Early April 2015 eNews

WELCOME TO OUR EARLY APRIL eNEWS

Hello to all of our fellow Twainiacs!  We had an incredibly busy February and March.  With the promise of warmth and Spring, we're gearing up for even more great things in April including a very special APRIL FOOL'S twist on our already twisted CLUE TOURS, a volunteer open house, free book events, and more.  We hope you will take a few moments to read about everything we have in store for you.  As we say here at The Mark Twain House & Museum, MARK your calendars!


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

 


CLUE Tours! - April Fool's Edition!

Wednesday, April 1. Tours step off every 15 minutes beginning at 7:00 p.m. Reservations required.


 

Play our live-action version of the classic game CLUE in the Mark Twain House. Our special, one night only April Fool's edition features some very unusual weapons and suspects--NOT what and who you'd expect! This hour long tour features SEA TEA IMPROV as the suspects--and all the murder, mayhem and merriment one would expect in a whodunit. Featured on the Travel Channel show Wackiest Tours! Generously sponsored by Webster Bank.


 

Reservations required. $22, $17 for MTH&M members, and $13 for children 16 and under. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.
 
 

BOOK/MARK: A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power with author Paul Fischer

Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 p.m.


A nonfiction thriller packed with tension, passion, and politics, author Paul Fischer's A Kim Jong-Il Production offers a rare glimpse into a secretive world, illuminating a fascinating chapter of North Korea's history that helps explain how it became the hermetically sealed, intensely stage-managed country it remains today.

 

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

 


BOOK/MARK -- Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away with author Rebecca Goldstein

Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.

 

Is philosophy obsolete? Are the ancient questions still relevant in the age of cosmology and neuroscience, not to mention crowd-sourcing and cable news? The acclaimed philosopher and novelist Rebecca Goldstein provides a dazzlingly original plunge into the drama of philosophy, revealing its hidden role in today's debates on religion, morality, politics, and science.  


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

 


 
 
 
 
 
 

"A Year Without God" with Ryan Bell

Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. Co-presented with the Yale Humanists

 

Ryan Bell is a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor who chose to spend 2014 living as an atheist.  He chronicled those 12 months on his blog Year Without God, and at the end of the year, announced in an interview with NPR that he no longer believes in God. He will discuss with Jacques Lamarre, Director of Communications and Programs at the Mark Twain House, this year of change. A program sure to be both challenging and fascinating for believers and nonbelievers alike.

 

Suggested donation: $10. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

The Trouble Begins at 5:30: A New Mark Twain Sweetheart

Wednesday, April 8, 5:00 p.m. wine and hors d'oeuvres reception; 5:30 p.m. talk

 

Kevin Mac Donnell, the renowned independent scholar and collector of Mark Twain memorabilia, who tends to produce a Twain blockbuster about once a year, unveils 2015's -- a new girlfriend for Mark Twain. Mac Donnell has uncovered documentation that makes it clear that Twain once had an infatuation -- well after the girl he later turned into "Becky Thatcher" and well before his beloved wife Livy -- that can be shown to have had a tremendous impact on his life and creativity.

 

The series is supported by Connecticut Explored magazine, Hot Tomato's restaurant. Big Dollar Liquors of Bristol, and The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum. ASL signing for the lectures is provided courtesy of students of the Interpreting 1 Class in Northwestern Connecticut Community College's Interpreter Preparation Program.  

 

Suggested donation $5.  Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MOuTH: Thrown for a Loop--Stories with Twists and Turns

Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.

 

This month's theme is inspired by the Wadsworth Atheneum's current exhibition about Coney Island. Come hear and tell stories on the theme "Thrown for a Loop--Stories with Twists and Turns" at The Mark Twain House & Museum's wildly popular storytelling series, The MOuTH, with WNPR radio personality Chion Wolf!  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. For tickets, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here. (Storytellers chosen for the lineup get in free.)

 
 

Volunteer Recruitment Open House

Monday, April 13, 10:00 a.m.

 

Join our sterling group of volunteers! The Mark Twain House & Musuem is currently looking for volunteers to help in various capacities within the museum. If you are looking for a challenging and engaging volunteer opportunity, The Mark Twain House & Museum might be the perfect match for you. 

We are always looking for volunteers and interns with the following skills:  

 

* Graphic design
* Videography and editing
* Record-keeping/filing
* Customer service

* Organizational skills

 

Join us for an open house for potential volunteers on Monday, April 13 at 10:00 a.m.  Stop by, have some complimentary breakfast (courtesy of

A'vert Brasserieand learn more.

 

 
 

Documentary Film Screening - 88 Days in the Motherlode: Mark Twain Finds His Voice

Thursday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum is proud to present the East Coast Premier of the exciting new documentary 88 Days in The Mother Lode: Mark Twain Finds His Voice. This film focuses on a previously under-studied and publicized aspect of the Twain Story; that the nearly three months he spent in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties in the winter of 1864-1865 were crucial for his transformation from Sam Clemens to Mark Twain. Well known Twain experts are interviewed in the documentary and reenactments were filmed on location in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. This beautiful and compelling film makes a valuable contribution to the Twain story. The producer will be present at this screening.

