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Author talks Kennebunkport

AUTHOR VISIT – REVEREND DR. RUSSELL J. LEVENSON, JR. – JUNE 26

Priest, Pastor, and Friend…We are delighted to share the news that Reverend Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., will be here on Monday, June 26 @ 5:30 pm to talk about his personal relationship with George H.W. and Barbara Bush.  Witness to Dignity, recently published by Center Street Books, details Reverend Levenson’s intimate relationship with the former president and his wife. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing after the discussion.  Light refreshments will be served.  Parking is available at Consolidated School (Route 9), Maine Street, and the Village Fire Station (North Street).

 

“George and Barbara Bush belonged to and were active members of a Houston church for more than 50 years. The rector of that church, Reverend Russell Jones Levenson, Jr., believes he was invited into private moments with these public individuals so he could serve as a witness: a witness to observe, and a witness to tell.  With never-before shared correspondence, experiences, and personal stories, Levenson offers new insight into the Bushes’ wit and wisdom; their commitment to family and friends; their tireless desire to bless the lives of others; and their steadfast loyalty to their church, their faith, and their God. Before embarking on writing this book on faith, Levenson sought and received the blessing of all the Bush children, including the 43rd president.  This book is for readers who yearn for our public officials to serve with faith and integrity like the Bushes. But above all else, this book shows how powerful it is when world leaders are humbled before the power that rests above all powers.”

The Reverend Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., and his wife Laura, live in Houston, Texas where he has served as Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church since 2007.  With nearly 10,000 members, St. Martin’s is the largest Episcopal Church in North America.  Levenson co-officiated and offered a homily at the state funeral for President George H.W. Bush in Washington, D.C., and in Houston, and also officiated and preached at the funeral for First Lady Barbara Bush in Houston.  President and Mrs. Bush belonged to and were active members of St. Martin’s for more than 50 years.

AUTHOR TALK WITH HUMORIST AND ESSAYIST ANDY YOUNG – OCTOBER 6, 2022

Join us on Thursday, October 6th at 6:00 pm for Works in Progress: An Author Talk with Humorist and Essayist Andy Young. Andy Young’s recent book, Work(s) in Progress is comprised of a series of essays delivered with humor and wit, which cover a range of topics, from snow removal etiquette to high school sports to dreams, education, grudges, vengeance, and 24-letter alphabets. Andy is an English teacher at Kennebunk High School and has written essays that have been published in nearly a dozen different newspapers in New England. Call (207) 967-2778 for more information.

A SPECIAL EVENT WITH WILLIAM MARTIN – IN HONOR OF OUR VETERANS

In honor of Veteran’s Day, New York Times best-selling author William Martin will join us for a special author talk on Saturday, November 19th at 3:30 pm to discuss his newest title, December ’41, released in May 2022.

About December ’41:

“From New York Times bestselling author William Martin comes a WWII thriller as intense as The Day of the Jackal and as gripping as The Eye of the Needle. In December ’41, Martin takes us on the ultimate manhunt, a desperate chase from Los Angeles to Washington, D. C., in the first weeks of the Second World War.

On the day after Pearl Harbor, shocked Americans gather around their radios to hear Franklin Roosevelt declare war. In Los Angeles, a German agent named Martin Browning is planning to kill FDR on the night he lights the National Christmas Tree. Who will stop him? Relentless FBI Agent Frank Carter? Kevin Cusack, a Hollywood script reader who also spies on the German Bund of Los Angeles, and becomes a suspect himself? Or Vivian Hopewell, the aspiring actress who signs on to play Martin Browning’s wife and cannot help but fall in love with him?

The clock is ticking. The tracks are laid. The train of narrow escapes, mistaken identities, and shocking deaths is right on schedule. It’s a thrilling ride that will sweep you from the back lots of Hollywood to the speeding Super Chief to that solemn Christmas Eve, when twenty thousand people gather on the South Lawn of the White House and the lives of Franklin Roosevelt and his surprise guest, Winston Churchill, hang in the balance” [MACMILLAN].

Tickets for this very special Veteran’s Day author event are available on Eventbrite  for $10. The ticket price includes the author discussion and a wine and cheese reception. All proceeds benefit the Graves Library – we thank you for your support! Please call (207) 967-2778 for more information. 

