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Do you live in Concord, MA? There are a lot of cultural and literary activities happening this month there, we invite you to be part of them. Celebrating the CFA’s 30th Anniversary. Choose from 39 Literary Events spread across Concord, MA. Registration opens October 1st.

To register click on this link.

Here is a summary of all the activities that you can enjoy starting on October 13th. Guests and a variety of literary genres that will fill us with culture this month.

– CFA Kickoff: Gregory Maguire at the Concord Museum⁣ (Thursday, October 13, 2022 ⁣- 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM)

An In-Person and Live-Streamed Event. Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and beloved Concordian, kicks off the 30th Annual Concord Festival of Authors with a conversation on writing, art, and culture with WGBH Executive Arts Editor, Jared Bowen. Making his return to the world first created in Wicked, Gregory and Jared will talk about Gregory’s newest book in the Another Day series – The Oracle of Maracoor.

– North Bridge History and Memory (Friday, October 14, 2022 – 11:00 AM  12:00 PM)

Meet a Park Ranger at the benches by the North Bridge for this daily 30 minute program. Meet one of Concord’s historical icons to talk about the Revolutionary War and Concords.

– Concord History: Minutemen and Transcendentalists (Friday, October 14, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Professor Robert Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World and The Transcendentalists and Their World,  will discuss turning points in his research for both books, especially the unknown documents at Concord’s Special Collections.

– The Robbins House presents (Saturday, October 15, 2022 – 2:00 PM  3:00 PM)

Visit the Robbins House for an intimate tour that explores the little-known African American history of Concord.

– Barrow Bookstore (Saturday, October 15, 2022 – 4:00 PM  5:00 PM)⁣

Calling all midnight riders and readers! Harken to the call and joins local author Gary Entwistle as he discusses carrying Concord’s Revolutionary War history into his novel April’s Breeze. Imagine the lives and relationship of Dr. Samuel Prescott and his fiancée Lydia Mulliken during the early days of the Revolutionary War. This will be a hybrid event.

– Ruth Ratner Miller Award 2022 (Saturday, October 15, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Join us to honor the 2022 Ruth Ratner Miller Award for Excellence in American History Winner, Dr. Sean Wilentz, professor of American History at Princeton University. Professor Wilentz will be introduced by Professor Maya Jasanoff.

– New England Poetry Society at the Old Manse (Sunday, October 16, 2022 – 2:00 PM  3:00 PM)

Join the New England Poetry Club outside in their outdoor tent at the Old Manse for a free poetry reading. No registration required. Supporting poetry since 1915, the New England Poetry Club will read poems by poets who live and work here in our area- please come out to hear them! And if you can’t make it this time, don’t worry! They’ll also provide monthly workshop meetings which you are welcome to join anytime.

– Healing Stories Writing Workshop with Be Well Be Here (Sunday, October 16, 2022 -⁣ 4:00 PM  5:00 PM)

Create your healing story with Dr. Annie Brewster, co-founder of Health Story Collaborative, and Lara Wilson, curator of the Concord Festival of Authors. Experiment with writing prompts, reflective exercises and mindful practices in order to craft a narrative that reflects your authentic self. Move beyond being the hero of your own story to become the author of your own story⁣.

– The Healing Power of Storytelling (Sunday, October 16, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Reframe your story – and reclaim yourself – through the transformative power of storytelling. Former Harvard-educated doctor Annie Brewster came face-to-face with her own mortality when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. But instead of retreating inward to lick her wounds, this once vibrant woman turned outward, that would eventually lead to an award-winning book exploring how we can use personal narrative as a cathartic tool for healing ourselves.

– Mindful Authors Shelly Tygielski and Christopher Willard (Monday, October 17, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

How might we find a path toward greater wellBeing in the midst of it all? Learn from global mindfulness leaders how radical self-care practices can shift difficult experiences toward growth. Feel inspired to Be Present for yourself and others as you discover ways to Be Well – and live a most mindful life!

– The Umbrella Arts Center presents Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Tuesday, October 18, 2022 -⁣ 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil will offer a reading from her New York Times best-selling book World of Wonders on The Umbrella’s Main Stage Theater144. The reading will be followed by an author Q&A, book-signing, and reception. This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Sponsored by The Umbrella’s Arts & Environment program.

– Nature Writing Workshop with Thoreau Farm (Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – 4:00 PM  5:30 PM)

Thoreau Farm and The Write Connection present: Write Outside Your Door A Nature Writing Workshop with Corinne Smith.

