Mid-October 2014 eNews

OUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR!


 

 

Don't miss out!  Please visit TwainMarkMyWords.com for information and tickets. 


 

 

Sponsors include The Hartford, Wish You Well Foundation, Progress: A Digital Agency, Hoffman Auto Group, Hartford Steam Boiler & Inspection Company, Reid & Riege, P.C. and Pullman & Comley, LLC; with additional support provided by Candlewick Press, R. J. Julia Booksellers, Nelson DeMille, and Bauman Rare Books.

 


 


OCTOBER EVENTS

For more details on any of our events, please visit our website.


BOOK/MARK: Picture The Dead with Lisa Brown

Tuesday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.

 

Lisa Brown's book Picture the Dead is aimed at the young-adult audience, but adults will find much to like, too.  We will discuss her book and maybe even tease out a few stories from Lisa about growing up in West Hartford and insights into life with her husband, Mr. Lemony Snicket. 

Picture the Dead tells the story of Jennie Lovell. Her life is the very picture of love and loss. First she is orphaned and forced to live at the mercy of her stingy, indifferent relatives. Then her fiance falls on the battlefield, leaving her heartbroken and alone. Jennie struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, but is haunted by a mysterious figure that refuses to let her bury the past.

 

This is a free event.  Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130.



Belle Film Screening and Talk-Back at the Wadsworth Atheneum

Thursday, October 16, 6:30 p.m. reception; 7:00 p.m. introduction of film

 

Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of British Admiral John Lindsay and an enslaved woman. Sent to live with her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield, she is treated "almost" as one of the family, becoming good friends with her cousin Lady Elizabeth, and enduring the initial discontent of Lady Mansfield. Belle, together with an idealistic young vicar's son bent on changing society, help shape Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England. Film to be followed by a moderated discussion. Presented in collaberation with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the Amistad Foundation, and the Wadsworth Atheneum.

 

Admission: $9; $8 for seniors and students with ID.; $7 for members. Purchase tickets online at TheWadsworth.org or call (860) 838-4100 Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 

 

A Look at Modern Witchcraft with Miss Faith, Founder of Enchantments Center for the Magickal Arts and Witch Shoppe

Friday, October 17, 7:00 p.m.

 

We've all got a little magic in us! Join us as we welcome Miss Faith for a bewitching evening on the history of witchcraft and its current state in our world today.  You'll also learn some of the tricks of the trade from a witch who runs her very own school!

 

Tickets are $15. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

BOOK/MARK: A Conversation with Colm Toibin about Nora Webster

Saturday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.

 

From one of contemporary literature's bestselling, critically acclaimed and beloved authors, comes a magnificent new novel set in Ireland, about a fiercely compelling young widow and mother of four, navigating grief and fear, struggling for hope. Set in Wexford, Ireland, Colm Toibin's superb seventh novel introduces the formidable, memorable and deeply moving Nora Webster. Followed by a book sale and signing. 

 

This is a free event.  Reservations are recommended. Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

The Logbooks: Connecticut's Slave Ships and Human Memory with Anne Farrow

Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 p.m. at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

 

The Logbooks follows the forgotten, disturbing and fascinating tale of the state's role in the slave trade by examining brittle, 19th-century logbooks that have long lain neglected in archives.  But Anne Farrow has done more than provide this major historical investigation, which in itself would be an achievement. She links the fact that the story was forgotten to an exploration of human and collective memory in America. She also evokes a personal trial -- her and her family's efforts to cope with her mother's advancing dementia. Steve Courtney, a local historian and author who worked with Farrow in some of the early stages of her slavery projects, will moderate.


 
This is a free event. Reservations are recommended.  Please call (860) 522-9258, ext. 317.


 

BOOK/MARK: Penguin Book of Witches with Katherine Howe

Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m.

 

Katherine Howe will discuss her brand new book The Penguin Book of Witches, which includes chilling real-life accounts of witches, from medieval Europe through colonial America. From a manual for witch hunters written by King James himself in 1597, to court documents from the Salem witch trials of 1692, to newspaper coverage of a woman stoned to death on the streets of Philadelphia while the Continental Congress met, The Penguin Book of Witches is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends. Followed by a book sale and signing.

