Book review: The Pool is Closed (with author Hannah Palmer)

Planting Seeds by Jeff Hilimire

Hannah Palmer, author of The Pool is Closed, joins me to do a deep dive (pun intended) into the book.

In this livestream, I’m joined by Hannah Palmer, urban naturalist, activist, and acclaimed author of The Pool Is Closed: Segregation, Summertime, and the Search for a Place to Swim. Together, we dive deep into the book’s themes of water access, segregation, parenting, environmental history, and the fight for public space in the South—particularly Atlanta.

About the Book:The Pool Is Closed chronicles Hannah’s personal quest with her sons to find a place to swim in Atlanta—an odyssey that opens into broader questions of race, class, and who gets access to water for recreation. Interweaving memoir, social commentary, and environmental history, Palmer reveals hidden creeks, vanished lakes, and complex stories about the city’s environmental legacy, water policy, and the continuing racial politics of public pools. The book is not just about swimming—it’s about community, environmental justice, and embracing parenthood in an era of dwindling public resources and ecological anxiety.

🛒 Buy the Book (Bookshop.org): ⁠https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-pool...⁠

About the Author:Hannah S. Palmer is a writer and designer from the Southside of Atlanta. Her work in essays, memoir, and public art explores hidden histories and wildness in the urban South. She is also the author of the acclaimed Flight Path: A Search for Roots beneath the World’s Busiest Airport.

🔗 Hannah Palmer’s Website:⁠https://hannahspalmer.com⁠

🛒 Flight Path on Bookshop.org: ⁠https://bookshop.org/p/books/flight-p...⁠

References & Further Reading:

AJC Feature: "Bookshelf: Local author considers the politics of public pools" - ⁠https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/book...⁠

Review: Hannah Palmer’s The Pool is Closed – ⁠https://markmcelroy.com/review-hannah...⁠

Rough Draft Atlanta: Above the Waterline - ⁠https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2025/08...⁠

Timestamps:⁠00:00⁠ – Introduction⁠

02:00⁠ – Hannah’s inspiration and swimming in Atlanta

⁠15:00⁠ – Access to water, segregation, and environmental impacts

⁠35:00⁠ – Parenting, activism, and embracing wild places

⁠48:00⁠ – Q&A and closing thoughtsLike, comment, and subscribe for more author interviews and book discussions!⁠

#ThePoolIsClosed⁠ ⁠#HannahPalmer⁠ ⁠#BookReview⁠ ⁠#Atlanta⁠ ⁠#EnvironmentalJustice⁠ ⁠#Parenting⁠ ⁠#Livestream