English professor Dale Jacobs will read from and sign copies of his new book, Makeshift Fields, at a launch event Wednesday, April 9, at Biblioasis Bookshop.

The book is a snapshot of grassroots baseball, reflecting a seven-week summer trip through Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. What Dr. Jacobs found is not dissimilar to what one might see in any North American town, but it feels different: more precarious, yet also more communal. Baseball is played for its own sake, often in the rain and cold, with temporary diamonds on makeshift fields, in public parks.

Jacobs tells the story of people who have fallen in love with the game, the story of people who believe that baseball can flourish where it’s been planted, the story of people who are searching for a piece of home.

The April 9 launch will begin at 7 p.m. at the store, located at 1520 Wyandotte St. East.