Ohio Northern University will host a lecture by international author and actress Carol Drinkwater in the Dicke Forum on Monday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. Drinkwater’s lecture is titled “The Olive Route.” The event is free and open to the public.      

Drinkwater is perhaps most familiar to audiences for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC series “All Creatures Great and Small.” A popular and acclaimed author and filmmaker, Drinkwater also has published 19 books.

When she and her husband Michel purchased a rundown property overlooking the Bay of Cannes, France, they discovered 68 400-year-old olive trees. Once the land was reclaimed and the olives gathered and pressed, the Drinkwaters became the producers of top-quality olive oil, and their farm has since gained an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllee).

Her series of memoirs about her experiences (“The Olive Farm,” “The Olive Season,” “The Olive Harvest,” and “Return to the Olive Farm”) have become best sellers in the U.S. and abroad, selling more than 1 million copies worldwide.

Drinkwater’s fascination with the olive tree extended to a solo 17-month Mediterranean journey in search of its mythical secrets. The resulting travel books, “The Olive Route” and “The Olive Tree,” have inspired a recently completed five-part documentary film series titled “The Olive Route.”

Drinkwater also has been invited to work with UNESCO to help found an Olive Heritage Trail around the Mediterranean Basin, with the dual goals of creating peace in the region and honoring the ancient heritage of the olive tree.