planet, and the power of work- ing together.”
—CAROLEE HAZARD, Kepler’s Bookstore

“Leland and Workman make a convincing case that empowering fishermen to work together, even as they compete, can create miracles.”
—BILL MCKIBBEN, The End of Nature

“Sea Change reveals how those most tied to the sea can, must, and are becoming its greatest protectors. This book will change how you see the ocean—and those who live by it.”
—CARL SAFINA, Alfie & Me

“Sea Change tells us the greatest environmental success story that no one’s ever heard of.” —ERIC POOLEY, The Climate War

“Sea Change is the game-changer we didn’t know we needed—an eye-opening, exhilarating story of how bold, pragmatic solutions can revive our oceans and redefine the future of seafood.”
—RICK MOONEN, James Beard Award winner

“Sea Change is both an antidote to environmental gloom and a fair, deeply informed, and fun read.” —TINA ROSENBERG, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner

“Sea Change shows us what’s possible when seemingly irreconcilable opponents find common ground and work together on a solution that benefits everyone.”
—DR. ENRIC SALA, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and founder of Pristine Seas

“Sea Change reveals one of the great environmental turnarounds of our time. It’s essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our oceans.”
—BRUCE BABBITT, U.S. Secretary of the Interior 1993-2001

“An engaging American environmental success story that details what happens when we get things right! Sea Change is the win-win story we need right now.”
—KATHRYN MURDOCH, executive producer of PBS’ A Brief History of the Future

“Sea Change is a masterclass in how food system resilience is achieved at sea.”
—ERIC KESSLER, James Beard Foundation Trustee Emeritus and Food System Investor

“The fight against climate change isn’t about one silver bullet—it’s about a bundle of solutions, woven together by those willing to get their hands wet.”
—BREN SMITH, Co-Executive Director of GreenWave and Owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm

“Sea Change chronicles a revolution in ocean conservation where rights-based fisheries management transformed con- flict into collaboration and depletion into recovery.”
—BRIAN YABLONSKI, CEO of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)

“The authors do a spectacular job of capturing the promise, peril, personalities, and pioneering efforts to make fisheries sustainable and profitable in ways that work for fishermen and fish.”
—JANE LUBCHENCO, former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

“In this fascinating read, commercial fishermen and environmental scientists overcome mutual distrust to bring about a reversal in fortune of our most important source of protein.”
—STAN DRUCKENMILLER, investor, Duquesne Capital