Friday, September 17 at 7pm
Opening Night Celebration

Opening Night Celebration featuring Brunonia Barry and Lily King
Salem’s own bestselling author, Brunonia Barry, welcomes festival attendees, and the winner of the First Salem Literary Festival Writing Contest is announced. Author Lily King reads from FATHER OF THE RAIN, the winner of the New England Book Award for Fiction. Expect refreshments, interesting people and a really good time! FREE!

Saturday, September 18 from 10:30am to 12:30pm
Storytelling – Family Fun! with Lucille Page & Richard King

Lucille Page kicks things off with storytelling for 4-8 year-olds at 10:30, Brian Donnelly follows with fun for 6-10 year-olds at 11:15, and Richard King wraps things up with a story for 8-12 year-olds at 12 noon. (While the ages listed are those for whom the story is centrally geared, this should be fun for all ages!) FREE!

Saturday, September 18 at 11am
*** at Grace Church 385 Essex Street ***
The Local is Global: Finding the Universal in Local Stories with Elyssa East and DOGTOWN

Join 2010 PEN New England award-winner Elyssa East as she reads from and talks about the process of finding the timeless, universal elements of DOGTOWN: DEATH AND ENCHANTMENT IN A NEW ENGLAND GHOST TOWN (Free Press). East explores the enigmatic past that makes this area - 3,000 abandoned acres in Gloucester, MA – so fascinating while structuring her story around a senseless 1984 murder that occurred there. She also explores the area’s unique background, which is steeped in early American history. After the American Revolution, when crewmembers on a Revolutionary War privateering vessel vanished on the open sea, their destitute widows, who were believed to be witches, and former slaves sought shelter amongst the region’s decaying homes and giant boulders. Dogtown was then named for the dogs these women kept for protection. Additionally, East tells the story of the area’s pirates, ghostly apparitions, the witches and warlocks who still traverse the woods today, and the Bible-thumping millionaire who ran for President on the Prohibition ticket and carved Dogtown’s rocks with words to live by. Dogtown also inspired the innovative and influential writings of poet Charles Olson and the vivid paintings of Marsden Hartley.“This book is a wonder. I fell completely under its spell—Elyssa East does not merely reupholster the old bones of Dogtown, she plunges you headlong into the green mystery of this place; I loved the looking-glass chill of opening her book and finding myself in another world entirely. Dogtown is true literary sorcery, a portal to one of the strangest places in America.” —Karen Russell, author of St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. FREE!

Saturday, September 18 at 1pm
Erin Dionne and Kat Black: Writing as a Career Choice

Middle-grade authors Erin Dionne (THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET, Dial press, January 2010, ISBN 0803732988, $16.99) and Kat Black ( A TEMPLAR’S APPRENTICE – THE BOOK OF TORMOD, Scholastic Press, February 2009, ISBN 9780545056540, $17.99) will read from their books and will discuss writing as a career choice. This event is geared primarily toward the young adult, but all are welcome. FREE!

Saturday, September 18 at 1pm
Doug Stewart and THE BOY WHO WOULD BE SHAKESPEARE
*** at Salem Athenaeum 337 Essex Street***

Doug Stewart reads from and discusses The Boy Who Would be Shakespeare: A Tale of forgery and Folly (DaCapo Press, ISBN 978306818318 , March 2010, $24.95), which tells the true story of how a quiet, unremarkable, nineteen-year-old clerk almost pulled off the greatest literary hoax of all time. In the winter of 1795, a frustrated young writer named William-Henry Ireland stood petrified in his father’s study as two of England’s most esteemed scholars interrogated him about a tattered piece of paper that he claimed to have found in an old trunk. It was a note from William Shakespeare. Or was it? In the months that followed, Ireland produced a torrent of Shakespearean fabrications: letters, poetry, drawings—even an original full-length play. He’d hoped to impress his chilly, Shakespeare-worshipping father. Instead he caused a public sensation. No one had seen any of Shakespeare’s manuscripts before. Scholars, dukes, the future king, the poet laureate—people who should have known better—were thrilled by the boy’s discoveries. His play was greeted as Shakespeare’s lost masterpiece and staged before a tumultuous full house at London’s prestigious Drury Lane Theatre. The documents were forensically implausible, but the people who inspected them ached to see firsthand what had flowed from Shakespeare’s quill…and so they did. Doug Stewart is a freelance journalist who writes frequently about history and the arts for Smithsonian magazine. His articles have also appeared in Time and Discover. He lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

“A fascinating tale of forgery, greed, and deception. It’s the Catch Me If You Can of eighteenth-century London—gripping, fast-moving, and funny.”—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Vanished and Paranoia. FREE!

Saturday, September 18 at 3pm
Katherine Howe on Writing Historical Fiction

Bestselling author Katherine Howe (THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE, Voice Press, ISBN 978-1401341336, April 2010, $15.99) will discuss writing historical fiction. FREE!

