Spirit of '76 Events

JULIA GLASS's new novel, THE WIDOWER'S TALE, on sale the day of this event! (Spirit)

CliffG — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:20:11 -0400

Start: 7 September 2010 - 10:00am

Tuesday, September 7, 10–noon
Coffee and pastries will be served.

From the National Book Award-winning author of The Three Junes, The Whole World Over and I See You Everywhere comes a rich and powerful tale about the multigenerational loyalties, rivalries, and secrets of a family, inhabitants of a complacently prosperous world where no one is immune to unexpected change.

In a quirky farmhouse outside Boston, 70-year-old Percy Darling enjoys a vigorous but mostly solitary life until, in a complex scheme to help his oldest daughter through a crisis, he allows a progressive preschool to move into his barn. The abrupt transformation of Percy’s rural refuge into a lively, youthful community compels him to reexamine the choices he’s made.

Publisher’s Weekly calls The Widower’s Tale “thought-provoking, and immensely satisfying,” and in Booklist’s starred review they said “Elaborately plotted and luxuriously paced, Glass inquisitive, compassionate, funny, and suspenseful saga addresses significant and thorny social issues with emotional veracity, artistic nuance, and a profound perception of the grand interconnectivity of life.”

JOHN N. MORRIS, author of Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen, 1623-1939 (Spirit/Abbot)

CliffG — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:18:05 -0400

Start: 21 September 2010 - 6:30pm

Tuesday, September 21, 6:30 pm at Abbot Public Library
Lecture followed by Q&A and book signing

Two fishermen huddle in a 13-foot dory, with miles of open ocean around them. Buffeted by spray and wind, they drop baited fishing lines into the choppy water, hoping to catch enough cod, haddock or halibut to support their wives and children far away on land. At any moment a freak wave or sudden storm could sweep them away. Yet they love their work, hard though it is, with a passion as deep as the ocean itself.

Such was the life of the Gloucester, Massachusetts, dorymen, a life beautifully and meticulously researched by John N. Morris, the grandson of a doryman lost at sea six years before he was born. His new book, Alone at Sea: Gloucester in the Age of the Dorymen (1623–1939), is the culmination of 10 years of intensive research, sparked by a personal quest to learn more about his grandfather. Beautifully written and illustrated, Alone at Sea is the most complete and compelling history of Gloucester fishing ever written.

Using diaries, business records and interviews with surviving dorymen, Morris paints an indelible portrait of a key New England industry from its emergence in the 17th century to its decline in the 20th century. With a glossary of fishing terms and meticulous records of vessels and men lost at sea since 1693, Morris’ book is a valuable resource for maritime buffs and historians, families of fishermen and anyone interested in a good yarn about life on the sea.

Town-Wide Sidewalk Sales and Fall Festival (Spirit)

CliffG — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:17:10 -0400

Start: 25 September 2010 - 9:00am

Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26

While you are making your rounds to decorate pumpkins and catch a hayride around town, be sure to stop by and check out our sidewalk sale: books, cards, and bargains!

MAGGI SMITH-DALTON signs copies of the brand-new "Stories and Shadows from Salem's Past: Naumkeag Notions"

CliffG — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:06:13 -0400

Start: 25 September 2010 - 3:00pm

Saturday, September 25, 3–5pm

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.

Maggi Smith-Dalton is a frequent lecturer on the integration of humanities and the arts and on American music and history. She has given lecture and performance programs at colleges and universities and in numerous professional-development courses for educators and teachers in all grade levels. She is founding president of the Salem History Society and cofounder and artistic director of the American History and Music Project. Since 2006, she has written the history column "Naumkeag Notations" as well as arts and culture feature articles for the Salem Gazette.

LOCAL AUTHOR EXTRAVAGANZA! (Spirit)

CliffG — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:39:47 -0400

Start: 26 September 2010 - 3:00pm

Sunday, September 26th from 3–5pm at the bookstore

Come meet over 20 local authors, whose book subjects span from travel writing to poetry to children’s books to how-tos! This event is running during Marblehead’s annual Fall Festival, so stop by and check out our town’s literary talents as you make your way through Fall Fest activities!

Participating authors:

Bonnie Bishop, Local Habitation
Michelle Berg, Miss Mandy Manners
Deahn Berrini, Milkweed
Christopher Burns, In Sorrow All Our Days
Ben Esakof, The Lost Egg
Flo Goodman, Something Healthy To Eat
Paul Hare, Moncada
Bob Hoffman, Very Best Jokes of the Century
Jennifer Jean, In the War
Karen Jones, Men Are Great
Ejyo Katagiri, Let’s Get To Know the Playgrounds of the North Shore
Cathryn Mcintyre, Honor in Concord
Laura Plunkett, Challenge of Childhood Diabetes
Katie Reilly, Nobody’s Daughter
Alan Rosenfeld, Autumn’s Hold, Poetic Visions
John Michael Saraceno, Tempo: Heartbeat of the Golf Swing
Janet Spurr, The Beach Chair Diaries
Dorothy Stephens, Kwa Heri Means Goodbye

GORDON CURTIS: "Well-Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships" (Spirit/Abbot)

CliffG — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:25:16 -0400

Start: 29 September 2010 - 6:30pm

Wednesday, September 29, 6:30 pm at the Abbot Public Library Meeting Room

Gordon Curtis discusses and signs copies of Well-Connected: An Unconventional Approach to Building Genuine, Effective Business Relationships.

