Mid-July 2015 eNews

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

 

BOOK/MARK - The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper with author Tony Ortega

 

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

 

In 1971, Paulette Cooper wrote a scathing book about the Church of Scientology. Desperate to shut the book down, Scientology unleashed on her one of the most astounding personal campaigns the free world has ever known. The onslaught, which lasted years, ruined her life, and drove her to the brink of suicide. The story of Paulette's ordeal is told in full for the first time in The Unbreakable Miss Lovely. It reveals the details of the darkest chapter in Scientology's checkered history, which ended with senior members in prison and the organization's reputation permanently damaged.  This program will be moderated by Dan Perkins a.k.a. Tom Tomorrow (whose weekly comic strip This Modern World, which comments on current events, appears regularly in over 90 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada.)

 

The Book/Mark Series is supported by a generous grant from the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

Followed by a book sale and signing. This is a free event, but reservations are recommended as seating is strictly limited. Please call (860)280-3130 or click here.

 

 

Sea Tea Improv presents

POWER-POINTLESS TWAIN TALKS

Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m.

 

The creative minds of Sea Tea Improv get (un)professional in this night of improvised comedy. Without knowing any information in advance, these comedians will deliver Powerpoint Presentations, twisTED TED Talks, and other staples of business communication. The improv team will take both suggestions from the audience and from Twain axioms to piece together a night of comedy. Just don't take their business advice too seriously--or Twain's.

 

Tickets are $15 / $10 for MTH&M members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


Herstory Theatre presents a reading of PIERCE, a play by Jacques Lamarre

Sunday, July 19, 2:00 p.m.

 

A reading of the new historical drama Pierce by Jacques Lamarre, featuring Rebecca Meakin, Virginia Wolf, Ed Bernstein and Marisa Clement.

 

Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, is one of the least studied chief executives in American history. His wife, First Lady Jane Pierce, is one of the most tragic figures to ever take up residence in the White House. After unspeakable misfortunes shower down on frail Jane Pierce of Amherst, New Hampshire, she is thrust on the public stage in front of a nation about to be torn into Civil War. Can she overcome her grief to assume her duties as First Lady?

 

Tickets are $10; $5 for members. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 

 

 

BOOK/MARK: The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger's Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare's First Folio with author Andrea Mays

Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 p.m.

 

Today it is the most valuable book in the world. Recently one sold for over five million dollars. It is the book that rescued the name of William Shakespeare and half of his plays from oblivion. The Millionaire and the Bard tells the miraculous and romantic story of the making of the First Folio, and of the American industrialist whose thrilling pursuit of the book became a lifelong obsession. The Millionaire and the Bard is a literary detective story, the tale of two mysterious men-a brilliant author and his obsessive collector-separated by space and time. It is a tale of two cities-Elizabethan and Jacobean London and Gilded Age New York. It is a chronicle of two worlds-of art and commerce-that unfolded an ocean and three centuries apart. And it is the thrilling tale of the luminous book that saved the name of William Shakespeare "to the last syllable of recorded time."

 

This program will be moderated by Matthew Waterhouse.

 

The Book/Mark Series is supported by a generous grant from the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

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

  

 

Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours

July 24 and 25 at 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. 

 

We reprise our popular Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours for spooky summer chills. The Mark Twain House has been featured on Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters and the Biography Channel's My Ghost StoryOn 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. June Ghost tours sold out fast, so be sure to call soon to make your reservations! 


 
The tours are tsponsored by Tsunami Tsolutions.

 

$22 with discounts available for members and children. Please call (860) 280-3130 for more information & ticketing or click here.

 

 

Twain's Companions & Cohorts: A Walking Tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery with Steve Courtney

Saturday, July 25, 10 a.m. at the flagpole, Cedar Hill Cemetery, 453 Fairfield Ave., Hartford

 

Our annual collaboration with the Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation explores Hartford's extraordinary Victorian burial ground, an outdoor museum of the Gilded Age. While Mark Twain is buried in Elmira, N.Y., many of his Hartford friends and associates found their final resting place in Cedar Hill's beautiful grounds. On this hour-and-a-half walking tour, hear the extraordinary stories of some brilliant individuals, some feisty characters, and a crank or two. Featured "residents" will include Reverend Joseph Hopkins Twichell, Charles Dudley Warner and Isabella Beecher Hooker. Steve Courtney, biographer of Twain's Hartford friend Twichell and author of two books on The Mark Twain House, leads the tour.

 

$5.00, payable at the site of the tour; no reservations, just show up!

  

 

BOOK LAUNCH - The Two State Delusion with author Padraig O'Malley

Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 p.m.

