2008 Schedule of Events
|
Newburyport Pedicab will be on hand on Saturday and Sunday to aid people in getting
to our seven different venues. This is a free service, but tips are appreciated and
will help support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. http://www.newburyportpedicab.com/
|
|
|
|
Friday 6:00 PM
The Firehouse Center
|
Opening Ceremony
|
|
|
|
Friday 6:15 PM
The Firehouse Center
|
Conversations About Poetry
Join X. J. Kennedy, poet, anthologist, and editor of numerous poetry textbooks; Lewis Turco, poet, memoirist, prosodist, and authority on verse forms from all over the world; Rhina P. Espaillat, local poet and a founding member of the Powow River Poets, and moderator Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, for an informal and wide-ranging conversation about poetry. The discussion will be shaped in part by comments and questions from the audience, but some of the topics likely to be touched upon are the role of poetry in the life of the individual and in the society as a whole; the unique features of this oldest of all the literary arts; the relationship between poetry and the other arts, both old and new; and the significant contributions of translation to the world of poetry.
|
|
|
Friday 7:30 PM
Masonic Temple
|
Join us for Dinner with the Authors
Tickets: $50.00
Buffet Cash Bar
| more |
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 8:00 AM
Central Congregational
Church Social Hall
|
Echoes and Whispers: Breakfast with Poets
Is there a better way to start the day, and the Literary Festival, than with bagels and poetry? Enjoy a continental breakfast as the Powow River Poets read their poems and share stories about poets who have influenced their own verses and visions.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 9:00 AM
Old South Church
|
Laughing Out Loud: Authors Who Crack Us Up
We all love to laugh. So where would we be without writers who tackle the foibles of society, open our eyes to hypocrisy, and gently help us see ourselves? Enjoy this lively dialogue between two writers who share a special talent for creating strong characters, twisting words and situations, and impaling society and relationships along the way.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 9:00 AM
Inn Street
Montessori School
|
What’s the Big Idea?
Stephanie Greene’s program will be similar to her school visits: highly interactive and high energy. She’ll read from some of her chapter books and early readers; talk to the children about their favorite books and characters; and invite questions about her life, her books, where she gets her ideas, and what it’s like to be a writer.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 9:00 AM
City Hall
Council Chambers
|
Memoirs on Fatherhood: From Family to Faith and Fly-Fishing
Why does a son leave his father’s house and ideology to pursue his own way in the world? How does a father reach out to a son, attempting to preserve the familial bond that unites them? Come listen to memoirist Frank Schaeffer, who escaped his father’s boundaries and came to terms with his own life. Hear how Lou Ureneck and his son survived not only an Alaska adventure but a filial rift. Each writer provides unique insights into the often difficult and frequently taboo subject of father-son relationships.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 9:00 AM
The Book Rack
|
Robert Finch Reads from The Iambics of Newfoundland: Notes from an Unknown Shore
Robert Finch takes a look at Newfoundland, a place of unparalleled beauty, whose citizens face serious economic hardships due to a shrinking fishing industry and limited resources available to take its place. Hear the voices that Finch has recorded in stories urgent, personal, and compelling.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 9:00 AM
Program Room,
Newburyport
Public Library
|
Emerson Baker II reads The Devil of Great Island, Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England
In 1682, ten years before the infamous Salem witch trials, the town of Great Island, New Hampshire, was plagued by mysterious events: strange, demonic noises; unexplainable movement of objects. In this lively account, Emerson Baker shows how witchcraft hysteria overtook one town and prefiguring the horrors of Salem. In the process, he illuminates a cross-section of colonial society and overturns many popular assumptions about witchcraft in the seventeenth century.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 10:00 AM
Central Congregational Church Social Hall
|
The Shameless Muse
Since the days of ancient Greece, poets have penned verses to serve the muses. In turn, the muses have bestowed inspiration on the poets. Still, one never knows what enchanting oddities await discovery: a ruined maid’s hang-ups, a pariah’s trials and travails, or the life and times of the locals from a Jerry Springer town. Join us to celebrate the bawdy, the ribald, and the debaucherous.
