The 2026 Clifford W. Burgess Fall Author Night

Author Wally Lamb and Rebecca Eaton

September 24, at Vinegar Hill

SAVE THE DATE! The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library in Kennebunkport is pleased to once again partner with Vinegar Hill for this special evening with Wally Lamb and Rebecca Eaton.

Doors open at 5:30 for the purchase of drinks, and books. The program begins at 6:30.

Wally Lamb, author of seven New York Times bestselling novels, three of which—She’s Come Undone, I Know This Much Is True, and his most recent novel The River Is Waiting—were Oprah’s Book Club picks. Lamb will read and discuss his writing at 6:30 p.m. on September 24 at Vinegar Hill Music Theatre in Arundel.

Lamb will be interviewed by Rebecca Eaton. Eaton took the helm of the PBS series Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! in 1985 and later oversaw a highly successful relaunch of Masterpiece which attracted a new generation of viewers to a long string of hits highlighted by Downton Abbey, the most-watched drama in PBS history.

This second Clifford W. Burgess Author Night is hosted by the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library in Kennebunkport, Maine and is open to the public. Clifford Burgess was a civic leader in Kennebunkport in the 1980s whose memory lives on with his family’s generous support. These annual fundraising events feature nationally recognized, popular authors. All proceeds from ticket sales and event sponsorships support the library’s essential operations.

I Know This Much Is True, a family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness, was adopted for an HBO miniseries starring Mark Ruffalo in a dual role as twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey. Ruffalo’s performance won him a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Lamb’s other popular novels include I’ll Take You There, We Are Water, Wishin’ and Hopin’, and The Hour I First Believed. He also edited Couldn’t Keep It to Myself and I’ll Fly Away, two volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women’s prison in Connecticut, where he was a volunteer facilitator for twenty years.

Lamb taught English at Norwich Free Academy, where he created and directed the Connecticut school’s Writing Center. He also taught creative writing in the English Department at the University of Connecticut. Lamb lives in Connecticut with his wife, Christine, and they have three sons.

Tickets for Wally Lamb will be available online at vinhillmusic.com in late April.

This is a popular fall event that sells out quickly, so buy your tickets today!

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, housed in an historic 19^th century building located near Kennebunkport’s famous Dock Square town center, is a full-service free library whose mission is “to enrich the lives of all we serve.” A nonprofit organization, Graves Library receives 60 percent of its operating budget from donations and other fundraising sources.

Thank you to our sponsors: Clifford W. Burgess, Vinegar Hill, Kennebunk Savings, Bergen Parkinson Attorneys, Colony Hotel, Louise Hurlbutt, and Octopus Books

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: CLIFFORD W. BURGESS/2026 Fall Author Night

He Loved His Family, His Town, Graves Library, and Roller Coasters

Clifford W. Burgess’ memory lives on with his family’s generous sponsorship of the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library’s October event with award-winning author Adam Higginbotham.

Clifford Wilson Burgess quickly became a man about town when he retired as president of a large, successful photo engraving company in western Massachusetts and moved to Kennebunkport fulltime
in 1974. He and his wife, Mary, had been vacationing in Maine since 1968. Clifford had a great many passions and interests. He became deeply involved in town politics, becoming a member of the town’s Planning Board for nine years and a member of the Select Board for six years. He was also active on the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library board and the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust.

But it was Clifford’s quirky nature that endeared him to the town’s residents. He was a self-styled Anglophile and was well known in town for walking his Airedale, Rocky, around his neighborhood sporting a tweed jacket. A graduate of Bard College, he was an omnivorous reader and a lifelong student of English history and architecture. He and Mary lived in a Tudor-style cottage that was known as The Shakespeare House. In retirement he became an accomplished oil painter, and many of his paintings grace the homes of family members and friends. Clifford had a distinctive laugh, what some might call a giggle. He loved to watch (and rewatch) The Three Stooges, giggling the whole time.

Clifford had strong opinions about things, and wrote frequent letters to the local newspapers, often disagreeing with elected officials and the other powers that be. He knew about literature, architecture, history, and politics, and he brought those subjects to bear in his lively missives. To combat the debilitating effects of acute arthritis, Clifford was always on the move, walking his dog, riding one of his several racing bikes, or swimming with friends several days a week in Dover, New Hampshire.

But to those who knew him well, one of his most charming traits was his love of roller coasters. Over the years, Mary would drive him all over so he could ride the biggest and the best roller coasters
America had to offer. He rode each roller coaster twice—one trip in the front seat and one trip in the back seat. Two completely different experiences he would tell you, a “rode scholar” on the subject.