– Ghost Stories with Concord Art (Wednesday, October 19, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

In collaboration with Fugitive Productions, Concord Art presents another edition of “True Stories Told Live.” Join us for another fabulous evening of storytelling and community! This time, it will be a night full of ghost stories.

– Concord Academy Alumnae/Authors (Thursday, October 20, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

 Join us for an evening of spirited conversation on the literary lives of four CA classmates. Susan Knopf will moderate the discussion with novelists Julia Glass, author of Vigil Harbor, Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness, and Susan Minot, author of Why I Don’t Write. Ms. Knopf will also share insights on the current state of publishing.

– Visit Emerson’s House (Friday, October 21, 2022 – 10:15 AM  3:45 PM)

Tours of The Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial House on Friday, October 21 run from 10:15 AM – 3:45 PM and take approximately 45 minutes. Tours only start every hour and there can be up to 10 people per tour. Tickets cost $12 for adults and senior citizens but children aged 7-17 are only charged $10. Children under the age of 7 are free.

– Hawthorne at The Old Manse (Friday, October 21, 2022 – 4:30 PM  5:30 PM)

In this very special program, you will be able to take a visit around the home and grounds which are historically significant in Hawthorne’s eyes. Your guide will read excerpts directly from his work for the duration of your visit; from the time when he used these rooms as his workshop to draft novels such as The Scarlet Letter or Rappacini’s Daughter. You will be able to experience golden hour during sunset – which is always mesmerizing – and see just how much impact these places have had on his writing.

– CFA 2022 Keynote Speaker (Friday, October 21, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Join acclaimed author Dr. Alan Lightman as he discusses what it’s like to live in Concord Massachusetts, and the deep insights he discovered while researching for his book, Probable Impossibilities.

– Breakfast with the Authors 2022 (Saturday, October 22, 2022 – 9:30 AM 10:30 AM)

Breakfast with the Authors a ticketed event including breakfast treats held in the Goodwin Forum at the Concord Free Public Library. Join us for the popular Breakfast with the Authors panel moderated by physician and author Dr. Suzanne Koven.

– Transcendentalism Council of First Parish Presents David Hackett Fischer (Saturday, October 22, 2022 – 3:00 PM  4:00 PM)

The Transcendentalism Council of First Parish present: David Hackett Fischer discusses African Founders. A hybrid in-person and live-streamed event will take place at the historic First Parish Church on Lexington Road, Concord.

– Thoreau Society: Evening with Sy Montgomery (Saturday, October 22, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

This hybrid event takes place at First Parish 20 Lexington Road, Concord, MA and will be lived-streamed via Zoom. Tickets are $25 for the live event  (thoreausociety.org) and $15 for Zoom registration.⁣

– Writing Workshop for Teens and New Adults (Sunday, October 23, 2022 – 1:00 PM  2:00 PM)

Writing Is Time-Travel is an in-person writing workshop for teens and new adults facilitated by Cary Stough. During the workshop, we will explore memories as well as the future through various styles of writing that are sure to spark inspiration for everyone who takes part.

– Concord Young Writers Award 2022 (Sunday, October 23, 2022 – 4:00 PM  5:00 PM)⁣

Come join us at Concord Carlisle High School (CCHS) for the Concord Young Writers Award (CYWA)! Celebrate the courage of young storytellers who are willing to share their writings! The CYWA was created by Be Well Be Here founder and Concord Festival of Authors curator, Lara Wilson, with CPH Staff members Andrew Nyamekye. Together they wanted to encourage inclusive teen leadership roles through storytelling while providing support to local youth writers.

– Writing as an Act of Humanity: Yung Pueblo (Sunday, October 23, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Experience the engaging discussion led by renowned author, poet, philosopher and mindful educator Diego Perez. Diego will talk about his debut book Lighter along with sharing mindfulness advice that encourages us all to live more easily; engage in radical honesty; cultivate loving relationships and show up for others out of love.

– CFA 2022 Debut Authors (Monday, October 24, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

In person in the beautiful and welcoming setting of Concord Free Public Library’s Googwin Forum – 129 Main Street, Concord, MA. Join us for an exclusive discussion with three of this season’s most acclaimed authors DeMisty D. Bellinger, Kate Dike Blair and Namrata Patel.