|
|
|
Fiction, Nonfiction
and Poetry
Saturday 10:00 AM
First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church
|
The Latino Boom
Have you heard the explosion? The sound comes from the dynamic voices of Latino and Latina writers. Discover their unique blend of personal and political viewpoints, consider their pragmatic and philosophical musings, and learn about the dramatic changes and challenges to immigrant life emanating from Latinos, the fastest growing ethnic population in America.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 10:00 AM
Firehouse Center for the Arts
|
Andre Dubus III Reads from The Garden of Last Days
Come hear local best-selling author Andre Dubus III as he reads from his newly published novel, The Garden of Last Days. Dubus’s fiction has won the Pushcart Prize and a National Magazine Award, among many other honors. His novel House of Sand and Fog was a fiction finalist for the National Book Award and was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 10:00 AM
Program Room,
Newburyport
Public Library
|
From King Lear to King Kong
David Maine has retold the stories of Noah, Samson, and Cain and Abel. In his latest book, Monster, 1959, he introduces a 40-foot monster, K, a close relative of the movie-star monster Godzilla. K captures the blonde and goes back to the jungle—a familiar turn of events—but Monster, 1959 shifts gears when humans enter the picture and the B-movie scenes change location and take on a disturbing reality. With a strong political subtext, Maine brings us back to real-world challenges. “King Lear meets King Kong,” says Tyler Knox in the Washington Post.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 10:00 AM
The Book Rack
|
Lauren Weinstein Reads from Girl Stories
Come listen to Lauren Weinstein read from her graphic novel Girl Stories. Cartoonist Ivan Brunetti says “These are not only great girl stories but also great human stories. Weinstein perfectly and hilariously captures both the poignancy and the folly of that awkward age when we sit perched on the cusp of adolescence. She does this with genuine warmth, sharp wit, and unaffected storytelling.”
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 10:15 AM
Inn Street Montessori School
|
Crafting Stories
Anna Alter will begin by reading some of her books and then guide children through a craft activity related to the stories. Original artwork from her books will be on display, along with sketches and process work that bring the book-making process to life. Anna will finish by doing a drawing exercise with the audience, demonstrating how she draws her characters and collaborating with children to create a new character.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 11:00 AM
Old South Church
|
Weaving Stories That Wow You
Aren’t you amazed when an author spins not one but four, five, even six stories within a single literary work—and then delivers a truly satisfying conclusion? Come discover how three fine writers, each in a different way, weave together separate plotlines—Hurka mixes memories and flashbacks, Baez connects neighbors and themes, and Hood blends life stories and lessons.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 11:00 AM
The Book Rack
|
Patricia O’Brien Reads from Harriet and Isabella
O’Brien’s deeply sensitive novel recounts the story of the famous Beecher family, who were the Kennedys of the nineteenth century. It’s a portrait of a sex scandal that galvanized a nation, nearly severing the bond between the two sisters in the process. Hear the authentically detailed story and discover O’Brien’s interesting new spin on this scandal.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 11:15 AM
Jabberwocky Bookshop,
The Tannery
|
JoeAnn Hart Reads from Addled
Get ready to laugh out loud as JoeAnn Hart tells her comic tale of old money meeting new ideas. In Addled, gossip and intrigue rock the stately world of manicured lawns and unwelcome guests, all in a country club setting.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 11:30 AM
Central Congregational Church Social Hall
|
In the Works
Come enjoy an opportunity to hear new works and works-in-progress. Ask the poets about creative inspiration, the sources of their ideas, words that work and those that falter, the brilliant ideas and those that bomb.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 11:30 AM
First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church
|
Our Fragile World
Hear what three specialists have to say about human impact on the natural world. Explore with them what the earth would be like without us, how the environment reacts to our footprints, and why increased destruction of our fragile world robs us of needed inspiration and tranquility.
Moderator: David Hall
|
|
|
Fiction and Nonfiction
Saturday 11:30 AM
Firehouse Center for the Arts
|
Reading and Literature: Catalysts of Culture
If learning to read transforms our ability to communicate, how does the new digital age challenge reading and thus affect future human interactions? Anyone passionate about reading is invited to come hear an important conversation between two passionate advocates of reading: Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and champion of NEA initiatives The Big Read and Poetry Out Loud, and Dr. Maryanne Wolf, a cognitive neuroscientist and recognized child development expert. Gioia’s controversial essay “Can Poetry Matter?” challenged teachers to rethink teaching the art of both reading and writing poetry. Wolf’s work presents the theory that reading’s gift is the “time to think beyond.” Together they present powerful reasons to care about reading in the digital age.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 11:30 AM
Inn Street Montessori School
|
Making Picture Books
Join author-illustrator Matt Tavares for an interactive slide show as he discusses his process of writing and illustrating picture books. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how a book is made, including rough drafts, sketches, and research photos, as well as a sneak peek at Matt’s next book Lady Liberty: A Biography, due out in May.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 11:45 AM
City Hall Council Chambers
|
So You Want to Be a Famous Writer
Young writers often have big dreams of happiness, fame, and riches. But how do writers break in, get published, become famous? What makes a great story? Do web sites and blogs really help a writer? Come ask our panel of writers about the creation of their stories, ideas, and web blogs. In fact, you can blog any of our panelists in advance!
