Thursday, September 30. 2010
“Historian Bill McKone brings to light the life of Captain John Lonergran, Vermont’s Irish Rebel, a single most important Vermont Irishman of his generation. Lonergan's life weaves through the great events of the mid-nineteenth century Irish-American experience", says Vincent E. Feeney, author of Finnigans, Slaters and Stonepeggers: A History of the Irish in Vermont. Originally from south Texas, Bill McKone lives in northern Vermont at the foot of Mount Mansfield. The combination of his own Irish heritage, a deep interest in the Civil War, an MA degree in military history, five years residence in Canada, and a taste for Jameson whiskey convinced him that Lonergan's tale should be told. Join us, hear the story of this man’s history, and take home the book.
Thursday, September 23. 2010
For Morgan, The Typewriter Is Holy: The Complete, Uncensored History of the Beat Generation, Ginsberg was the locomotive for the group of travelers, addicts, loiterers, and seekers that came to be known as “beats” and who would act as catalyst for the late 1950s beatniks, as well as the social movements of the 1960s. The essential On the Road manuscript consisted of attached papers fed through Kerouac's typewriter like a roll of paper in an early word processor printer. Readers gain knowledge of the legendary lives and loves of this motley crew that changed the world. Morgan chronicles the mid-twentieth-century writers known as the Beats. During 1944–59, they produce three “holy” books of Beat—Ginsberg’s Howl, Kerouac’s On the Road, and Burroughs’ Naked Lunch— an important literary phenomenon of post-WWII America. Spend an evening listening to their journey and take home as signed copy of this central book about the period.
Thursday, August 19. 2010
Born in Germany, a retired film editor, Walter’s poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Barrow Street, and many others. A resident of New York City, Walter has summered in Vermont for many years. The American Book Review said of his poetry collection, The Jew’s Harp, “These are poems of an open spirit toward God and His people.” The book is a remarkable celebration of family, of tradition, and of living through terrible and wonderful times. The obvious themes are love and survival. The controlled lyric and narrative voice of the poems is that of a son, and grandson, speaking about his father, mother, wife, children and grandchildren; they speak of the agony of loss and the joy of retrieval; they speak of journeys, from Hitler's Germany, to Ecuador, to safety in America, and a new life. Join the celebration with this wonderful poet, and take home a copy of this amazing collection of his work.
Thursday, August 12. 2010
Kings or the Earth, a powerful and haunting story of life, death, and family in rural America, is hailed across the boards as a brilliant work by the likes of Publishers’ Weekly, Oprah Magazine to lead her list of popular summer reads this year, the Washington Post and the LA Times. Vermont author of the brilliant first work, Finn: A Novel, Clinch has hit an amazing and brilliant home- run with his second work. Oprah calls it, “A masterful and compassionate novel…” Publishers Weekly says, “this quiet storm of a novel will stun readers with it’s power.” Compared by many to the works of William Faulkner, the Rutland Herald said, “…Faulkner might well agree.” Two Briggs Carriage book sellers have each created staff picks for this novel. Come prepared to meet a Vermont writer about to enter the realms of the most important American writers of our times. Put this book at the top of your summer reading list!! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the author and to take home a signed book.
Thursday, July 15. 2010
In April 1775, a small band of men set out from Hartford and traveled swiftly north toward the shore of Lake Champlain, recruiting men to their expedition along the way. Within only a few days, this loyal group of volunteers arrived in Vermont and, joining forces with Ethan Allen and his legendary Green Mountain Boys, launched a daring attack to capture more than one hundred cannons stored at Fort Ticonderoga. Richard Smith, in his book, Ethan Allen and the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga: America's First Victory, traces the Patriots’ route. He chronicles the rival expedition led by Benedict Arnold, his confrontation with Allen and the surprise attack that changed the course of the American Revolution. He reminds us that Brandon’s Stephan A. Douglas’ great grandfather play a key role in this history. Richard B. Smith has created historical maps and self-guided history tours. Richard Smith earned degrees in engineering and management from Lehigh University and an advanced degree in economics from Columbia University. He and his wife reside in Manchester, Vermont.
Thursday, July 8. 2010
Noise is usually defined as unwanted sound. But as Garret Keizer illustrates in his probing new book, The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want, noise is as much about what we want as about what we seek to avoid. It is a byproduct of human striving since ancient times. Noise provides a key for understanding some of our most pressing issues, from social inequality to climate change. In a journey from the Tanzanian veldt to the streets of New York, Keizer deftly explores the political ramifications of noise, America's central role in a loud world, and the environmental sustainability of a quieter one. Garret Keizer is a free lance writer, a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine, and a recent Guggenheim Fellow. He is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed Help and The Enigma of Anger. His essays and poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, The Best American Essays, and The Best American Poetry. He lives with his wife in northeastern Vermont.
Thursday, June 24. 2010
Mental health columnist, Chelsea Lowe, and Bruce Cohen (psychiatry, Harvard Univ.), team up to address the needs and concerns of those who are involved with someone who has bipolar disorder. Living with Someone Who’s Living with Bipolar Disorder is an essential resource for anyone who has a close relationship with a person who is bipolar. The authors use non-technical language to describe all aspects of diagnosis, treatment options, and day-to-day issues. Numerous vignettes of couples, told from the non-bipolar partner's point of view, personalize the narrative and also make clear how varied the symptoms can be. Specific advice is offered and excellent resources are provided for all aspects of diagnosis, treatment, communication and coping. Chelsea Lowe writes about health, beauty, interpersonal communication and other topics, and is equally comfortable writing fiction, lyrics and intricate verse. Her essays and features have been heard on National Public Radio and seen in TV Guide, Newsweek, the New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe Magazine and many other places.
Thursday, June 17. 2010
Up Tunket Road: The Education of a Modern Homesteader chronicles the seven years the author and his wife lived without electricity or running water in an old cabin in the remote hills of western New England. Slowly forging their own farm and homestead, they took inspiration and were guided by their Vermont neighbors, who taught them what it means to live sustainably – not only to survive, but to thrive. This is a tale of discovery that will resonate with those who yearn for a better, more meaningful life. Philip is a professor at Green Mountain College, where he established the college farm and sustainable agriculture curriculum and is the Director of the GMC Farm & Food Project. This is a book you will want to have signed and take home with you.
Thursday, June 3. 2010
Deborah Lee Luskin has been writing about Vermont life, past and present, since relocating from New York City in 1984. She is a regular commentator for Vermont Public Radio. Her new novel, "Into the Wilderness", is both a love story and a testament to the endurance of the human heart. In 1964, Rose Mayer buries her second husband and wonders what she's going to do with the rest of her life. Reluctantly, she visits her son at his summer place in Vermont where there are neither sidewalks, Democrats nor other Jews. There is, however, the Marlboro Music Festival. It's there that she meets Percy Mendell, a born and bred Vermonter who has never married, never voted for a Democrat, and never left the state. Philip Baruth, author of The Brothers Boswell, says of the book, "Luskin's heroine Rose Mayer is an honest to God miracle." Join us for a wonderful evening with Deborah Lee Luskin!
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