Union Church Presents

Biddeford Pool 2012 Summer Speaker Series

Maggie Shipstead, Sunday July 15      Monica Wood, Thurs. July 26   

Lily King, Thurs. August 9     William Kuhn, Thurs. August 23

All events begin at 7:30 PM and are held at Union Church,3 Stonecliff Road, Biddeford Pool, 04006.  Doors open & book sale begins at 7 PM. Light refreshments.

Union Church is pleased to present the 11^th season of our Summer Speaker Series, once again bringing you an exciting line-up of literary talent. We deeply appreciate that our authors donate their time for the benefit of Union Church’s charitable work, primarily Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center and Stone Soup Food Pantry, both in Biddeford.  Because our seating is more limited than in the past, reservations this year will require advance payment, made easier by offering you the option of registering online OR mailing in your payment (see below).  Again, seating is limited so please sign up early. We look forward to seeing you!

MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD, Sunday, JULY 15, 7:30 PM. Maggie’s debut novel, Seating Arrangements, is set on an exclusive New England island over two days leading up to the wedding of an unrepentant pregnant bride-to-be. Due out in June, it is already a “Recommended” selection of Barnes & Nobles, which describes it as “a social satire as poignant as it is funny.” Born in 1983, Maggie is a Harvard graduate, holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and is a Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Her short fiction has appeared in Tin House, VQR, Glimmer Train, The Best American Short Stories, among other publications.                                                                                                                                                                        "Maggie Shipstead is an outrageously gifted writer, and her assured first novel is by turns hilarious and deeply moving.” Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls.

MONICA WOOD, Thursday, JULY 26, 7:30 PM. Best known for her fiction, Monica’s memoir, When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine, is due out in July.  In 1963, the Wood family is much like its close, Catholic, immigrant neighbors, dependent on the father’s wages from the mill.  When Dad suddenly dies on his way to work, Mum and the four deeply connected Wood girls are set adrift. This is the story of how a family saves itself, funny and to-the-bone moving. Monica’s novels include Any Bitter Thing, which spent twenty-one weeks on the American Booksellers Association extended bestseller list and was named a Book Sense Top Ten pick;  Ernie’s Ark; Secret Language; and My Only Story.   http://www.monicawood.com                                                                                                                       “[When We Were the Kennedys] is an extraordinarily moving book, so carefully and artfully realized, about loss and life and love. Monica Wood displays all her superb novelistic skills in this breathtaking, evocative new memoir. Wow. " Ken Burns, filmmaker.       

LILY KING, Thursday, AUGUST 9, 7:30 PM. Of Lily’s three novels, her first, The Pleasing Hour (1999), won the Barnes & Noble Discover Award and was a New York Times Notable Book and an alternate for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her second, The English Teacher (2005), was a Publishers Weekly Top Ten Book of the Year, a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, and the winner of the Maine Fiction Award. Her most recent, Father of the Rain (2010), won the New England Book Award and the Maine Fiction Award, and was a New York Times Editors' Choice. Lily lives in Maine with her husband and children. http://www.lilykingbooks.com                                                                                                                                                                                          "Luminous . . .Uplifting . . .Fresh, with vividly drawn characters . . .and a clear eye for the details of their singularly messed up relationships. ” ~Karen Holt, Oprah Magazine for Father of the Rain

WILLIAM KUHN, Thursday, AUGUST 23, 7:30 PM. Bill is an historian, biographer, and author of Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books. Most remember Jackie Onassis for her grace and style, and her marriage and children, but know little about her reinventing herself as a successful editor for two decades. The 100 books she chose to edit show her authentic character and tastes, and reflect connections to her own history and biography. Bill’s previous works include Henry & Mary Ponsonby: Life at the Court of Queen Victoria (2002), a BBC Radio Four “Book of the Week” read by actor Geoffrey Palmer; and The Politics of Pleasure: A Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli (2006). Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books (2011) was a featured selection of The Book of the Month Club, Doubleday Book Club, the Literary Guild, and The Quality Paperback Book Club. http://www.williamkuhn.com

Our thanks to Nonesuch Books of Biddeford for handling the book sale and donating part of their event proceeds.

Ticket Information

Series Tickets (all 4 events) $40
Individual Event, Advance Pay $12

Individual Event, at the door $15

For additional information contact Elaine Robinson at 283-1398.