BY KAREN BOSSICK

Spend this winter traveling the world from your armchair as the Hailey Public Library launches a new monthly series called Wanderlust.

The series will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, as Hailey artist and naturalist Lisa Horton takes armchair travelers to Morocco in a segment titled “Morocco—A Feast for the Senses. The free program will be offered at Hailey Town Center West, 116 S. Croy St.

Morocco, in North Africa, sports everything from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert. Its No. 2 industry is tourism, thanks to its beaches, its ancient cities and the lure of Casablanca and Marrakech.

“As humans, it’s in our nature to wander and explore,” said Kristin Fletcher, the library’s education and engagement manager. “We learn so much about the rich diversity and beauty of our world and about ourselves when we travel.”

Fletcher said future talks will take viewers along the length of the rugged Great Rift at Craters of the Moon National Monument and deep into Southwest China, which boasts the most diverse temperate ecosystem on Earth.

“We thought it would be fun to invite community members to share their trips with us, kind of like an informal living room slide show with friends,” said Fletcher. “We hope it inspires wanderings into new terrains or a return to a beloved place.”  

To learn more, call 208-788-2036.