  

Suggested donation $5. Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 
 

PLUS: there are more events coming up in late April!  Check our website for details! 

  

 
THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING    (February 25 through March 25)
 


 

Gayle Anton

Gloria Bein

Daniel S. Blinn

Valerie Bryan

Dorothea Cardamone

Margery Chase

Angie M. Chatman

Candice Chirgotis

Elizabeth Colley

John Collins

Steve Courtney

Darren Dempsey

Keith A. & Sally S. Dobbins

Susan S. Gagliardi

Toni A. Gold

Marie Spratlin Hasskarl

Jim Hawkins

Robert S. Hopkins, Jr.

Cecily Isbell

Roger & Lynn Jacobs

David Jorgensen

Betty-Joan LaChapelle

Beverly LeConche

Elizabeth B. Leete

Joseph W. & Cheryl A. Maddaluno

Rodd Mantell



 


 

 


 

Casey B. McDougal

Ester S. McLane

John P. Murphy

Patrick & Annemarie Nadeau

MaryLou Narowski

Wendy Nelson

Edward J. & Virginia C. Owens

Leo J. Panetta

Elizabeth A. Perrin

Jack & Sandra Peterson

Diane Portman

Jennifer Radaskie

Richard J. Reinhart

Jane Reynolds

John B. Ricci, Jr.

Lisa Sandow

James Scroggins

Steven Silvester

Leslie Smith & Philip Wellman

Barbara Staples

E. Clinton & Bonnie Swift

Rick Wagner

Roy S. Walzer

Elaine Widmer & Tom Gruber

David A. Williamson

Sharon Wright


 


 

  
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS (February 25 through March 25)
 
INDIVIDUAL 


Judith E. Askey

Mr. & Mrs. David Baldacci

Craig & Annette Bolt

Chris Busch

The Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear Family Foundation, Inc.

John Dube

Anne L. Elvgren

J. David Haddox & Marsha McAllister

Anne M. Healey

Christopher Jennings

Herbert Klepper

Alan & Becky Kreczko

Dr. Cindy Lovell

Jeffrey & Donna Oller

Debra A. Palermino

Gregory & Camille Servodidio

E. Clinton & Bonnie Swift



 


INSTITUTIONAL 


The Colonial Lords of Manors in America


 

The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company


 

United Technologies Corporation


 


In Honor of Hal Holbrook's 90th Birthday


 

Center For Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College


 


 



 

  

 
 Make the most of your donation, be sure to ask your employer about matching gifts.



Writers' Weekend 2015!

April 17-19


 

Our Annual Mark Twain House Writers' Weekend is back for our 4th year! 

 

This year, our keynote speakers are Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of Devotion and Still Writing, and 

Random House employees Ann Kingman & Michael Kindness, hosts of the Books On The Nightstand podcast. 

 

Peek into the inner lives of the region's best writers; hone your craft with workshops on fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and storytelling; learn the publishing industry's secrets on pitching, agents, and publicity; meet other writers; and read your work aloud at our closing event. Of particular interest may be the Playwriting panel with acclaimed playwrights Neil LaBute, Christopher Shinn, and Mark St. Germain. 

 

Tickets are available for the whole weekend or just one day.  Become a better writer at the home of one of the best writers in American history--it's a weekend of inspiration and hard work, bound to get you on the right path to the next stage of your writing life. 

 

For reservations and more information, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

The schedule can be found here.

  

 

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum: Spring Writing Classes & Workshops

 

Be the writer you've always wanted to be-- study at the home of America's greatest writer!

 

6-Week Classes ($265):

Self Publishing

Humor

Fiction

Writing for the Web

 

4-week Class ($199):

Writing from found texts

Memoir

 

One-Day Workshops ($40):

Memoir

 

Don't miss out -- for the start dates and schedule of classes and workshops, or to register, please visit www.marktwainhouse.org or call (860) 280-3130.

 

Questions? Email [email protected].



 
MARK TWAIN STORE 
FEATURED ITEM OF THE MONTH

A LIFETIME WITH MARK TWAIN: The Memories of Katie Leary, for 30 Years His Faithful and Devoted Servant

 

This book recalls how 24-year-old Katy Leary was hired by Samuel Clemens and his family in 1880, and for the next 30 years she worked as their seamstress, nursemaid, nanny, and lady's maid. According to Clemens family friend and author Mary Lawton, Leary "seemed so a part of the household - so vital and yet so unobtrusively a factor in the life of the family." 


Pick one up in the store or order online here. $24.95



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 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 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, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

 

David Cash, Publicist and Publications Editor

The Mark Twain House & Museum