In this groundbreaking book, you will learn how to achieve your goals by selectively engaging the right people in business and connecting well with them. Networking maven and coach Gordon Curtis explains that the secret to building truly effective relationships is to narrow — rather than widen — your network. His proven system for building key relationships, the Right Person-Right Approach method, delivers results every time. Filled with success stories, Well Connected provides an accessible playbook for sophisticated business people who know there’s a better way to connect with the right people to get things done better and faster.

In-Store Fundraiser for the Marblehead Community Charter Public School! (Spirit)

CliffG — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:30:27 -0400

Start: 17 October 2010 - 6:00pm

Wednesday, November 17 from 6–8pm

During these two hours, we will donate 20% of all sales to the MCCPS! Come get a head start on your holiday shopping, while also supporting a great cause!

ELLEN FITZPATRICK: Letters to Jackie (Spirit/Abbot)

CliffG — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:34:59 -0400

Start: 20 October 2010 - 6:30pm

Wednesday, October 20, 6:30pm
Abbot Public Library Meeting Room
235 Pleasant Street, Marblehead

The assassination of President Kennedy is perhaps the most memorable moment of the 20th century — a moment that left a family and a nation in mourning, a moment that many recall as their first historical memory. Within seven weeks of the President’s death, Jacqueline Kennedy received over 800,000 condolence letters. Two years later, the volume of correspondence would exceed a million and a half letters. And for the next 46 years, the letters would remain essentially untouched. In Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation, Ellen Fitzpatrick culls about 250 of these extraordinary letters into three parts: Americans’ vivid recollections of November 22, 1963; their views on politics, society and the office of the Presidency; and personal experiences of grief and loss. Fitzpatrick’s Letters to Jackie is the first book to ever examine this extraordinary collection of letters and to create an incredible portrait of the nation’s grief from such a cross-section of American life.

Ellen Fitzpatrick, a professor and scholar specializing in modern American political and intellectual history, is the author and editor of six books and has appeared regularly on PBS’s “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.” She received her PhD in history from Brandeis University and has been interviewed as an expert on modern American political history by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, Washington Post, CBS’s “Face the Nation,” and National Public Radio. The Carpenter Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire, where she has been recognized for Excellence in Public Service, Fitzpatrick lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

Photo of Ellen Fitzpatrick by Lisa Nugent

ELYSSA EAST discusses Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town (Spirit)

CliffG — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:12:50 -0400

Start: 23 October 2010 - 4:00pm

Saturday, October 23, 4pm

Elyssa East discusses Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town, which will be released in paperback on October 12!

The area known as Dogtown — an isolated colonial ruin and surrounding 3,000-acre woodland in seaside Gloucester, Massachusetts—has long exerted a powerful influence over artists, writers, eccentrics, and nature lovers. But its history is also woven through with tales of witches, supernatural sightings, pirates, former slaves, drifters, and the many dogs Revolutionary War widows kept for protection and for which the area was named. In 1984, a brutal murder took place there: a mentally disturbed local outcast crushed the skull of a beloved schoolteacher as she walked in the woods.

In this award-winning debut, Elyssa East evocatively interlaces the story of the grisly murder with the strange, dark history of this wilderness ghost town and explores the possibility that certain landscapes wield their own unique power. Winner of the 2010 L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award in nonfiction and named a Must-Read Book by the Massachusetts Book Awards, Dogtown takes readers into an unforgettable place brimming with tragedy, eccentricity, and fascinating lore, and examines the idea that some places can inspire both good and evil, poetry and murder.

Elyssa East received her BA in art history from Reed College, and her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts where she was the recipient of three prestigious fellowships. Her writing has been published in New England regional magazines, and she was a nonfiction reviews editor at Publishers Weekly. From 2006 to 2009, she coordinated KGB’s Faculty Selects reading series in conjunction with Columbia’s MFA program. East lives in New York City.

Our 9th annual HALLOWEEN PARTY (Spirit)

CliffG — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:17:00 -0400

Start: 30 October 2010 - 4:00pm

Saturday, October 30, 4–6 pm at the bookstore*

A bookstore tradition! Come in costume and listen to us regale you with spooky, spine-tingling stories! The perfect way to kick off your Halloween weekend.

*Don’t forget to stop by for some snacks during the Town-Wide Trick or Treat on Thursday, October 28 from 4–6 pm

PHYLLIS KARAS: An Actor and a Gentleman (Spirit/Abbot)

CliffG — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:13:34 -0400

Start: 3 November 2010 - 6:30pm

Wednesday, November 3, 6:30 pm at Abbot Public Library

Swampscott resident Phyllis Karas is the author of nine books, including four young adult novels and two coauthored memoirs about Whitey Bulger and the South Boston Irish Mob. Karas’s latest book, An Actor and a Gentleman, is the coauthored memoir of famed African American stage and screen actor Lou Gosset Jr.

Karas will discuss her experiences as an author and answer questions about working with the extremely diverse group of people she has teamed up with over the course of her writing career. There will be copies of all of her books for sale during this event.

In addition to this event, Phyllis Karas and Lou Gosset Jr. will be speaking at the JCC on Sunday, November 7 at 5 pm.

PAJAMA SALE (Spirit)

CliffG — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:19:18 -0400

Start: 20 November 2010 - 6:00am

Saturday, November 20, 6–10 am

Our most popular event of the year! Stop by between 6–10 am (yes, AM!) in your pajamas and receive 20% off of everything you buy! Complimentary coffee and donuts will be served. This is a great way to get a jump on your holiday shopping!