NEW ENGLAND AUTHOR KRISTIN BAIR

New England Author Kristin Bair

As part of the Patsy Bray Mahoney Lecture Series, we are pleased to welcome author Kristin Bair to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Friday, February 13, at 2:30 p.m. Ms. Bair will read from her new book and discuss the writing process. Kristin Bair writes fiercely—and humorously—about women navigating (peri)menopause, marriage, motherhood, the mental load, and identity. Her fourth novel, “Clementine Crane Prefers Not To”, tells the story of a woman radicalized against the patriarchy by her very first hot flash. She also wrote “Agatha Arch Is Afraid of Everything” (a People magazine Best New Book), “The Art of Floating”, and “Thirsty”. Kristin teaches in the MA in Writing Program at Johns Hopkins University and at the Yale Writers’ Workshop, and is a fiction editor at Pangyrus, a literary magazine. A native Pittsburgher, she now lives north of Boston with her husband and two kids. To learn more, visit her website at kristinbair.com.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 207-967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

AUTHOR JUDITH STILES

Join us in welcoming author Judith Stiles to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Friday, May 15, at 2 PM. She will be here to read from her new book, “Hush Little Fire”. Secrets implode, and generations of lies boil over into deadly consequences when a suspicious fire breaks out on Cape Cod. This enthralling and darkly humorous debut novel of long-buried truths will captivate readers. Ms. Stiles writes essays, fiction, and news articles for the Italian publication Ytali Global, covering all things American. Her short stories and literary essays can be found in Europa Quotidiano, Hemingway Shorts, Kenyon Review (honorable mention), Room (first place, creative nonfiction competition 2024), The Ex-Puritan, and The New York Times. She lives with her partner in crime, who helps clean up the house when their 3 kids, Julia, Jane, and Johnny, come to visit.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 207-967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

AUTHOR KATE FLORA – SEPTEMBER 20 AT 2:00 PM

As part of the Patsy Bray Mahoney Lecture Series, we are pleased to welcome Kate Flora to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Saturday, September 20, at 2:00 p.m. Ms. Flora will read from her latest book, Those Who Chose Evil and talk about the writing process.

Kate Flora’s fascination with the darker side of human nature began in the Maine attorney general’s office, where she encountered everything from deadbeat dads to child abusers to discriminatory employers. This exposure ignited her curiosity about what drives people to cross moral and legal lines. Now the author of twenty-eight books across crime fiction, true crime, memoir, and nonfiction, Flora’s works have earned her a finalist spot for prestigious awards like the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Derringer. She has twice won the Maine Literary Award for crime fiction, taken home the Public Safety Writers Association award for nonfiction, and received lifetime achievement honors from both the New England Crime Bake and the Maine Crime Wave.

As the president of her local chapter of Sisters in Crime and a founder of New England Crime Bake and Maine Crime Wave, Flora plays a significant role in the crime writing community. Her latest works include Teach Her a Lesson, a gripping domestic suspense novel, Burn the Diaries and Run, a political thriller, and Those Who Choose Evil, the ninth installment in her gritty Joe Burgess police procedural series. When she’s not crafting dark, suspenseful stories, she divides her time between Massachusetts and Maine, finding joy in gardening, cooking, and watching the clouds. Learn more at www.kateclarkflora.com

Refreshments will be provided by the Graves Library Snack Team. Copies of the book will be for sale and signing after the program. The Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine. Please call the library at 207-967-2778 with any questions. Additional parking is available at the Fire Department Parking Lot (North Street).

We hope you will join us for this very special afternoon.

AUTHOR STEVE HREHOVCIK ~ JULY 10, 10:30 AM

Maine author Steve Hrehovcik will be here to read his book “The Rabbit Said to the Bird” on July 10 from 10:30-11:30 AM. Told in playful verse and brought to life with vivid illustrations, this enchanting story invites readers to imagine what animals might discover—not only about themselves, but maybe even about someone they know. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine St, Kennebunkport. For more information call 207-967-2778.