 

The Mark Twain House & Museum and the World Affairs Council of Connecticut present an evening about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A leading reconciliation expert argues that a two-state solution is no longer a viable path to create lasting peace in Israel and Palestine. Author Padraig O'Malley will be on hand to launch his new book The Two-State Delusion: Israel and Palestine - A Tale of Two Narratives. This program will be moderated by Norton Mezvinsky, Professor of History Emeritus from Central Connecticut State University. In a book that is sure to spark controversy, renowned peacemaker Padraig O'Malley argues that the moment for a two-state solution has passed. After examining each issue and speaking with Palestinians and Israelis as well as negotiators directly involved in past summits, O'Malley concludes that even if such an agreement could be reached, it would be nearly impossible to implement given the staggering costs, Palestine's political disunity and the viability of its economy, rapidly changing demographics, Israel's continuing political shift to the right, global warming's effect on the water supply, and more.

 

The Book/Mark Series is supported by a generous grant from the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

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

 

 

Our Ice Cream Social!

Thursday, July 30, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

 

I scream, you scream, did someone say FREE ice cream?  The summer heat is on its way, but we've got you covered (in sprinkles,that is)! The Mark Twain House & Museum invites everyone to its 7th annual free Ice Cream Social on the Nook Farm Nook patio. Come on down and enjoy delicious frozen treats, sundaes with your favorite toppings ,and maybe some old fashioned lemonade from 'Huck's Lem'nade Stand' served up by The Friends of The Mark Twain House & Museum!  If that's not enough, how about a triple scoop of entertainment? There will be music by local artists Horizon Blue, face painting, and a bubble making station too! Top it all off with arts and crafts and a story time for the little ones, and you've got a cool, fun-filled recipe fit for the whole family!  The music for this event is generously supported by the Evelyn W. Preston Memorial Trust Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.

 

In addition, there will be discounted tours of the first floor of the Mark Twain House ($5 for adults, seniors, and children; under age 6 free). Come have a pleasant summer evening of free ice cream, music, and more on the grounds of the historic Mark Twain House!

 

This event is generously supported by the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A. and Alan S. Parker, Trustees.

 

This is a free event!

 


CLUE Tours of the Mark Twain House

Thursday, July 30, Tours step off every 15 minutes starting at 7:00 p.m.

 

Our popular CLUE Tours will be offered one-night-only this summer at The Mark Twain House. The classic board game  comes to life using the various rooms (secret passageway, conservatory, billiards room, and more) of the Twain house -- and some of the author's favorite literary characters -- as part of the game. Who killed that varmint Pap Finn? Was it Tom Sawyer in the Library with the Wrench? Merlin in the Billiard Room with the Knife? The Pauper in the Kitchen with the Rope? This hour-long tour featuring the famed comedy troupe SEA TEA IMPROV as Twain's beloved characters/suspects. CLUE Tours provide all the murder, mayhem and merriment you expect in a whodunit. Our Clue Tours were featured on an episode of the Travel Channel show Wackiest Tours!

 

The CLUE Tours are supported by Webster Bank.

 

Reservations are required, and tours sell out, so please book early. Tickets are $22; museum members are $17; children 6 to 17 are $15.  To purchase tickets, please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.

 


Writing in Mark Twain's Library

Thursday, July 16, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Sometimes all we need to write our great novel, or even just a good page, is a little peace and quiet. Throw in some inspiration from Hartford's favorite author, and we'd call that a successful evening. That's why we're introducing a new series called "Writing in Mark Twain's Library." Join us for a writing session in the Clemens family home where we will have the house all to ourselves. Feel inspired by the beautiful sounds of the fountain in the family conservatory; rest your eyes upon Twain's bookshelves as you ponder your next word. You'll spend three hours of quiet in the historic library of our very own Sam Clemens. No doubt you'll begin your own masterpiece.

 

This is NOT a writing course! By popular demand, this program is uninterrupted writing time in the Twain House - a mini-residency of sorts. ALL FUNDS FROM THIS PROGRAM go towards preserving and restoring the house.

 

Tickets for three quiet hours in Mark Twain's Library are $50. Please call (860) 280-3130 or click here.


 

The Mark Twain House & Museum: Summer Writing Classes 

 

Be the writer you've always wanted to be -- study 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].



 


Membership has its rewards!

 

New for 2015!

 

Each month, all new and renewing members for the previous month will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate to The Mark Twain House Store.

 

Congratulations to June's winners: Timothy Elwell

 

Be sure to support The Mark Twain House & Museum and purchase or renew your membership to be entered into this monthly drawing!

 

 

THE MARK TWAIN HOUSE PARTICIPATES IN THE BLUE STAR MUSEUM PROGRAM


Blue Star Museums is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

 

This free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members.

 

There's more information here.

 


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 7 days a week, 9:30 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