Historic Evening of Lit, Music, Art, Drink, Food, and Fun

The Smyser-Bair House / Historic York Inn invites you to join us for an evening of homemade food, drinks, palatial tours, live music, original art, and local literature at 30 South Beaver Street as a part of Downtown York’s First Friday festivities from 5 to 9 p.m. on October 2!

Berkshire-Hathaway will offer complete tours of the 1830s mansion, The Smyser-Bair House / Historic York Inn. Step back in time for a tour through history, with hand-carved, gilded Pier mirrors, stained glass, etched glass, hand plasterwork, woodwork, and chandeliers that rival those found in museums. Anchored in the historic district since the 1830s, and belonging to the Smyser-Bair family until 1979 (when it was left to the York Historical Trust before becoming a private inn) this home is a rich part of York's history, recently featured in front page news and on national television for its historic charm. (And it could be yours.)

Limestone Connection, a band from Baltimore made up of Holly Morse-Ellington (on ukulele and vocals) and Jason Tinney (on harmonica), will play a set of live music.

Eric D. Goodman and Nataliya Goodman will sign copies of their books, Flightless Goose, a storybook for children, and Tracks: A Novel in Stories. Tracks: A Novel in Stories won the Gold Medal for best fiction in the Mid-Atlantic Region from the Independent Publishers Book Awards.

Jason Tinney will sign copies of his novel, Ripple Meets the Deep. Ripple Meets the Deep was named best book of Baltimore in Baltimore Magazine.

A beer tasting will be offered by Brewery Products, with samples of Wyndridge Crafty Cider.

Snacks, hot food, sliders, spiced cider for the adults and virgin cider for the younger crowd, wine, and other consumables will be there for the taking.

Whether you want to enjoy the beer tasting, live music, regional authors autographing books, spiced cider, autumn snacks, a tour of the Smyser-Bair House, or a little bit of everything, join us from 5 to 9 p.m. at 30 South Beaver Street, York, PA 17401 for York First Friday on October 2!

Learn more about the history of the Smyser-Bair House / Historic York Inn at www.YorkInn.info.

 

 

Lit and Art at Baltimore Book Fest’s CityLit Stage

It’s that time of year—time for the annual Baltimore Book Festival. This year’s festival, taking place on September 26, 27, and 28, features such authors and personalities as Kwame Alexander, Laura Shovan, John McCain, Lalita Noronha, and Wes Moore.

In what’s become a long-standing tradition, the Lit and Art Reading Series will host an hour of readings at the CityLit Stage on Sunday, September 28 from 2 to 3 p.m.  Guess who’s with us this year?

Holly Morse-Ellington has published essays and photographs with Wanderlust and Lipstick, Matador Network, Three Quarter Review, Baltimore Fishbowl, Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine, Urbanite, The Journal of Homeland Security, The Washington Times, and elsewhere. She and Jason Tinney co-authored the play, Fifty Miles Away, winner of Frostburg Center for Creative Writing’s 2015 One Act Festival. They perform together as Limestone Connection. Holly is also an editor for Baltimore Review.

Aaron Henkin has produced The Signal on WYPR for the past 11 years. His work has aired nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, PRI’s Studio 360, & The World. His current project is a documentary series called, Out of the Blocks. Aaron also teaches at MICA and UMBC, and he plays the drums in The Barnyard Sharks.

Richard Peabody is the founder and co-editor of Gargoyle Magazine and editor (or co-editor) of 23 anthologies including Mondo Barbie, Conversations with Gore Vidal, and A Different Beat: Writings by Women of the Beat Generation. The author of a novella, three short story collections, and seven poetry books, he is also a native Washingtonian. Peabody taught fiction writing at Johns Hopkins University for 15 years. His new book is The Richard Peabody Reader (Alan Squire Publishers, 2015).

Manzar Rassouli was born in Tehran, Iran. Her work’s been exhibited throughout the country and around the world. The Watermark Gallery in Baltimore houses her permanent collection.

Jason Tinney is the author of Ripple Meets the Deep, Louise Paris and Other Waltzes, and Bluebird and has been a contributor to several publications, including Baltimore, Style, Urbanite, and Maryland Life. As an actor, he has appeared in more than 30 stage productions. He and Holly Morse-Ellington co-authored the play, Fifty Miles Away, which won first prize in the 2015 One Act Festival sponsored by the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing. They perform together as Limestone Connection.

Gregg Wilhelm founded the literary arts organization CityLit Project in 2004 and serves as publisher of its CityLit Press imprint.  He has worked for several independent presses and has taught writing and publishing courses at several universities. In 2014, Gregg earned an MFA from the University of Tampa and won a Rubys Artists Project Grant from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. www.GreggWilhelm.com.

Eric D. Goodman is co-founder and co-curator of the Lit & Art Reading Series. He’s a Baltimore author who writes about trains, animals, wombs, and more. Visit him at www.EricDGoodman.com.

Nitin Jagdish is a regular contributor to The Potomac and Syndic.  

Started in 2007, the Lit & Art Reading Series takes place five times a year at the Watermark Gallery at 100 South Charles Street on the second floor of the Bank of America building across from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The program features artists who represent various literary genres combined with visual art. 

Manzar, of the Watermark Gallery, will have a booth this year with information about the gallery, her art, Lit & Art, Rumi, and more. Be sure to stop by the booth!

This festival edition is emceed by Aaron Henkin of WYPR’s “The Signal,” which takes listeners on a weekly tour of Baltimore’s cultural landscape. Come get “lit” with us!

Learn more at our Facebook Page.

www.facebook.com/groups/LitAndArt

Celebrate International Literacy Day

For International Literacy Day, Grammarly asked me to share this infograph with you …

https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism-checker

Time Machines, Reunions, Japan, and California

It’s all a part of my continuing California travel story being published in serial form by Atticus Books.

In this fourth installment, I meet up with my first book event and old friends for a reading at the end of Rout 66 followed by a reunion of friends I went to school with in Sasebo, Japan.

Like a word you hear and read often after learning it for the first time, Japan and the 1980s seem to pop up at every turn as we explore Los Angeles and the area. It’s like a tar pit time machine.

Join us at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/08/04/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-4/

Festival for Those Who Can’t Live Without Books

Two hundred years ago, the Library of Congress acquired Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. “I cannot live without books,” he said.

Which happens to be the theme of this year’s National Book Festival, featuring almost as many authors as there were books in that collection.

The 15^th annual National Book Festival takes place this Saturday, September 5.

Featured authors include Kwame Alexander, David Baldacci, Tom Brokaw, Stephen L. Carter, Louise Erdrich, Walter Isaacson, Nicholas Kristof, Azar Nafisi, Marilynne Robinson, Al Roker, and Jane Smiley.

See you on the National Mall!  

Learn more at https://event.crowdcompass.com/natbookfest15#/