FATHER/SON AUTHORS’ TALK WITH STEVE & JOSH HREHOVCIK ~ APRIL 30 @ 5:30 PM

Writers Steve Hrehovcik and Josh Hrehovcik present a “Father/Son Authors’ Talk” at the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library in Kennebunkport on Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 PM. Steve Hrehovcik will discuss his writing career, along with his many excursions pursuing a life in the theater, highlighted in his book Rebel Without a Clue – A Way-Off Broadway Memoir.

Josh Hrehovcik, who has published nine photo books, covering the area from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Portland, Maine, will reveal a “miracle” that gave him a renewed enlightening perspective on what’s possible in life.

One of Steve Hrehovcik most recent writing projects is a movie script The Ghost of Barnacle Island, which is in the early stages of production. It tells the story of a young, gifted computer expert who outsmarts a ghost who has been guarding a treasure buried on Barnacle Island by the pirate Captain Kidd 300 years ago. While they start out rival, as they experience some exciting adventures, the young lad and ghost become great friends.

Each one of Josh Hrehovcik’s books features an extraordinary collection of hundreds of photographs that range from scenic ocean views, lighthouses, seasonal themes, historic buildings and signage, along with lighthearted commentary descriptions throughout each book.

Books will be available for purchase with signed copies by the authors.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine St, Kennebunkport. For more information call 207-967-2778.

NEW ENGLAND AUTHOR – JESSICA SHATTUCK – MAY 17 @ 3:00 PM

As part of the Patsy Bray Mahoney Lecture Series, we are pleased to welcome Jessica Shattuck to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Saturday, May 17 at 3:00 pm. Ms. Shattuck will read from her latest book Last House (William Morrow, May 2024) and talk about the writing process.

Jessica Shattuck is The New York Times Bestselling author of the novels Last House (William Morrow, May 2024), The Women in the Castle (William Morrow 2017), a New York Times Bestseller, #1 Indie Next Pick, and winner of The New England Book Award; Perfect Life (W.W.Norton 2009) and The Hazards of Good Breeding (W.W.Norton 2003) which was a New York Times Notable Book, a Boston Globe Editor’s Choice Best Book of the Year, and a finalist for the 2003 PEN/Winship Award. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Guernica, Glamour, Open City, and The Tampa Review among other publications. Her other writing has appeared in The New York Times, LitHub, Electric Literature, Wired, The Believer Magazine, and The Boston Globe. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three children.

Refreshments will be provided by the Graves Library Snack Team. Copies of the book will be for sale and signing after the program. The Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine. Please call the Library (967-2778) with any questions. Additional parking available at Kennebunkport Consolidated School (Route 9) and Fire Department Parking Lot (North Street).

We hope you will join us for this very special afternoon.

IN CONVERSATION WITH MAINE AUTHORS BILL ROORBACH AND SARAH BRAUNSTEIN- MARCH 1 @ 2:00 PM

THE PATSY BRAY MAHONEY LECTURE SERIES PRESENTS – BILL ROORBACH AND SARAH BRAUNSTEIN

We are so excited to welcome two terrific Maine authors to Graves Library on Saturday, March 1 @ 2:00 p.m. Bill Roorbach and Sarah Braunstein will be here to talk about their latest works and what it takes to be a successful author in Maine. These two novelists who are old friends first will reunite for an afternoon to make us laugh, cry, ask questions, and get our books signed!

Bill Roorbach is the author of eleven books, most recently the novels Beep, Lucky Turtle, and The Remedy for Love.

His Maine-based nonfiction includes Temple Stream and Into Woods. He’s won two Maine Literary Awards and—this just in—a 2025 Pushcart Prize. Beep is the thoroughly grownup story of a Costa Rican Squirrel Monkey who is smuggled to NYC by an adventurous tween named Inga. Mayhem ensues, but together they will save the world!

Sarah Braunstein is the author of two novels, Bad Animals and The Sweet Relief of Missing Children (both from W. W. Norton).

Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, AGNI, Ploughshares, The Harvard Review, The Cincinnati Review, The Sun, and in other publications. Her first novel was the winner of the Maine Book Award for Fiction and a finalist for the first novel prize from the Center for Fiction. She has been the recipient of a “5 Under 35” fiction award from the National Book Foundation and a Rona Jaffe Writers Award. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. She is associate professor of English and creative writing at Colby College. Bad Animals is a masterclass on reading as writing, character-building, and the craft in general. A meta-narrative depicting the small-town librarian, Maeve Cosgrove, who loses the job she loves more than anything due to the accusations of a complex teenage patron, the novel is a sophisticated exploration of storytelling.

Light refreshments will be provided by the Graves Library Snack Team. Copies of books will be available for sale and signing after the discussion.

The Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046. Parking is available on Maine Street, Consolidated School (Route 9) and the Village Fire Station (North Street). Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

LOCAL AUTHOR FREDERICK BOYLE

Genealogy expert and Maine resident, Frederick Boyle will be at the Graves Library on Wednesday, June 12 at 6:00 p.m. to talk about his new book Early Families of Kennebunkport, Maine. Copies of the book will be for sale after the presentation.

A bit about Fred:

He was a retired teacher after thirty years at Lexington (MA) High School, where he was designated a master teacher. In recent years, he returned to teaching classes at York Senior College both in the classroom and on Zoom. In 1985, he took what had been a hobby to a professional level becoming a genealogist with a wide spectrum of clients, also giving workshops at the Springvale Public Library. With a lifetime love of theater, he joined the Sanford Maine Stage Senior Theater in the early 2000s. His greatest role was that of Ebenezer Scrooge in the musical production of Scrooge with a Twist. At 91, he found himself emoting, singing, and even dancing. Cheers for living into the nineties and the chutzpah to take on some big challenges!

AUTHOR BARBARA WALSH

Maine Author Barbara Walsh

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barbara Walsh will discuss her new book “Spencer: Boston’s Beloved Marathon Dog,” a story of hope, inspiration, and a dog who lit up the world with his love on Thursday, April 25, at 3:15 PM. With a heart as big as the Boston skyline, Spencer gained worldwide fame as the beloved Boston Marathon dog. For eight years, the golden retriever cheered for thousands of runners in the cold, freezing rain, even as he recovered from cancer. Spencer began rooting for Boston Marathon runners in 2015. At Mile 3, Spencer held his Boston Strong flags, inspiring athletes and fans to be brave and never give up. Honored as the marathon’s official race dog in 2022, Spencer grew so famous that runners lined up to hug and photograph their loyal fan.

The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org.

STARS FROM CORONA KITCHEN – LISA LUCAS and DEBRIANNA MANSINI – APRIL 21 @ 2:00 PM

A POP-UP VISIT WITH TELEVISION CELEBRITIES LISA LUCAS AND DEBRIANNA MANSINI

The Stars of Corona Kitchen (Lisa Lucas and Debrianna Mansini) will be here at Graves Library on Sunday, April 21 @ 2:00 PM. These ladies know that good food and good stories are like a warm, healing hug. Add seasoning with a dash of hilarious personal anecdotes, and the troubles of the day seem to fade.

Outspoken television pros Lisa Lucas and Debrianna Mansini shared their kitchens, hearts, anxieties, and good humor as they broadcast their culinary adventures during the pandemic lockdown and the dark days that followed. In the process, they connected with a hungry audience that spans the globe. In That Time We Ate Our Feelings : 150 Recipes for Comfort Food from the Heart, Lisa and Debrianna share their most beloved dishes along with never-before-shared creations and top-voted dishes by members of the Corona Kitchen community. The result is a colorful and cathartic read with warming, judgment-free mouthwatering recipes that prove a good meal heals all.

This quirky, hands-on cookbook features original recipes for all means of the day, plus snacks, side dishes, cocktails and mocktails, and options for vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets. It is guaranteed to meet you where you are, no matter if you are stressed, sad, thriving, or nostalgic. All you have to bring to the table is yourself!

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing after the event. The Graves Library Snack Team will provide light refreshments. Please call the Library for more information on this event (207-967-2778). Parking is available along Maine Street, the North Street Fire Station Parking Lot, and Consolidated School (Route 9).

The Graves Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine. Please enter through the white door in the Parking Lot.

Author events in Kennebunkport