New book celebrates sea glass

Beachcombing author Corinne Litzenberg says sea glass is special.

So special, Litzenberg will debut her first work of nonfiction, "S is for Sea Glass, An A to Z Book," about rounded, frosted, colorful shards at the Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival Saturday-Sunday, June 28-29 in Lewes.

"It's an A to Z poem and each verse teaches something environmental about sea glass," she said. "For example, the W is about weathering and how, over time, every crack, chip and line is resulting from being tossed in the sea."

Litzenberg was responsible for the photography and art in her book. She has previously published two series of historical fiction: Flocktales, a series about hunting waterfowl on the flats of the Chesapeake Bay, inspired by her great-uncle Robert J. Litzenberg, a renowned decoy-carver on the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay flats.

Her second series of historical fiction, "The Sand Lady," comprises two volumes set in Cape May, N.J., and Ocean City, Md. These books explore beach life during Victorian times.

Litzenberg also teaches second grade and holds a doctorate in environmental education. She lives in Cecil County, Md.

Growing up in Elkton, Md., near Elk Neck, where the Chesapeake Bay, North East and Elk Rivers converge, she said, gave her a lifelong interest in environmental science.

Years ago, after her first Sea Glass Festival in Lewes, Litzenberg said, she became fascinated by sea glass, which is different from beach glass. She said she saw tremendous educational opportunities with every piece.

"It encompasses all disciplines," Litzenberg said, "science, history, social studies and the arts. To teach with sea glass encompasses all the disciplines."

Beach glass, she said, is mostly the product of glass that has been submerged in rivers and bays. Beach glass is shinier and sharper, whereas sea glass is typically more triangular, rounded and frosted as a result of weathering on the ocean floor and the chemistry of seawater.

This is the first year Litzenberg will have a booth at the festival, stocked with "S is for Sea Glass" and her other volumes, ornaments she has created using sea glass collected along the Chesapeake and Chincoteague bays and crab-shell grinches for Christmas.

As she teaches large and small lessons using sea glass, Litzenberg said, she hopes her new book will help adults and children share the importance of ecology as sea glass is increasingly replaced with floating plastics.

"The last letter and verse is Z, for zero," she said. "One day there may be no more sea glass because plastics have largely taken the place of glass. So they should recycle glass and plastics to conserve our beaches for future generations."

The Lewes Historical Society will host the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival Saturday-Sunday, June 28-29, at the Lewes Historic Complex at 110 Shipcarpenter St. in Lewes. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission to the festival is $5 per person; free for children under 12.

For more information about Corinne Litzenberg and her book, visit www.corinnelitzenberg.com.

For more information about the Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival go to www.historiclewes.org or call 302-645-7670.