Early June 2015 eNews

Tom Sawyer Becky Thatcher
Let's hope Tom and Becky don't forget their tickets next time they visit!
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 "Thomas Sawyer, where were you on the seventeenth of June, about the hour of midnight?"
 
  
Hello, friends!

Spoiler alert! Those of you who have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer already know that Tom was in the old graveyard with his pal Huckleberry Finn. Do you remember what happened next?
 
I'm happy to say that the 6th grade students at Isaac E. Young Middle School and the 7th grade students at Albert Leonard Middle School - both in New Rochelle, New York - can provide the answer to that question. The residents of New Rochelle are reading Mark Twain's classic as part of The Big Read, and I recently gave a keynote at the New Rochelle Public Library along with assemblies and teacher workshops at both schools. In fact, on June 10 we will welcome a busload of visitors from New Rochelle who want to tour the beautiful house where Mark Twain wrote this classic.
 
If you're in the mood for Tom Sawyer but don't have time to read the book right now, join us on June 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for our own Tom Sawyer Day here at the Mark Twain House. In keeping with our travel exhibition, our theme this year is Tom Sawyer Abroad, and we will be welcoming two very special visitors all the way from the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri: Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher!
 
This free event will include pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, games, arts & crafts, the Mark Twain Players from Hartford Stage, food trucks, and plenty of fun for all ages.
 
Please find me and say hello!
 
Cindy


A Conversation with Best-Selling Author James Patterson

June 17, 7:30 p.m.

 

Continuing The Mark Twain House & Museum's tradition of presenting some of the best-selling authors of all time (Stephen King in 2013 and Dan Brown in 2014), it's a pleasure to announce that James Patterson will be appearing in Hartford to benefit for the museum.

 

James Patterson is the world's best-selling author since 2001 and has over 300 million copies of his books in print. The New York Times Magazine hailed him as having "transformed book publishing," and Time magazine has called him "The Man Who Can't Miss."

 

It's a rare on-stage appearance for Patterson, who will engage in conversation with WNPR's Ray Hardman, and a special opportunity for his many fans.This incredible event will take place right across the street from The Mark Twain House at Immanuel Congregational Church, 10 Woodland Street, Hartford. Free parking is available in the parking lot at The Mark Twain House & Museum and in the church's Woodland Street lot.

 

Ticket prices are $60 / $50 for members of The Mark Twain House & Museum. There will be a limited number of $175 VIP tickets available that include a pre-event reception at the Town and County Club (22 Woodland Street, Hartford--right next door to Immanuel Congregational Church) with an opportunity to meet James Patterson; premium VIP seating at the event; and a pre-signed copy of one of James Patterson's books.  

 

Purchase tickets by calling (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

This event is generously supported by The Hartford

 


EARLY JUNE EVENTS 

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

BOOK/MARK - The Twain Shall Meet: The Mysterious Legacy of Samuel L. Clemens' Granddaughter, Nina Clemens Gabrilowitsch with author Susan Bailey; moderated by Jeff Mainville

Wednesday, June 3, 7:00 p.m.


 

Did Mark Twain's only surviving child, Clara, and her daughter, Nina Clemens Gabrilowitsch, take a life-long secret to their graves? After extensive research, and using techniques from genetic genealogy, The Twain Shall Meet authors believe the answer is a resounding "yes."  If you thought you knew everything about Samuel Langhorne Clemens' family, this book will be a page-turning eye opener. This work of nonfiction takes the reader on a mesmerizing and heartwarming journey into the tangled universe of mother-daughter relationships as co-authors Susan Bailey and genealogist and historic researcher Deborah Gosselin seek to uncover the identity of Bailey's mother-a quest that leads them straight into the heart of Clara's and Nina's world.


This is a free BOOK/MARK event and is followed by a book sale and signing. Reservations are highly recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

Tom Sawyer Day: Adventures Abroad

Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum presents its annual, family activity Tom Sawyer Day  -- this time with a international twist as "Tom Sawyer Day: Adventures Abroad."  Mark Twain was well known for his international travels.  His first book was The Innocents Abroad. And he wrote a sequel to his autobiographical novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer called Tom Sawyer Abroad.  The Museum's 2015 exhibition is "Travel is Fatal To Prejudice: Mark Twain's Journeys Abroad," chronicling Twain's adventures around the globe, making this the perfect opportunity to bring your kids on a worldwide adventure. The free event will include pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, games, arts & crafts, the Mark Twain Players from Hartford Stage, food trucks, and much more fun & entertainment! Plus, we have Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher coming all the way from Hannibal for the 3rd year in a row! Discount tours of the Mark Twain House will be available at $10 for adults and seniors and $5 for children. 


 

Tom Sawyer Day is generously supported by the Farmington Bank Community Foundation, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America, Trustee.

 

 

This is a free event.

 


CitySingers of Hartford: LEGENDS OF TWAIN--Quips, Quotes & River Songs!

Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7 at 4:00 p.m. each day

 

In two performances at the Mark Twain House & Museum's Lincoln Financial Auditorium, CitySingers of Hartford will present Legends of Twain: Quips, Quotes & River Songs! giving snapshots of Mark Twain's life through a blend of music, narrative and drama. Twain's writings that reflect his life and times in Hartford and beyond will be enriched by CitySingers' performance of river songs and music that Twain heard and especially enjoyed. Also featured will be a the moving Civil War anthem "Maryland, My Maryland," a reading from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and spirituals associated with the Underground Railroad, a cause" close to home" for Twain and his neighbor Harriet Beecher Stowe. ...And to make the scenario complete, John Pogson, nationally known impersonator of Twain, will deliver a running commentary of famous quips and quotes from the literary legend himself!

 

Tickets are $10 / $7 for students and seniors. Free for members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or visit our website for online ticketing/reservation options.



NOOK FARM AUTHOR TALK - The Power of Conviction: My Wrongful Conviction 18 Years in Prison and the Freedom earned Through Forgiveness and Faith with James Tillman and Jeffrey Kimball

Monday, June 8, 7:00 p.m., program moderated by John Motley, followed by an 8:30 p.m. dessert reception in Hal Holbrook Hall. Jointly hosted by Community Partners in Action and The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.

 

James Tillman was stretched out on his basement couch, relaxing after a long day of work at the car wash, the smell of sweet onions and simmering steak filling the air of his modest apartment in the projects of Hartford, Conn. His mother, a Bible perched nearby, was softly singing a hymn when she was shaken by the thundering sound of pounding on the front door. It wasn't a knock; it was an act of sheer force. In an instant, the police burst in, lifted James out of his home and shoved him into prison, arresting him for the brutal rape of a young corporate executive. For over 18 years, James professed his innocence, through the investigation, trial, appeals, and to anyone who would listen. Finally, after a series of extraordinary events, the Connecticut Innocence Project took up James' case, eventually winning his freedom-the first person to be exonerated in the state through the use of DNA.

 

This is a free program and is followed by a reception and book sale and signing. Reservations are highly suggested. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.



Book Launch Event - Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health & Happiness by Mark Dawidziak

Tuesday, June 9, 7:00 p.m.

 

Largely Literary Theater Company co-founders Mark Dawidziak and Sara Showman present a selection of material drawn form the brand new book Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness. Collected and edited by veteran Twain enthusiast Mark Dawidziak, this new book collects the writer's often politically incorrect and always unapologetically honest advice on everything from drinking to swearing. Dawidziak plays Twain and Showman plays a variety of characters in this one-act presentation, which includes sections on "Curing a Cold" and politics. The husband-and-wife team regularly perform a two-act collection of Twain material called Twain By Two

Followed by a book sale and signing.

 

Suggested donation $5.00. Reservations are recommended. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 


The Trouble Begins at 5:30: Mark Twain and the Jaffa Colony

Wednesday, June 10, 5:00 p.m. wine and hors doeuvres reception; 5:30 p.m. talk

 

Henry Cohn, the Superior Court judge, legal historian and Twain aficionado from West Hartford, will speak on the Jaffa Colony, an extraordinary settlement of Protestant Christians set up in Twain's era in what is now Israel. Led by a controversial and charismatic preacher, they believed they could hasten the Second Coming of Christ by encouraging Jewish resettlement of Palestine. But the venture failed, and in his travel book The Innocents Abroad, Twain described his encounter with 40 colonists who boarded his ship at Jaffa, in a bid to escape to Egypt. The colony, Twain wrote, was "a complete fiasco."

 

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.  

 

Donation $5.00.   Reservations are highly recommended.  Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

Jacqueline Schwab Concert in the Mark Twain House Drawing Room

Thursday, June 11, 7:00 p.m.

 

Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, heard on Ken Burns' PBS documentary Mark Twain (and his Civil War, Baseball, National Parks, The War, and others) will share her reflective and lilting solo piano arrangements of vintage American music--tunes that might have been heard in Twain's parlor: Civil War and Stephen Foster parlor tunes, Victorian dance hall music, Scots and Irish airs and dance tunes brought over by settlers, and ragtime. Schwab has performed at the White House (for President Clinton), and, with Scottish singer Jean Redpath, on the Late Show with David Letterman and A Prairie Home Companion. Her signature arrangements of American "heart songs" and dance tunes reflect the community style of music making in Twain's Day but also draw on sounds of today's traditional music world. Come warm your hearts, tap your toes, and perhaps even join in singing! Seating for this very special event will be extremely limited. 

 

Generously supported by Falcetti Music.

 

Tickets are $25 / $20 for Mark Twain House & Museum Members.  For tickets, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


  

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

  


 

 

Birdies For Charity!

 

This year, The Mark Twain House & Museum is participating in the Travelers Championship Birdies for Charity program!

 

Make a gift to The Mark Twain House & Museum through the Birdies for Charity program and we'll receive an additional 15%!

 

You can pledge per birdie or make a flat donation: your choice.