Saturday, September 18 at 6pm
Maggi Smith Dalton and STORIES AND SHADOWS FROM SALEM’S PAST
*** at Phillips House 34 Chestnut Street ***

Historian Maggi Smith Dalton will read from and present a short illustrated talk on STORIES AND SHADOWS FROM SALEM’S PAST (History Press, ISBN 9781609490171, $19.99, September 2010). An influential maritime port during the colonial and federal periods and the long-ago home of noted author Nathaniel Hawthorne, this quaint New England city is widely popular today for its unique contribution to witch history and culture. Salem has many stories—famous architect Samuel McIntire’s reshaping of the city, T.S. Eliot’s deep roots in the community and, of course, séances and mystic healers from the psychic past. In this collection of intriguing tales based on her column, “Naumkeag Notations,” featured in the Salem Gazette, historian Maggi Smith-Dalton offers a melodic journey through the many cobbled avenues of Salem’s history.

Saturday, September 18 at 7pm
Thursday on Saturday: Thursday’s Theatre of Words & Music

Thursday’s Theatre of Words & Music presents an evening of poetry & music celebrating the creative process. Open mic to follow features.

About the performers:

Mignon Ariel King is a third-generation New Englander who has had a public library card since age 5. An alumna of Simmons College and former adjunct professor of English, Ms. King edits two online journals. Her first collection is The Woods Have Words (Ibbetson Street Press, 2009), part of the five-part, three-genre autobiography that she is currently revising. For more publications info, visit Making Poetry (http://www.mignonarielking.wordpress.com/).

Jack Scully is the co-founder, with Mike Amado, of The Poetry Showcase and Poetry: The Art of Words, two poetry venues in Plymouth, MA. He will bring you the poetry of the late Mike Amado, the ‘Spokenwarrior’ and maybe one of his own poems. Scully currently serves as the literary executor of Amado’s works. He has read Amado’s poetry as a feature reader at Greater Brockton Poetry and Arts, Boston National Poetry Month Festival, Main Street Cafe and Stone Soup Poetry. Mike Amado was a local poet and musician, known best for his ability to capture elusive emotions and experiences with words. He died in 2009, at age 33, after a long battle with kidney disease.
Fishwife Music musician/composer Sarah Eide and poet Jennifer Jean have collaborated on several genre defying musical works, ranging from art song to rock ballad, based on Jennifer Jean’s Fishwife Tales—an epic lyric sequence which details the life of a shape-shifting marine creature reminiscent of a siren, selkie or generic mermaid.

Sarah Eide has recorded and gigged with Paul Letendre, a Boston area musician; and, has collaborated with Korean songwriter Sang Lee, as a freelance lyricist. Sarah is the coordinator of Culture House, a bi-annual event in Boston which brings together nonprofits and musicians to inspire and empower youth to create a better world, and she is co-director of The Massachusetts Artists Collective. Her recent projects include completing a film score for the independent feature film, In Medias Res (produced by Strange Bela Films). She currently attends Berklee College of Music. For more information go to: www.saraheide.com.

Jennifer Jean is the author of In the War (Big Table Publishing Co., 2010); as well, her poetry, essays, literary interviews and reviews have been published in numerous journals, including: North Dakota Quarterly, Denver Quarterly, Awakenings Review, Santa Clara Review, Southern California Review, Caketrain, Relief Quarterly, The Wilderness House Review, Art Throb and Megaera; in 2001 she was the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Agnes Butler Award; and currently, she is Poetry Editor for the arts and lifestyle magazine Art Throb. Jennifer directs Thursday’s Theatre of Words & Music artist’s performance series in Salem, is the featured lyricist/poet for the art-song group Fishwife Music, and she teaches writing and literature at Salem State College. For more information about Jennifer, go to: www.fishwifetales.com.
FREE!

Sunday, September 19 from 10:00am-6:00pm
*** at Derby Square ***
MOCKINGBIRD Marathon

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, join us for a marathon reading of this best-loved classic. Authors, editors, bakers and bankers alike will read from this book until we’ve gone cover to cover! Stop in to hear your favorite passage, or bring a lawn chair and stay for the whole thing – this is a great family event. Starting us off at 10am will be author Brunonia Barry, and the following special guests: Laurie Chittenden (Editor, William Morrow/Harper Collins), Tavia Kowalchuk (Senior Marketing Director, Harper Collins) and Rebecca Oliver (Literary Agent, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment). In the case of rain, this event will be held at Coven Cafe, 281 Essex Street, Salem. FREE!

Sunday, September 19 at 11:00am
Readers & Writers, Be Nice!

Readers & Writers, Be Nice! Etiquette for Navigating the Worlds of Writers’ Groups, Publishing, Bookstores, and Book Clubs, with Lynne Griffin and Amy MacKinnon

Courtesy is a simple concept, but not one often considered these days. We’ve all seen the stories of writers publicly attacking their reviewers — both professional critics and Amazon reviewers. We’ve heard of readers who ask a bookseller’s recommendation and then buy the book off of said Amazon. And what to do about that one person in the writers’ group or book club who hasn’t a kind word to offer? *Sigh* This workshop will help both readers and writers avoid giving offense in what is the small world of books. Together, we’ll explore how to maintain professional boundaries while developing warm business relationships. We’ll define the art of giving critical feedback — whether in a writers’ group or book club — and receiving it. Do you blog or are you on Facebook or Twitter? Then you must learn how to avoid the hazards that can become obstacles to your career. And, please, let’s all discuss what we can do to better appreciate our treasured independent bookstores. FREE!

