Maynard's Book Fest April 12th!

The Friends of the Maynard Library will host the 3rd Annual Maynard Book Festival on Saturday, April 12 at the library. In past years, the festival has celebrated the written word by presenting writing workshops and acclaimed authors including Margot Livesey, Roland Merullo, B.A. Shapiro, Gregory Maguire, Andre Dubus III and Richard Russo. This year’s festival includes exciting events for all ages.

At 10:30, George O’Connor, creator of the popular New York Times bestselling series The Olympians will speak. O’Connor merges compelling text and lively graphics to retell the stories of Greek mythology to young audiences. The sixth and latest novel in the series features the exploits of Aphrodite and the genesis of the Trojan War.

This year’s writing workshop will be led by poet Jennifer Barber (Given Away) who, through exercises and examples, will examine the role of syntax in poetry. The workshop begins at 11:30 and participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch, as well as writing materials and two of their own poems. Space is limited, so those interested should register at the library’s Reference Desk or by calling 978-897-1010 x103.

The focus of this year’s panel discussion at 1:30 is the short story and other short forms. Panelists include Jennifer Haigh, whose acclaimed first story collection News from Heaven was published in 2014 after four previous novels. In her long career, Ann Hood has explored a wide range of literary styles, including the novel (The Obituary Writer), historical fiction for children (The Treasure Chest series), memoir (Comfort) and short stories (An Ornithologist’s Guide to Life). Most recently, she edited a collection of essays—Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting. C.B. Anderson is the author of award-winning short stories and essays; her first story collection River Talk will be published this month. The panel discussion will be led by Kate Burak, author of the novel Emily’s Dress and many short stories.

The finale of the festival will be a conversation between Rob Mitchell, founder of the Concord Festival of Authors, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Harding. Harding is the author of Tinkers (2009) and Enon (2013), which follow members of the Crosby family as they traverse dying, grieving and personal tragedy. Listening to any craftsman talk about his work is fascinating, but authors are especially observant and thoughtful and imaginative, so this discussion is sure to be insightful and thought-
provoking. 

Each author event will offer a question-and-answer session, followed by an opportunity to have books signed by the authors. Porter Square Books will be on hand with books for sale. Light refreshments will be served. See www.maynardpubliclibrary.org/mbf2014 for more details.

We're excited to have a special exhibit in the library's Roosevelt Room this spring. Called Made in Maynard, the show features selected works from 18 of the artists who have their studios at ArtSpace

. Maynard is so fortunate to have such a vibrant community of artists contributing to the cultural life of the town, and this exhibit is by and for them. To celebrate the artists and the show, ArtSpace and the Friends will host a reception from 5-7 pm on Thursday, April 10. Come enjoy the artwork and light refreshments with the artists.

There will be two great events for kids this year. First, for children who enjoy picture books, we'll be kicking off the installation of Maynard's new Story Walk. The idea behind Story Walk is to read a story as you walk around downtown, with each page of the book in a different shop window. For the inaugural story, Mr. Mark will lead a walking Story Hour starting at the library at 3:30 on Thursday, April 10. There's nothing Mark likes better than a good story (unless it's a parade!) and we're combining these into a single event.


For those of you who can't attend, the Walk will be up throughout April, and maps will be available for self-guided tours. We've had outstanding cooperation from downtown merchants and encourage you to stop in and shop as you read. Or read as you do your errands. Watch the library website for more information (coming soon).