Mid-June 2014 eNews

JUNE EVENTS

For more details on all our events, please visit our website.

 

 

Author Rachel Swarns: American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama 

Tuesday, June 17, 7:00 p.m. at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

 

A remarkable history of First Lady Michelle Obama's mixed ancestry, American Tapestry by Rachel Swarns is nothing less than a breathtaking and expansive portrait of America itself.  In this extraordinary feat of genealogical research--in the tradition of The Hemmingses of Monticello and Slaves in the Family--author Swarns, a respected Washington-based reporter for the New York Times, tells the fascinating and hitherto untold story of Ms. Obama's black, white, and multiracial ancestors; a history that the First Lady herself did not know.  Followed by a book sale and signing.

 

This is a free event, but reservations are suggested. Call (860) 522-9258, Ext. 317.

 

 

BOOK/MARK: The Happy Atheist with author PZ Myers

Wednesday, June 18, 7:00 p.m. 

 

On his popular science blog, Pharyngula, PZ Myers has entertained millions of readers with his infectious love of evolutionary science and his equally infectious disdain for creationism, biblical literalism, intelligent design theory, and other products that he feels demonstrate "godly illogic". This funny and fearless book collects and expands on some of his most popular writings, giving the religious fanaticism of our times gleeful disrespect by skewering the apocalyptic fantasies, magical thinking, hypocrisies, and pseudoscientific theories advanced by religious fundamentalists of all stripes.  Followed by a book sale and signing.

 

This is a free event, but reservations are suggested. Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 
 

 

The MOuTH with Chion Wolf: "Fame"

Friday, June 20, 7:30 p.m.

 

 

Come hear stories on the theme The Fame & The Fame-ish at The Mark Twain House & Museum's wildly popular storytelling series, The MOuTH, with WNPR radio personality Chion Wolf. The special guest this month is Deven Green, internet sensation for her videos ("Welcome To My..." on YouTube) and hilarious personality Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian. The event is in no way a competition, just storytelling in front of friends in a museum dedicated to Mark Twain, one of our country's best storytellers.  

 

$5.00. Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

  


Deven Green: Electric Ukulele Lounge Act - In Concert!

Saturday, June 21, 7:00 p.m.  

 

Deven Green, the star of Betty Bowers: America's Best Christian and the infamous Welcome to My... parody videos on YouTube, brings her electric ukulele lounge act to the Mark Twain Museum Center. Join us for one of the funniest, most subversive comediennes working today. Check out her videos by searching online for "Betty Bowers" and "Welcome to My Home" to get a taste of the hilarity in store.

 
$25 / $20 for members. Please call (860) 280-3130 for more information & ticketing. Or, click here for tickets.

 

 

 

BOOK/MARK:  

The Gay Christian Conundrum - 

Three Authors Discuss Their Journeys 

Tuesday, June 24, 7:00 p.m.

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum and the Hartford Seminary invite you to a talk about faith and homosexuality with three authors who have written books on the subject: Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God; Justin Lee, author of Torn: Rescuing The Gospel From the Gays-vs.-Christian Debate; and Chris Stedman, author of Fathiest: How An Atheist Found Common Ground With The Religious.   

 

This is a free event, but reservations are suggested. Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

 

Mac Griswold author of The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island

Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

 

The Manor is the biography of a uniquely American place that has endured through wars great and small, through fortunes won and lost, through histories bright and sinister - and of the family that has lived at the manor since its founding as a Northern slave plantation three and a half centuries ago. Sylvester Manor had been held in the same family for eleven generations.  Based on years of archival and field research, as well as voyages to Africa, the West Indies, and Europe, The Manor is at once an investigation into forgotten lives and a sweeping drama that captures our history in all its richness and suffering. Followed by a book sale and signing.

 

This is a free event, but reservations are suggested. Call (860) 522-9258, Ext. 317.

 

  

Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours

Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. 

 

We reprise our popular Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours for some summer fun. The Mark Twain House has been featured on Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters and the Biography Channel's My Ghost Story. On these tours participants will hear about these investigations -- and learn about Mark Twain's own interest in the supernatural. Filled with haunted history, dark tales and Victorian traditions surrounding seances and spiritualism, these nighttime tours are as educational as they are goosebump-inducing. They sell out fast, so be sure to call soon to make your reservations!  Tsponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions.

 

$22, $17 for members, and $15 for children 16 and under (recommended ages 10 and up).  Please call (860) 280-3130 for more information & ticketing, or click here.

 

  


DON'T MISS OUT!

 

THE ROYAL NONESUCH HUMOR WRITING CONTEST

 

"Against the assault of Laughter nothing can stand." -- Mark Twain

 

Welcome to The Mark Twain House & Museum's Inaugural Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Contest for writers of all ages from all corners of the globe!  

  

Recognizing that Samuel Clemens (aka: Mark Twain) began writing at an early age and to encourage other young authors, we welcome submissions for two categories: 

  • Adult (age 18 and over at time of submission) at $22 per submission, and
  • Young Author (age 17 and under at time of submission) at $12 per submission.

Celebrity Judges for Adults are: Roy Blount, Jr., Colin McEnroe, and Lucy Ferris.

