03/10/2020
UPDATE: The First Annual Authors and Artists Festival will showcase many of the talented writers and artists in our region, with a twist--due to the virus outbreak, we are moving the Festival from Main Street to online during the month of June, 2020. Some of the originally scheduled presentations by established authors from across the literary spectrum will go forward to give the audience a preview of the kind of events will take place when we can again hold a street fair. There will still be activities for both adults and children. Features like the continuously running "open mike" stage will encourage poets, novelists, playwrights, songwriters and more are under discussion. You will still not need not be published or famous to participate.
We are proposing this alternative to the local arts council affiliates of the Mass. Cultural Council so that we can still mount this effort.
At this writing, previousl confirmed principal speakers are listed below.
As we contact each of them re: the online format a new schedule will be posted here. We still hope to include:
Paul Richmond, America's "Beat Poet Laureate", founder of Human Error Publishing and producer of the Great Falls Word Festival in Turners Falls.
Novelist Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (UMass Amherst), whose book "Mr. and Mrs. Prince chronicles the lives of two Pioneer Valley enslaved persons--Abijah Prince of Northfield and his future wife, Lucy Terry of Deerfield.
JuPong Lin, poet, artist-researcher, and professor at Goddard College;
Archer Mayor, Vermont mystery writer and author of the Joe Gunther detective series;
Dr. Lise Weil, Affiliated with Goddard College, Ms. Weil is a writer, translator, le***an activist, and editor of Dark Matter: Women Witnessing.
Rosemary Caine, Playwright and songwriter.
Dr. Simone Alter-Muri, art therapist and author of art and creativity for those on the autism spectrum.
Watch this space.