– Debra’s Natural Gourmet (Tuesday, October 25, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Author Margot Anne Kelley, author of FOODTOPIA, will take you on a journey tracing the line from utopian back-to-the-earth pioneers like Thoreau to today’s millennial back-to-landers. She explores how each generation influenced one another and our planet through their differing approaches to life. Join her as she reveals how these five different ideologies came together throughout history.

Family Narratives Writing Workshop with Be Well Be Here (Wednesday, October 26, 2022 – 4:00 PM  5:30 PM)

Family stories can be captivating for readers to read and moving for writers to create. This workshop led by author Lynn Reeves Griffin will explore the specifics of family narratives and teach participants how to make informed choices while penning their own work.

Walden Woods Project Presents Douglas Brinkley (Wednesday, October 26, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

In his newest book New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley chronicles the rise of environmental activism during the Long Sixties, telling a highly charged story of an indomitable generation that quite literally saved the natural world under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Join us on this live to learn more about Silent Spring Revolution and Brinkley’s discoveries throughout the writing process of this fascinating book.

– Emerson’s Circle Walking Tour (Friday, October 28, 2022 – 3:30 PM  4:30 PM)

In Concord, Massachusetts during the 1800s, writers and thinkers would gather together to debate topics of the day such as slavery or war; this included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Led by an Educator at the Museum, you’ll learn about how these writers influenced politics throughout history.

– The Robbins House: A School. Sugar. A Slave Bell (Friday, October 28, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Our 544 square foot historic house in Concord jars visitors’ experience by presenting the Black history of America’s founding. Our success in spreading these messages has resulted in a local previously all-white elite private boys’ school “bequeathing” a 500 pound sugar plantation ‘slave bell’ to our historic site. Through sharing our recent brochure publications, we seek to elicit the emotions, intentions and history of this “gift” by connecting with sights, sounds and touch to explore how the bell can help explain America’s racial wealth gap in New England.

– Barefoot Books: Sheetal Sheth (Saturday, October 29, 2022 – 10:00 AM  11:00 AM)

Actress and social activist Sheetal Sheth has been successful in everything from producing films to becoming the top Amazon bestseller with her first children’s book. Known for starting diversity initiatives such as charitable organization 1001 Diverse Books, Shathi continues to change perspectives through her artistry while simultaneously influencing those around them. Her most recent project, Making Happy, features rainbows and bunny rabbits that have helped bring joy back into the hearts of young generations.

– Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture for Young People 2022 (Saturday, October 29, 2022 – 2:00 PM  3:00 PM)

Concord native Rajani LaRocca, whose many works include children’s and young adult novels, will be honored as the 2022 Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture Series lecturer. Porter Square Books has kindly provided copies of Rajani’s latest book ‘Red, White and Whole,’ a Newbery Honor-winning novel for those who attend the talk.

– Orchard House presents: From Page to Screen (Saturday, October 29, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Join esteemed historian John Matteson and screenwriter Scott Haverson as they reveal how to take historical fiction and turn it into a captivating feature film.

– Writing Collections – Essays and Short Stories (Sunday, October 30, 2022 – 1:00 PM  2:00 PM)⁣

Writers E.B. Bartels and Tom McNeely will provide some insight about the art of writing collections, specifically how they wrote their own personal collections for publication in Good Grief.

– CFA 2022 Poetry Panel (Sunday, October 30, 2022 – 3:00 PM  4:00 PM)

Join these three award-winning poets for a reading followed by an engaging Q&A about their recently published books from renowned Massachusetts independent presses.

– Mystery Night 2022 (Sunday, October 30, 2022 – 7:00 PM  8:00 PM)

Join us for this all-popular annual event with featured Mystery Authors Edwin Hill, Edith Maxwell and Carolyn Marie Wilkins.

– Beede and Books (Monday, October 31, 2022 – 1:30 PM  2:30 PM)

The Beede Swim and Fitness Center and the Concord Free Public Library have teamed up to bring you: BEEDE AND BOOKS. This is a free program available to all. Join us in the Beede Center for a Monday collaboration of reading and swimming. A librarian will read books related to life in New England at 1pm then we transition to the Children’s Pool for water fun! One child per parent needs to sign up online before coming – remember children need an adult present so they can participate.

This month of October is full of activities at our local library. Come learn, participate, and support your community. For more information, check out the Concord Festival of Authors’ website for a complete schedule. https://www.concordfestivalofauthors.org/ 

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