PASCO LECTURE SERIES – WESLEY MCNAIR

THE PASCO LECTURE SERIES PRESENTS
A CONVERSATION WITH WESLEY MCNAIR

Please join us on Sunday, October 30 at 2:00 pm for a conversation with poet, writer, editor, and professor, Wesley McNair. Wesley will be discussing his newest work, Late Wonders: New & Selected Poems, which will be released in September 2022. Late Wonders “is a collection for anyone who believes mixing a little sorrow and little comedy makes for poetry that moves the heart.” [GODINE].

The Pasco Lecture series is sponsored by the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, Kennebunk Savings Bank, and the Graves Library snack team.  This event is free to the public.  Copies of the book can be purchased through Graves Library or Fine Print Booksellers (Dock Square).  Call (207) 967-2778 for more information.

 

BOOK SIGNING WITH GIOVANNA AND ANITA MCBRIDE

Join us on August 1st at 10:00 am for a very special “pop-up” book reading and signing with Giovanna (Gigi) McBride, author of Gigi at the Whitehouse!, and her mother Anita McBride, former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush!

Gigi at the White House! is based on Gigi’s real-life experience. It was written for early readers and follows Gigi on many adventures exploring the White House at the Easter Egg Roll, Fourth of July, Halloween, and Christmas. Gigi at the White House! is included on First Lady Laura Bush’s 2022 Summer Reading List for Kids. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at the event.

For more information about the White House Historical Association, visit this link.

ANNUAL AUTHOR EVENT WITH DAVID MARANISS – SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

The Trustees of the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library are pleased to announce their Annual Author Event to be held at the Kennebunk River Club from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 29, 2022.  This year’s fundraising event will feature award-winning author and journalist, David Maraniss. The evening will begin with a wine reception, followed by a discussion between David Maraniss and Peter Slen, Senior Executive Producer at C-SPAN. A book signing of David’s newest title, A Path Lit by Lighting, will follow the reception and discussion.  Tickets are $60/each (non-refundable), and are available for purchase at the Library (18 Maine Street), or online via Eventbrite. Ticket sales close the day before the event, on Wednesday, September 28th at 3:00 pm.

For tickets, click HERE.

 

David Maraniss is a New York Times bestselling author and associate editor at The Washington Post. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and was a finalist three other times. Among his bestselling books are biographies of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Roberto Clemente, and Vince Lombardi, and a trilogy about the 1960s. He currently lives in Washington D.C. and Madison, Wisconsin.

For more information about David Maraniss, visit his website.

Here is what people are saying about David’s latest book, A Path Lit by Lightning: 

“In different hands I might be dubious, but David Maraniss revives the titanic Jim Thorpe for a new generation with a surgeon’s care, the diligence of a great researcher, and the poignance and humanity that is the signature of his writing. Path Lit By Lightning is a masterful look at this country’s first super-athlete, unflinching from what conquest did to his people, from the rousing and bittersweet journey of fame and identity, nor from an American century often far less heroic than the book’s protagonist. It’s simply brilliant.”

– Howard Bryant, author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron

“Goes beyond the myth and into the guts of Thorpe’s life, using extensive research, historical nuance and bittersweet honesty to tell the story of a gifted and complicated man. . . . Maraniss’ biography does justice to the struggles and triumphs of a truly great man.”

– Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times

“A sensitive and compelling life of the great, ill-treated athlete Jim Thorpe. . . . Racism was a powerful element in Thorpe’s life, and Maraniss explores this topic with insight and nuance, just as he did in his biography of Roberto Clemente. . . . A tale that, though well known in outline, Maraniss enriches with his considerable skills as a writer and researcher.”

– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

 

 

 

 

We are very grateful to our Sponsors Spinnaker Trust, Fine Print Booksellers, Kennebunk Beach Realty, Cider Mill Press, Mutasia, Inc., and Rosemary and Billy Shore, for helping to make this event possible!  We would also like to thank our In-Kind donors – The Kennebunk River Club, Kitchen Chicks Catering, Hurlbutt Designs, Schooner Eleanor, So-Po Wine Co., The Wine House on Main, Wallingford Farm, and Maine & Vine.

 

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION

Join us for some coffee and conversation with Senior Vice President of Penguin Random House Doubleday Books, New York City, New York.  Todd is the author of Little Pieces of Hope, a book that is brimming with the pleasures of life, inspiring listeners to look for and celebrate the good things that surround us!   And January 14th just happens to be Todd’s birthday!  Let’s support his work and celebrate his big day accordingly.  Todd will also share with us pub alerts to look for in 2022.

This will be a Zoom Event.

 

 

Please call the Library to get the link or email the director:  mlbgraves@gmail.com.  Anyone signing up for this event will get a copy of Little Pieces of Hope to keep!