 

This is a free event.  Reservations are recommended.  Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

  


An Evening with Noam Chomsky

Friday, October 24, 7:00 p.m., at Immanuel Congregational Church, 10 Woodland Street (directly across the street from the Twain House)

 

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator and activist. Sometimes described as the "father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy. He has spent most of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is currently Professor Emeritus, and has authored over 100 books. He has been described as a prominent cultural figure, and was voted the "world's top public intellectual" in a 2005 poll.  The Author Series is sponsored by The Hartford.

  

Tickets are $30/$25 for MTH&M members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

  

Tom Sawyer's Tricks and Treats

Saturday, October 25, 2:00 p.m. 

 

Bring the family for an afternoon of Halloween fun as we host the inaugural Tom Sawyer's Tricks & Treats. Be amazed by magic tricks! Have a laugh with author Artie Bennett, author of Belches & Burps & Farts, Oh My!, Poopendous and The Butt Book!  Also, have a great time with author Jeff Cohen, author of Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut Ever!  Enjoy a spooky performance by the Mark Twain Players! Costumes encouraged for trick or treating at Mark Twain's house, too! 

 
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 16 and under. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

Capital Classic's performance of DRACULA

Tuesday, October 28, and Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. each evening

 

Get a little batty in the creepy basement of The Mark Twain House with this radio theatre performance of Bram Stoker's blood-sucking Dracula! Watch as the performers and a sound effect specialist put on a show made for radio right in front of your eyes (while covering your neck).  Note that the Wednesday, October 29th 7 p.m. performance of DRACULA will be ASL interpreted for the hearing-impared community.

 

Tickets are $20 / $15 for MTH&M Members. Call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 



FALL WRITING WORKSHOPS & COURSES 

Get creative this fall! 

 

 

Intro to Self-Publishing: A 4-Week Course with Patrice Fitzgerald

Starting Monday, October 20, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, $199

Tired of waiting and waiting to hear from agents, editors, and publishers-as you jump through hoops hoping to get your work traditionally published?  An exciting new alternative is to dive in and publish yourself.  This course will take you through the steps for putting your writing out there NOW.  We'll talk about editing, formatting, and choosing a cover, and conclude by actually pushing the button and publishing your story on Amazon. Ideally, participants will have a short story, novel, or other work ready to go.  If not, you can simply publish a "test book" to learn how.

 

 

Songwriting: A Saturday Afternoon Writing with Donna Martin

Saturday, November 8, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, $40

Although there are many components to songwriting, the focus of this class will be on lyric writing. We will cover meter and form, rhyme schemes, strong starts and development techniques. Skills of clarity, the use of imagery and metaphor will also be included. It will be helpful if students come prepared with several ideas about what they'd like to write about. There will be time to create a lyric and then share it in a caring workshop setting to explore how the work can be further developed. Students will need to bring their own writing materials.

 

 

 

For more information about any of these writing programs, please visit the Events section of our website here.

 

To register for any of these writing classes and workshops, please call (860) 280-3130 or email Julia Pistell, Director of Writing, at [email protected].

  

 



 

 

For more information, please visit the Events section of our website and click on 'November,' or call Sarah Hawkes at (860) 280-3112.  Early bird ticket prices expire on October 17!


 

 


 

A DAY OF CARING WITH THE HARTFORD

 

 

 

On Thursday, September 11, a team of volunteers from The Hartford spent a day helping out in the gardens at The Mark Twain House. They did an amazing job and the gardens look better than ever! 

 

"Our team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to support The Mark Twain house as part of The Hartford's Day of Caring on September 11. The museum staff and volunteers helped us feel welcome and went out of their way to show appreciation for all our efforts in the gardens. We came away feeling productive, but also more closely connected with our colleagues, proud of our local heritage and history, and inspired in so many ways. We appreciate you sharing this opportunity with our team and your great partnership with The Hartford," said one of The Hartford's volunteers.

 


From our friends at Hartford Stage...


 

 


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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