  

Celebrity Judges for Young Authors are: Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever, and Jessica Lawson, author of The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher.

  

Submit your original humorous essays and stories for a chance at a cash prize, the opportunity to meet bestselling authors at our annual "Mark My Words" event, and best of all - bragging rights! 

 
DEADLINE is July 1
More information here.

 


WRITING WORKSHOP

  

Writing About Animals & the Natural World 
with Megan Mayhew Bergman 

 

Saturday, June 28, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

 

This workshop will discuss how to translate inspiration and obsession into essays, stories, and op-eds. It will focus on how to avoid common pitfalls when writing about animals, and how to push past tired observations on the natural world and instead create compelling work that is insightful and moving.

 

 

This workshop costs $40.

For more information, please visit www.marktwainhouse.org and click on Events. 

For tickets, please call: (860) 280-3130 or click here for online tickets.

 

 


JULY WRITING COURSES FOR TEENS

 

Fiction for Teens with Leslie Connor (for ages 14-17)

July 14-17, 5:00 to 7:00 PM

 

Inspired By: Using Actual Events to Spark Fiction with Steven Parlato (for ages 14-17)

July 14-17, 5:00 to 7:00 PM

 

Writing Your Identity with Erin McNamara (for ages 11-14)

July 21-24, 5:00 to 7:00 PM

 

Critiquing Your Writing with Lauren Baratz-Logsted (for ages 14-17)

July 21-24, 5:00 to 7:00 PM

 

Fee is $120.00 for each course and is non-refundable (service fees apply).  Each course meets for 4 consecutive days at the Mark Twain Museum Center.  For more information, please click here.

 

 


Jeff Nichols and Fran Gordon at the dedication of her garden at the Mark Twain Museum Center in 2010

In Memory of

Frances Gordon, 


Founder of the Friends of the Mark Twain House

 

Fran Gordon, 1924-2014

 

Those who were lucky enough to respond to Fran Gordon's standing invitation - a glass of wine at 4:00, almost any afternoon - were immediately beguiled by her. A stylish and elegant beauty, full of fire, her health kept her frustratingly isolated in her home, but she loved nothing more than to hear stories of the Mark Twain House, and then come back with decades more from her own vast supply. She'd tell, for example, how when the Sheraton came to town in 1970, the hotel chain said it would like to do something for a local charity, and as head of the Women's Committee, she immediately wrote to the CEO and told him about the Mark Twain House. She proposed that the Mark Twain House Women's Committee - now the Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum -- be the first to use the new hotel's ballroom for a benefit fashion show. "I got back the nicest letter saying 'Yes!'" she said, and before you knew it, there was Tom Sawyer Pub in the hotel, with Becky Thatcher barmaids. In 2014, she was still voicing her strong opinions about the doings at the Mark Twain House, and about what it could be doing better.

 

It was a blow to learn that Fran, who came to Hartford in 1945 for a three-month job, "fell in love with the city, and never left," had left us at last on May 24. (The quote is from her lively Hartford Courant obituary.)  How could this glorious woman not be here? But she's not really gone -- Visit her garden next to the patio at the Mark Twain House Museum Center and see how the irises, in full vibrant bloom, are celebrating her life and gifts. - Steve Courtney

 

Funeral services will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 679 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford on Saturday, June 14, at 11 a.m., and will be followed by a reception and celebration of Fran's life at the Town and County Club, 22 Woodland Street, Hartford.

 

 


JOIN The Mark Twain House & Museum!

 

Enjoy the special insider benefits of membership in The Mark Twain House & Museum. And there's the sheer joy of being part of the legacy of Mark Twain, whose wit and insight remain alive today in 2014 -- over 150 years after Sam Clemens took on his famous pen name and entered history.

 

Submit our easy-to-use, secure online membership form or simply call 860-280-3112.

 

Make a DONATION Today!

 

Your donation to The Mark Twain House & Museum has a major impact on our ability to preserve this beautiful home, provide crucial educational programs for thousands of schoolchildren, offer mind-stimulating and spine-tingling events for adults, and welcome thousands of visitors each year. 

 

 ...and make your donation count double: Find out if your employer has a Matching Gift program.

 

Donate online, call 860-280-3112, or send your donation to: The Mark Twain House & Museum, Development Department, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06105.

 

Join the FRIENDS!

 

The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum offer wonderful speaking events, social gatherings, and fun volunteer opportunities. Pony up $30 and you'll get it all, too!

 

It's the volunteer organization that has supported the museum for more than 50 years. To join, call Membership Co-Chairs Chuck Paydos, 860-242-4825, or Dee Peters, 860-233-4066.

 

 

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum has restored the author's Hartford, Connecticut, home, where the author and his family lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote his most important works there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. In addition to providing tours of Twain's restored home, a National Historic Landmark, the institution offers activities and educational programs that illuminate Twain's literary legacy and provide information about his life and times. The house and museum at 351 Farmington Ave. are open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. For more information, call 860-247-0998 or visit us online. Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

 

David Cash, Publicist and Publications Editor 

Mark Twain House & Museum

 

 

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