 

Even better--YOU can win prizes like a $1,500 cash gift card!

 

Pledge here!



 
THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING    (April 22 through May 12)
 


 

Kay Brindle

Leslie Case

Flavia Cigliano

Sherri Clark

Lynn Cullen

Daniel J. & Donna Downey

Susan A. Fair

Edward D. Gladstone

Kaila Hale-Stern

Kelvin Hammond

Michle Hesselbrock

Jules A. Hojnowski

Kimball H. & Dorothy G. Hunt

Iris Kagan

Anthony Katin

David & Janice Klein

Lisa A. Kuntz

 


 

Richard & Mary-Jane Lopa

Daniel Mahoney

Patrick McGuire

Rev. William R. Metzler

Elizabeth Narowski

Linda Quinton

Lisa Steier

Amy Stuart

Charles Svagera

Elizabeth Szewczyk

Carol Wasserman

Barbara Weber

Cathy Weston

Cheri L. & Kevin J. Williams

Rebecca & Matthew Williams

Barbara D. Wojtusik


 

 

  
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS (April 22 through May 12)
 
INDIVIDUAL 


 

Rolena Adorno

Joel B. Alvord

Elizabeth M. Barnes

Karen Bartholomew

Robert D. & Donna S. Batch

Jay S. & Eugenia P. Benet

Nancy R. Bestor

Linda Biancalani

Sandra Blake

Jeffrey Blazejovsky

Phillip & Ellen Blumberg

Richard Brewster

Carol Ann Brown

Inga Buhrmann

Chris Busch

Dr. & Mrs. Robert Cerciello

Mark Cocalis & Lisa Ann Erburu

Raymond & Kimberly Conforti

Dorothy M. Conklin

Audrey Conrad

Lane Coonrod

Mrs. J. Noyes Crary

Jennifer & Proloy Das

Philip & Mary-Alice Dennehy

Francis J. DeRosa

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Dix, Jr.

Henry & Judith Feldman

Paul & Gayle Fiser

Carl Floyd

Michael Friedman

Michael & Cindy Gabor

Ida Gall

Alfred & Kathleen Garofolo

Douglas & Christina Gerbino

Heidi Schreiner Godleski

Dianne Goodrich

Kevin Gough & Paula Jones

Dr. Alan D. Gribben

Kenneth & Gail Hamblett

Elwyn V. & Elsie H. Harp

Dr. Walter L. & Mrs. Dianne M. Harrison

Kimball H. & Dorothy G. Hunt

Alice Jena

James H. & Nancy S. Johnson

Reinhard Kage

David & Cheryl Kesterson

Roger & Laurel Kirschen

Judith Lee Kline

Betty-Joan LaChapelle

C. Darrell & Sandra Lane

Mr. & Mrs. William H. Loos

Adam & Jessica Lovell

Dr. Cindy Lovell

Louise E. Mann

Heidi Groeger, Mantis Associates, Inc.

Michael K. Miller

John & Ellen Moran

John & Noreen Moreschi

Kay Bell Mudd

Alan & Jo Anne Nadritch

John & Patty Pascal

Phyllis G. Pasternak

Chuck & Carol Paydos

Robert Perkin

Maryanne & Gregory Petrus

Bill & JoAnne Pierce

Carol Sue & J. David Prewitt

Kenneth J. & Mary Jane Quarti

Thomas & Gloria Ranney

John H. & Sali G. Riege

Michael J. Riley

Lynn M. Robertson

Loren M. Rogers

Mary T. Sargent

John & Peggy Schuyler

The Shook Family

Susan Silveira

Gretchen S. Skelley

Robert E. Stewart

Marjorie Moretz Stinespring

Richard & Patricia Thivierge

Raquel Thomison

James Vinick

Diane White

Louise Wilder

Raymond J. & Sarah W. Winter

Guy W. Wolf, III & Pamela Morrison-Wolf

Christopher Yurkovsky

 

INSTITUTIONAL 

 

Connecticut Community Colleges


 

The Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust


 

The Pryor Foundation


 

Three-Penny Theatre



 


 


IN MEMORY OF BARBARA D. THOMSEN

  

Ellinor W. Davidson


 



 

 


 


 


 

  

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

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum: Summer Writing Classes

 

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

 

Summer Writing Intensives (4 consecutive DAYS) ($180)

Jump Start Your Novel (starts July 27)

Writing for the Real World (starts July 27)

Playwriting Monologues (starts August 3)

Beginning Middle End-Writing the Short Story (starts August 3)

 

Don't miss out -- for the complete 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

Mark Twain For Kids: 

His Life and Times

 

The author uses a hands-on approach to the biography, works, and times of Twain that both educators and young people will appreciate. The horizontal 8-1/2 by 11-inch paperback design with colorful cover illustrations invites young people (the book is recommended for ages nine and up) in to a book that they will find both informative and entertaining

 

Just in Time for Summer vacation activities!

 

Pick one up in the store or order online here. $14.95 (Member price $13.46)




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