Sunday, September 19 at 1pm
Get Your Dog On (It)!! with Spencer Quinn

We hope that you and your four-legged friend will join mystery writer Spencer Quinn (pen name of that other fab mystery writer, Peter Abrahms) as he reads from his newest Chet and Bernie mystery, TO FETCH A THIEF (Atria, September 2010, ISBN 9781439157077, $25). Chet is a superlative P.I., as is his two-legged partner, Bernie, and Chet tells this latest tale of their exploits in his trademark enthusiastic manner. Bring along your canine pardner and join the “Chet look-alike” contest, or compete for best ears, best trick, or win as a look-alike for one of the series’ other doggy characters, like Iggy, Princess, or General Beauregard! Fun, prizes, and probably some mayhem – you don’t want to miss this! FREE!

 

Sunday, September 19 at 3pm
Corinne Demas and THE WRITING CIRCLE
*** at the Salem Atheneum 337 Essex Street***

THE WRITING CIRCLE (Hyperion/Voice, ISBN 9781401341145, July 2010, $23.99) is a tale of love, betrayal, and literature: the story of six members of an elite writing circle who share much more than their works-in-progress. They call themselves The Leopardi Circle. There’s Gillian, a beautiful, scheming, world-famous poet; Bernard, a pompous but lovable biographer; Virginia, a respected historian and the peacemaker of the group, who is also Bernard’s ex-wife; Chris, a divorced father and successful thriller writer; and Adam, the youngest of the group, an aspiring novelist who is infatuated with Gillian. Through their complicated relationships, these eccentric characters share their families (some have been married to and divorced from each other), their beds, and their histories (buried secrets have a way of coming to light). Reading followed by Q&A and book signing. FREE!

 

Two Ethan Gilsdorf Events!

Sunday, September 19 at 3pm
Ethan Gilsdorf on Writing Memoir

In this action-packed workshop, journalist, teacher and writer Ethan Gilsdorf (Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, Lyons Press, ISBN 9781599219943, September 2010, $14.95) covers the basics of writing a memoir, and will discuss both crafting personal essays and the challenges of the book-length memoir. He’ll provide writing exercises to hone your storytelling and memory skills, discuss some exemplary writers, and leave time for Q&A about the craft and marketplace for memoir. For all levels. $25 fee includes a coupon for 15% off the author’s book; whole-Festival pass available for $65.

Sunday, September 19 at 5pm
Ethan Gilsdorf and FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS

Ethan reads from this combination of memoir and sociological glimpse at the gaming world, takes Q&A, and signs books. Named a Must-Read Book by the Massachusetts Book Awards: “A readable and enlightening look at the gaming world, its various lore, arcana, and substrates, driven by the author’s candor and insight into one manifestation of a human need to ‘deny death and provide a vacation from everyday thought.’” FREE!

 

2010 Pulitzer Prize winning author Paul Harding and Tinkers
Tuesday September 21 at 7pm
at The Salem Athenaeum, 337 Essex Street Salem

$15, $10 for members, free for students; please register online at www.salemathenaeum.net, or contact info@salemathenaeum.net for more information.
Local author Paul Harding will launch the fall program season with a reading from Tinkers, his first novel and winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and numerous other accolades. Tinkers is about the legacy of consciousness and the porousness of identity from one generation the next. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, it is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature. Paul Harding has a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He has taught writing at Harvard University and the University of Iowa. Harding grew up in Wenham and currently lives with his family in Georgetown

“[An] outstanding debut… The real star is Harding’s language, which dazzles whether he’s describing the workings of clocks, sensory images of nature, the many engaging side characters who populate the book, or even a short passage on how to build a bird nest. This is an especially gorgeous example of novelistic craftsmanship.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Every so often (and this must happen to you too) a writer describes something so well -- snow, oranges, dirt -- that you can smell it or feel it or sense it in the room. The writing does what all those other art forms do -- evoke the essence of the thing. In this astonishing novel, Paul Harding creates a New England childhood, beginning with the landscape. And he does this, miracle of miracles, through the mind of another human being -- not himself, someone else." --Los Angeles Times

About Cornerstone Books

Cornerstone Books, located at 45 Lafayette Street in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts, is Salem's newest community bookstore. In addition to selling books, it is a place where neighbors and visitors can meet, exchange experiences, and energize their imagination. Open 7 days a week from 10am to 9pm, with extended hours in the summer on Friday and Saturday to 10pm, it is one of the finest merchandisers of books, games, music and entertainment in the North Shore. Customers are treated to a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere with fireplace and cozy seating. The store's amenities include free wi-fi for laptops, beverages and fresh baked goods for purchase, book discussion groups, author readings, lectures, children's hour, games and even live music. Cornerstone is available for hosting local business meeting or book clubs too.