Friday, October 2

7:30pm - 8:30pm American Poetry Takes Flight Through Song
Jody Redhage with Wyn Cooper at The Church

Cellist Jody Redhage will conduct a workshop/performance, performing her compositions and discussing the American poetry that inspired the songs.  Jody’s passion is setting modern American poetry into 21st century art song, and her compositional activity is focused on writing for herself and her own performing ensemble for which she is director. She has premiered over 100 works, including many of her own compositions for chamber ensembles, as well as premieres of fellow composers' works. Redhage has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Merkin Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music opera house, the Whitney Museum of Art, and Mass MoCA. She has also appeared on TV playing on ABC's "The View," the CBS "Early Show," NBC's "The Today Show," "the Rockefeller Christmas Spectacular," and "Conan O'Brien."

As part of the project, she also will partner with local poet Wyn Cooper, selecting works of his poetry as lyrics for new music that she will compose especially for the event. Wyn Cooper has published three books of poetry and one chapbook. His new book of poems, Chaos is the New Calm, will be published in spring 2010. He has been part of several recording projects including Forty Words for Fear, a CD of songs based on poems and lyrics by Cooper, set to music and sung by the novelist Madison Smartt Bell. It has been featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and World Café. His poem “Fun” was the basis for Sheryl Crow’s Grammy award-winning song “All I Wanna Do.”

THIS EVENT IS CO-SPONSORED BY FRIENDS OF BROOKS MEMORIAL LIBRARY.

Sunday, October 4

11:00am - 12:15pm Writing it Down
River Garden

From conception to publication, the writing panel will focus on the process by which writers develop an idea and see it through to the publishing stage. A multi-genre panel will give the audience a sampling of the creative process involved in writing fiction, poetry, children's literature and non-fiction. Panelists Anna Dewdney, Paul Mariani and Robert Olmstead each describe their own unique journey through the writing process. Novelist Suzanne Kingsbury will moderate this event. Whether you are a writer or just interested in the process that writers go through, this event is not to be missed!

Anna Dewdney is well known for her best-selling Llama, Llama picture books for young children. Paul Mariani is the author of sixteen books, including six books of poetry and five biographies. Robert Olmstead is the author of seven novels including Coal Black Horse, winner of the Heartland Prize for Fiction. Suzanne Kingsbury is the author of two books of fiction that have been optioned for film, and her new book, The Peace of Wild Things, will be published in 2010.

5:00pm - 6:30pm Gerard Manley Hopkins: Priest and Poet – Paul Mariani
Brooks Memorial Library

Gerard Manley Hopkins is regarded as one the Victorian era's greatest poets. In his new book, Gerard Manley Hopkins: A Life, Paul Mariani tells the story of the poet’s personal struggle, doubt, intense introspection and inward heroism. As a Jesuit priest, Hopkins’ descent into loneliness and despair and his subsequent recovery are a remarkable and inspiring spiritual journey that will speak to many readers, regardless of their faith or philosophies.

This event will conclude with Mariani and local writers Tim Mayo, Tom Ragle and Chard deNiord reading selections of Hopkins' poetry. Although his body of work was small, his style and influence continues today. Paul Mariani is the author of sixteen books, including biographies of William Carlos Williams, John Berryman, Robert Lowell, Hart Crane and Gerard Manley Hopkins. He has published six volumes of poetry, three books of literary criticism and a spiritual journal.

Chard deNiord is the author of three books of poetry and is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Providence College and cofounder of the New England College MFA Program in Poetry. Tim Mayo holds an ALB, cum laude, from Harvard University and an MFA from The Bennington Writing Seminars and is the author of two books of poetry. Now retired, Tom Ragle served as President of Marlboro College (1958-81), Director of the Salzburg Seminar (1983-89), and Special Consultant to the United Nations Development Program in Beijing, China, on the teaching of English literature at the university level (1989-91).

Other Festival Related Events

Vermont Reads - September 27 at 1:00 pm

Julie Otsuka will appear at Brooks Memorial Library in this Festival preview event to read from and discuss her book, When the Emperor Was Divine, the story of a Japanese American family forced to live in an internment camp during World War II. Otsuka presents the points of view of each family member creating an intimate and detailed portrait of people living through one of America's darkest and most shameful periods: the internment of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans for 3 1/2 years. She is a graduate of Yale University and received her M.F.A. from Columbia. Otsuka is one of the winners of the Sixth Annual Asian American Literary Awards. Free. Sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council and Brooks Memorial Library.

