festival schedule

							                      March 29 – April 1, 2012 * Portland

                            Presented by Maine Reads

                                   Thursday, March 29
                               7 pm An Evening with John Cole
               Glickman Family Library, University of Southern Maine, Free.
   A lecture by John Cole, Founding Director of the Center for the Book, Library of Congress
 (Presented in conjunction with Maine Humanities Council and the Katech Cheney Chappell ’83
                                 Center for Book Arts at USM.)


                                Friday, March 30
                                *Opening Night*
                      An Evening to Benefit Literacy in Maine
                    Abromson Center, University of Southern Maine
           Opening Night tickets available at 207 871-9100 or www.mainereads.org

          6 pm An Evening with the Authors: Benefit Reception for Maine Reads
            Hors d’ouevres, cash bar, and the chance to mingle with festival authors.
                ($25 pp in advance/ $35 pp after March 25, includes author talk.)
                               7:30 pm Author Talk: Tony Horwitz
   Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Horwitz, author of the historical narratives Midnight Rising and
                        Confederates in the Attic gives an illustrated talk.
            (Tickets to only the author talk $5 pp in advance/$10 pp after March 25.)

 If you are interested in joining the Host Committee (tickets $250 and up), please contact Paige
                                  Holmes at paige@mainereads.org

                                   Saturday, March 31
                         9:30 – 5 pm Free! Free parking too!
                    Abromson Center, University of Southern Maine
         Readings, book sales, signings, performances for all ages and interests!
         Programs run concurrently. Seating is available first-come, first-served.
                          Watch for additions to the schedule!

Saturday, 9:30 am
The Notion of Home
For Lou Ureneck, it was building a cabin in the Maine woods. For former Governor Angus King
it was a taking the family on the open road in a fully-loaded RV. Join them as they reveal their
stories in an illustrated talk, touching on the richness of family relationships and the need to root
oneself to a place called home.

Illness as an Opportunity in Fiction
Novelists Susan Henderson, Jessica Keener, and Leora Skolkin-Smith discuss what they
encountered as writers trying to capture truths about three different serious illnesses using
imagination and invention, rather than direct memoir.

Teacher and Student
Their friendship goes back to the moment Clark Blaise admitted undergraduate history-major
Peter Behrens to his MA creative writing class at Montreal’s Concordia University in the
seventies. Join these two writers as they read from their new books and talk about teaching and
writing: what can be taught and what can be learned, how MFA writing programs shape writers’
lives and careers, and the influences these programs have on writing and culture generally.

Going Undercover To Solve Your Crime!
Marco Conelli, through video and a power point presentation, shows aspiring and established
mystery writers unique avenues for getting their novel’s main character information. In an up
close setting Marco reveals the many dangers involved in gathering evidence that compromises
major criminals, while dispelling literary myths about popular police dramas.

How Our Alphabet Came to Be
Our alphabet took thousands of years to emerge from scratchings and ideograms, tothe alphabet
we know, upper and lower case. Calligrapher and lettercutter Douglas Coffin explores its
development.

Saturday, 11 am
New Takes on Past Connections: Panel Discussion
Colin Woodard, Michael Willrich, and Tony Horwitz write lively, compelling books that use
history to help us understand contemporary American culture, politics, and identity. Join them as
they consider research, writing, and the connections between the past and present. Moderated by
Steve Bromage, Assistant Director, Maine Historical Society.

The Beach House as the Centerpiece
J. Courtney Sullivan reads from her bestselling novel Maine and discusses the romance of our
state and how important place is in her book.

Beyond the Supernatural
Alma Katsu and Elizabeth Miles read from their debut novels that landed them each three-book
contracts and discuss moving beyond familiar supernatural themes in fiction.

In the words of E.B. White
Granddaughter and literary executor, Martha White, will present favorite quotations, photos and
home movies from E. B. White.

Laughter From the Underbrush
Celebrating nature needn’t be a solemn affair. Elizabeth Peavey discusses her latest book, a
joyous romp around Maine’s back roads with painter Marguerite Robichaux.

Noon – 2 pm Book Signing Bonanza!
Authors will be on hand to sign books and chat informally. Books for all ages and interests!
(Presented by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.)

Saturday, 1:30 pm
The Quick and Dead: Writing about Someone You Knew or Admired
Kurt Vonnegut and Teddy Roosevelt may not have a lot in common, but the process of writing
about their lives presented similar challenges to their respective biographers Charles J. Shields
and Chip Bishop. The two tackle the sticky questions of writing about people you know or are
connected to including, “How do you maintain your objectivity? What do you do when your
subject disappoints you? Does being a friend, relation, or admirer create particular challenges?”

I Hated These Characters
What does it mean for a character to be "likable" or "sympathetic"? How can writers create
complicated, even flawed, characters, while also ensuring that readers care about these
characters enough to read the book in which they appear? Brock Clarke and Heidi Julavits
discuss these challenges as they've arisen in both their writing and their teaching lives.

Stories from the Road: Travel Writers Blend Work & Adventure
Three travel writers from different backgrounds talk about their unique approaches to writing.
Aislinn Sarnaki, Janet Mendelsohn, and Dave Norman have found ways to make the exotic
familiar...and the familiar seem surprisingly interesting. Find out how they choose where to go,
and how to write about their findings.

Coming of Age on the Wrong Side of the Tracks
In their debut novels, Morgan Callan Rogers and Tupelo Hassman each introduce the reader to
young women who must confront tragedy and class lines as they question their roots and their
purpose. The authors will read from and discuss their books.

Poems for a Desert Island: How to Read Contemporary Poetry
Three poets and editors read and discuss some of their favorite poems. Poets presenting include
Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, Arielle Greenberg and Steve Luttrell. (Presented by Maine Writers &
Publishers Alliance.)

Saturday, 3 pm
Fact into Fiction: The Intersection of Imagination and Real
What happens when you use real life in your fiction? Writers Debra Spark and Jessica
Treadway talk about the consequences of using true events, borrowed dialogue, and friends’
anecdotes in novels and stories.

Thomas Hart Benton: A Life
In an illustrated talk, Justin Wolff discusses his new biography of the celebrated American
painter.

Savoring Food with Book Clubs and Authors
Discover the creative ways that book clubs integrate food into their meetings and the many
meanings that authors assign to food with book club cookbook writers Judy Gelman and Vicki
Levy Krupp.

Writing Memoirs from the Heart, Despite the Hurt
Barbara Walsh discusses how to write memoirs from the heart, confronting personal and family
pain and crafting stories that need to be told.

Politics Today: Swing and Independent Voters, Party Divides and Ideological Convictions
Program Description: Former Congressman Tom Allen and political scholar Linda Killian
address the rise of the independent voter and the competing world views that divide Americans.

Saturday, 5 pm
O’ Brother Man: The Art and Life of Lynd Ward
The Maine premiere of 217 Films’ new documentary on Lynd Ward, the father of the American
graphic novel and one of the most prolific book illustrators and printmakers in the history of
American art. Introduced by filmmaker Michael Maglaras, with Robin Ward Savage, the artist’s
daughter, in attendance. Free.



                                        Sunday, April 1
                                10 am – 3 pm Book Arts Bazaar
                  Wishcamper Center, University of Southern Maine * Free!
 A free, day-long event with book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, and all things
  related to the book. (Presented by the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts USM)

                     7 pm Longfellow’s Shorts: Morgan Rogers Callan
                       Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Avenue
   A dramatic reading of literary selections. (Presented by the Portland Stage Affiliate Artists.)

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                                      (Schedule subject to change.)