CT Authors Trail Ends, Twain Writers Weekend
The Tenth Annual Connecticut Authors Trail, a series of free talks by local authors presented by a group of Eastern Connecticut libraries, will conclude with two events.
On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Norwich Free Academy, 305 Broadway, Norwich (860-887-2505), Mark and Sheri Dursin will discuss their novel, “Labors of an Epic Punk,” a young adult fantasy set in ancient Greece that mirrors the myth of Odysseus.
On Thursday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theatre, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, the Trail finale will present a free talk by Amy Bloom, a psychotherapist and Distinguished University Writer-in-Residence at Wesleyan University. The latest from the bestselling author of four novels, three story collections, a nonfiction book and a children’s book is the novel “White
Houses,” a fictionalized account of the little-known affair that First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt had with journalist
Lorena Hickok during her marriage to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Authors featured in the series will sign books at the event.
Information: 1-888-226-7711 or connecticutauthorstrail.org.
Zeldis At Mohegan Sun
Otis Library in Norwich and Bank Square Books of Mystic will present a Delicious Discussions luncheon on Thursday at noon, with author Kitty Zeldis, whose latest book is “Not Our Kind.” Tickets are $45 and include her talk, a signed copy of the book and a buffet lunch at Michael Jordan’s Steak House at Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville. Zeldis is the pseudonym used by a novelist and nonfiction writer. Her new novel, set in post-World War II New York, is about a Jewish woman and a Protestant woman whose friendship sets in motion unexpected consequences. Pre-registration is required: banksquarebooks.com.
Twain Writers Weekend
Registration is open for the Mark Twain House & Museum’s 2018 Writers Weekend, to be held Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 at the Twain Museum, 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford.
The Writers Weekend offers talks byGary Shteyngart and Jodi Picoult, as well as workshops, panel discussions, author talks and book signings. Presenters include author Mary Ann Tirone-Smith, storyteller Matthew Dicks, humor writer Gina Barreca, poet Bessy Reyna, children’s book author Dana Rau, young-adult author CD Bell, theater critic Frank Rizzo, playwright Jacques Lamarre, mystery writer Chris Knopf and novelist Amity Gage, among others.
The cost for the weekend is $250, which includes the Sept. 29 keynote address by Shteyngart and a copy of his new novel, “Lake Success” and Picoult’s Sept. 30 talk and a signed copy of her new book, “A Spark Of Light.” Tickets for Shteyngart’s Mark My Words talk alone are $30; $45 for Picoult’s talk at Immanuel Congregatinal Church, 10 Woodland St., Hartford. Reservations and information: marktwainhoouse.org.
Storyteller’s Cottage
The Storyteller’s Cottage, 750 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, will host Avon author Marilyn Simon Rothstein on Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Rothstein will read from her novel, “Husbands and Other Sharp Objects,” the sequel to her debut novel. “Lift and Separate.” The cost is $5. 860-877-6099 or StorytellersCottage.com.
Writers At UConn
Award-winning TV journalist and author Jack Ford will read from his historical novel, “Chariot on the Mountain,” on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the UConn Barnes & Noble bookstore, 1 Royce Circle, Storrs Center. Ford’s story is based on an unusual alliance between a young slave, her mistress and a socialite in the pre-Civil War South.
Ford, a Yale graduate and former trial attorney, became an anchor/correspondent for Court TV, NBC News, ABC News, and CBS News. He has received two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, an American Radio and Television Award, a National Headliner Award, and the March of Dimes FDR Award. 860-486-8525.
UConn’s Creative Writing Program will present a free reading by author Brian Sneeden on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the UConn Barnes & Noble Bookstore. ASL interpreters and live captions will be available.
Sneeden’s work includes the poetry collection “Last City” and his poems and translations have appeared in many literary journals. At UConn, he is senior editor of “New Poetry in Translation.” 860-486-8525 or creativewriting.uconn.edu.
R.J. Julia
Authors of a scary mystery based on real events, a horror thriller and a frightening look at fascism in America will give free talks at R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison. All require reservations: 203-245-3959.
On Monday at 7 p.m., Josepth Olshan will discuss his mystery novel, “Black Diamond Fall,” which is based on two real events: the disappearance Middlebury College student and vandalism of the Robert Frost homestead on one of its campuses. Olshan is the award-winning author of 10 novels and Publisher of Delphinium Books [Harper Collins].
On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Kerri Maniscalco, author of the best-selling “Stalking Jack the Ripper” series will talk about her latest thriller, “Escaping From Houdini,” involving murders on an opulent ocean liner.
On Thursday at 7 p.m., Jason Stanley will discuss “How Fascism Works,” a look at the 10 pillars of fascist politics and their effect on American political life. Stanley is Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, author of several books, including “How Propaganda Works.”
On Thursday at 6 p.m. at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore, 413 Main St., Middletown, Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell will discuss “Please Do Not Touch,” a memoir of the high design art movement of the mid-1990s as exemplified by their SoHo design gallery, MOSS. 860-685-3939 or books@wesleyan.edu.
Hickory Stick Bookshop
The Hickory Stick Bookshop, 2 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, will host a discussion by author Charles McNair, M.D. of his book, “Soldiers of a Foreign War: A Novel of Vietnam,” today at 2 p.m. It is a story of two American infantry platoons, a three-man North Vietnamese Army combat cell and the staff of a small surgical hospital. McNair was an operating room technician from June 1969 to June 1970 in the Tay Ninh province of South Vietnam. 860-868 0525 or hickorystickbookshop.com.