Strong Coffee Stage Company presents…
October 2 at 8:00 pm – Strong Coffee Stage Company presents readings from “The Value of Names”, a play by Jeffrey Sweet that focuses on the aftermath of Hollywood blacklisting in the 1950s, featuring Emma Rivkah Jerome, Tony nominated actor Tim Jerome and Jeffrey Sweet. Tickets are $15 and are available at Hooker Dunham Theater and Gallery – 802-254-9276.

Emma Rivkah Jerome recently graduated from SUNY New Paltz where she majored in Theatre and appeared in many productions. Tim Jerome is a Tony Award Nominee for Me and My Girl. He most recently portrayed Professor Porter in Disney's Tarzan. Just prior to that he played one of the two theatre managers in Broadway's longest running musical, Phantom of the Opera. His long career on Broadway also includes leading roles in Beauty and the Beast, Cats, The Magic Show, Lost in Yonkers and Man of La Mancha. Jeffrey Sweet is a resident playwright of the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. His work has starred William Petersen, Helen Hunt, Jon Cryer, Alan Bates, Nathan Lane and Jack Klugman.

October 4 at 11:00 am – Strong Coffee Stage Company hosts Jeffrey Sweet in a five-hour workshop featuring an in-depth look at the techniques of writing for stage and screen. The fee for this workshop at The Stone Church is $50. To register, call 802-257-1882 or e-mail strongcoffeestage@gmail.com.

Jeffrey Sweet is a resident playwright of the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre of Chicago. His work has starred William Petersen, Helen Hunt, Jon Cryer, Alan Bates, Nathan Lane and Jack Klugman. The Value Of Names and Other Plays, an anthology of his work including nine scripts, was recently published by Northwestern University Press. His book on playwriting, The Dramatist's Toolkit, is in its 13th printing. He has won the WGA Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his TV writing.

The Brattleboro-based Strong Coffee Stage Company tours the U.S. with original productions and brings master instructors in dance, clown, improv and acting to Southern Vermont. Strong Coffee Stage was founded in 2009 by Bronwyn Sims (Producing Director) and Patrick Donnelly (Artistic Director).

Bronwyn Sims is an accomplished actor, acrobat and teacher with numerous television, film and theater credits, including the Emmy Award-winning first season of The Sopranos, and Pagliacci with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. She is a Lecturer in Acting at Yale School of Drama and also teaches aerial arts and acrobatics at The New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro, VT.

Patrick Donnelly has been a professional actor for over 20 years, with roles in "The Ciderhouse Rules", "The Love Letter" and numerous commercials and stage productions. Also a clown and a teacher, he has performed as a clown at the New York City Clown Theater Festival in 2007 and 2008 and has toured the USA with the circus/vaudville company Nimble Arts.

October 3 at 12:15 pm – Mystery on Main presents author Don Bredes reading from and signing The Errand Boy, the third in his series of literary thrillers featuring Hector Bellevance, onetime Boston homicide detective and now the inimitable town constable of Tipton, VT. When tragedy strikes close to home and a brutal murder ensues, Hector discovers unsavory secrets lurking behind every local door. Soon he is caught in a web of sex offenders, backwoods meth addicts, undercover federal agents, Hells Angels and an international drug cartel. The author of five books to date, Bredes lives in northern Vermont.

October 3 at 7:00 pm – Windham Wines presents Caleb Barber and Deidre Heekin, authors of In Late Winter We Ate Pears and Libation: A Bitter Alchemy. They are also the proprietors of osteria pane e salute, which has received acclaim for their food, wine list and design from such publications as Bon Appetit, The Boston Globe, Boston Common, Food and Wine, Elle Decor and Travel and Leisure. Hailed by Food and Wine in their 50 Most Amazing Wine Experiences in America, their restaurant and wine bar is defined by an Italian revitalist menu and wine list, offering traditional regional dishes paired with rare varietal wines. This event will feature food and wine pairings and books will be available for purchase. Call Windham Wines at 802-246-6400 for ticket information.