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 12:00 PM
Program Room, Newburyport
Public Library
|
The Writer’s Progress: Finishing Touches
“What are you working on?” Our local authors, like writers everywhere, are always scheming: walking the beaches, exploring imagery, searching for ideas, and trying to find just the right words to reach their readers—and their publishers. Come talk with Elisabeth and Áine, both of whom have just put the finishing touches on their latest works and are eagerly awaiting the publisher’s nod.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 12:00 PM
Jabberwocky Bookshop, The Tannery
|
Mameve Medwed Reads from Of Men and Their Mothers
“All men have mothers” is a truth that the recently divorced Maisie Grey has learned the hard way. Still stuck with the interference of her irascible mother-in-law—a woman who has never liked her and criticized her every step of the way—she vows to be empathetic and supportive when her son Tommy brings home a girlfriend. But then Tommy brings home September Silva, and then September’s mother kicks her out, and Maisie is forced to take a clear-eyed look at class differences; preconceived notions of men and women; and what it means to be a wife, a friend, and a non-judgmental mother.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 12:30 PM
First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church – Downstairs
|
Green Bookmaking for Families
Family bookmaking engages the hands, the head, and the heart. All ages are welcome to drop in to craft an environmentally green book from recycled materials. See where your imagination will take you, and have something to bring home when it’s finished.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 1:00 PM
Central Congregational Church Social Hall
|
Whistling the Truth: X. J. Kennedy Reads
One of America’s wisest and best-loved poets, Joe Kennedy appeals to young and old. Master craftsman, anthologist, and editor of texts responsible for inspiring and educating generations of young poets and readers, this comic genius has a flair for making his audiences laugh out loud just prior to startling them with some sobering discovery, unexpected insight, or complex truth simply and beautifully told. A requisite event for anyone who relishes the spoken word.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 1:00 PM
First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church
|
Passages Women Remember
If where we came from gives shape and meaning to where we’re going, then memoirs are one of the most relevant forms of writing today. Please join celebrated authors Mirta Ojito and Victoria Rowell as they explore the pains and pleasures unique to this genre. Ojito, author of Finding Mańana, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who fled communist Cuba with her family as a young teen; Rowell, raised in several foster homes as a child and a popular TV actress today, looks back and remembers her youth in The Women Who Raised Me.
|
|
|
Fiction and Nonfiction
Saturday 1:00 PM
Firehouse Center for the Arts
|
From Brainstorm to Bookstore
Join New York Times bestselling author Cheryl Richardson as she discusses the nuts and bolts of the publishing process. During this 90-minute program, Cheryl will cover the key stages of publishing from the initial idea through the actual writing process, developing a book proposal, finding an agent, and ultimately landing a publishing contract. A question-and-answer period will follow her talk.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 1:00 PM
Inn Street
Montessori School
|
Welcome Spring with Mary Newell DePalma
Mary will talk about how making mudpies inspired her to write her book A Grand Old Tree and how the seed of an idea was planted for The Strange Egg. Encourage your imagination to bloom with the characters in My Chair, and hear about how she weeded, pruned, and watered her latest creation to get it ready for her editor! Everyone will leave with seeds to sow. Get ready to tend to the garden of your imagination.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 1:00 PM
City Hall Council Chambers
|
Graphic Novel or Cartoons?
How is a graphic novel different from comic books? Is there a difference? Graphic novelist Lauren Weinstein will share the original mock-ups from her graphic novel and answer your questions about this innovative, increasingly popular literary form.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 1:00 PM
The Book Rack
|
Sergio Troncoso Reads from The Nature of Truth
Listen to prolific Fulbright scholar Sergio Troncoso and his tale about a Yale research student who discovers that his boss, a renowned professor, hides a Nazi past. It’s a tale of murder and ruminating guilt as well as a story of conflict between valor and pragmatism.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 2:00 PM
Old South Church
|
Investigating Crimes of the Century
Good investigators, we all believe, expose the truth. Schorow shows her skill in exposing the lies behind the Brinks robbery; Ablow uses forensic evidence to relate insights about those who commit crimes. What challenges do writers face while uncovering truth? When do facts get manipulated, altered, ignored? What happens to the story if truth is mundane or expected? When does fiction serve truth better than nonfiction—and vice versa? Enjoy Ablow and Schorow’s conversation about the challenges, frustrations, and tricks involved in turning a crime into a book.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 2:00 PM
Jabberwocky Bookshop,
The Tannery
|
Annecy Baez Reads from My Daughter’s Eyes
Reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, Baez’s portraits of assorted neighborhood characters have the collective impact of a novel. We invite you to listen to these fascinating stories, each one illustrating how dramatic changes have shaped immigrant lives.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 2:00 PM
Program Room, Newburyport
Public Library
|
Why Read Whittier?
Whittier is so often written about as an abolitionist, a politician, a women’s rights supporter, or a Quaker mystic that his main achievement as a writer of good, readable poetry is often ignored. In this critical examination of poems like “Telling the Bees,” “Maud Muller,” “Ichabod,” “Abraham Davenport,” and “Snow-Bound,” Whittier scholar Ben Pickard discusses the poet’s artistic ability and intrinsic literary achievement.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 2:00 PM
The Book Rack
|
Diane Rapaport reads The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England
Lawyer and historian Diane Rapaport extracts some tantalizing tales from pre-Revolutionary court records, highlighting the concerns of ordinary people in early New England. Included is the title story of of of a Quaker woman who dropped her dress in a church service to show her contempt for the Puritans.
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 2:15 PM
Inn Street Montessori School
|
Story Time
Terry Farish will read The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup, which won a Blue Ribbon from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and an award for Outstanding Work of Children’s Literature from the New Hampshire Writers’ Project. Illustrator Mary Newell DePalma will read My Chair, a visual story that captures the imagination and ends with the surprise of welcoming a new baby to the neighborhood. Other books for young children will be read as time allows. Both books will be for sale and available for signing.
|
|
|
Fiction and Nonfiction
Saturday 2:30 PM
First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church
|
Herstory: Women Writing About Women
Why write a woman’s story? Which previous life sparks interest, empathy, emotion? Discover why our four authors chose to resurrect past heroines and how they examined history, presented the facts, and arrived at conclusions.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 2:30 PM
Central Congregational Church Social Hall
|
Lewis Turco Reads from The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics
The year 2008 marks the fortieth anniversary of the publication of The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics. We are delighted to have Lewis Turco with us to talk about the reprinting of what has become known as “the poet’s Bible.”
|
|
|
Children/Teens
Saturday 2:30 PM
Children’s Room, Newburyport
Public Library
|
Create a Sculpture
Children ages 6 to 12 will love listening to Judy Sierra’s Wild About Books, watching a sculpting demonstration while learning techniques, and then creating their own beavers.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 3:00 PM
The Book Rack
|
William Sargent Reads from Just Seconds from the Ocean
What is it like to watch helplessly as your summer house slides down the sand dunes and the ocean relentlessly pounds at your door? Sargent has been there; join him as he relates his experiences of man versus nature during the ocean’s surge at Chatham Bars and on Plum Island.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 3:00 PM
Jabberwocky Bookshop,
The Tannery
|
Ann Hood Reads from The Knitting Circle
Two years after losing her daughter to a virulent strain of strep—two years during which novelist Ann Hood found herself unable to read, to write, to focus on anything at all—she received a call for submissions from a literary magazine on the theme of lying. That night she sat down and composed an essay on lies about grief. That essay revived her ability to write and eventually laid the foundation for The Knitting Circle, Hood’s autobiographical novel about a mother coping with the loss of her only child.
|
|
|
Fiction
Saturday 4:00 PM
Jabberwocky Bookshop,
The Tannery
|
Joseph Hurka Reads from Before
Pushcart Prize-winner Joseph Hurka delivers a literary tour de force in this gripping new novel. Two men altered by war trauma and haunted by vivid memories are driven to extremes; their lives eventually collide on a street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
|
|
|
Poetry
Saturday 4:00 PM
Firehouse Center for the Arts
|
Polyphony
Polyphony, from the Greek, means many sounds, many voices. Come hear and celebrate the power of voice! Seven poets lend their distinct voices to a group reading, interweaving words, phrases, lines, and couplets from selected works. Poems by Lewis Turco, X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia will be included.
|
|
|
Nonfiction
Saturday 4:00 PM
The Book Rack
|
Victoria Rowell Reads from The Women Who Raised Me
The story of a remarkable woman’s rise out of the foster care system to attain the American dream and of the unlikely series of women who lifted her up in marvelous and distinctive ways. In this deeply touching memoir, Rowell pays tribute to her personal champions: the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, teachers, and sisters who each have fascinating stories to tell.
|
|
|
Young Adults
Saturday 4:00 PM
Licorice & Sloe Co.
21 Middle Street
|
Poetry Slam
The poetry slam is a verbal competition invented in the 1980s by a Chicago construction worker. Each poet has three minutes to present an original work, free from props, costumes, or musical accompaniment. After the performance, select members of the audience will serve as judges. The Newburyport Literary Festival’s poetry slam is open to and invites all young adults, ages 14 to 25, to participate. No need to sign up; just stop by and let us hear what you’ve got!
|
|
|
Saturday 6:00 PM
Firehouse Center
for the Arts
|
Closing Ceremony: The Final Word
Our closing program features remarks by Dana Gioia, poetry by the distinguished New England poet Erica Funkhouser, a melopoeia (poetry recited with a musical background) performed by poets Alfred Nicol and Rhina P. Espaillat and guitarist John Tavano, and a reading of one work by Espaillat from her collection of short stories published in 2007.
|
|
|
