• Thursday, August 14th at 8:00 P.M. (Talk)

David Burke will talk about his new book, Writers in Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light.   No city has attracted so much literary talent, launched so many illustrious careers, or produced such a wealth of enduring literature as Paris.   From the 15th century through the 20th, poets, novelists, & playwrights, famed for both their work & their lives, were shaped by this enchanting locale.   From natives such as Molière, Genet, & Anaïs Nin, to expats like Henry Miller, Samuel Beckett, & Gertrude Stein, author David Burke follows hundreds of writers through Paris's labyrinthine streets, inviting readers on his own grand tour.   Equally appealing to Francophiles & serious readers, this engaging book includes maps & more than 100 evocative photographs.   Burke is a documentary filmmaker & former 60 Minutes writer/producer who came to Paris in 1986 for what he thought would be a year, but turned into more than twenty.   Besides Writers in Paris, he has written two editions of HarperCollins's Access Paris, a travel guide to Mediterranean France, & numerous articles. & He & his wife, producer/director Joanne Burke, have also made seven documentaries over these years & are working on a eighth.

• Friday, August 15th at 8:00 P.M. (Poetry reading)

Local poet & publisher Betsy Wheeler will be joined by Julie Doxsee & Mathias Svalina in a poetry reading.   Wheeler is a founding editor of Pilot Books & Pilot Magazine, has worked as an editorial intern at Graywolf Press, & as an apprentice in letterpress book arts with Sutton Hoo Press.   She is author of two chapbooks, Start Here, &, with Dean Gorman, Absolutely You.   Doxsee, who teaches at Koç University in Istanbul, is author of a debut volume, Undersleep, of which Cole Swenson wrote, “Spare, bright, & sharp these poems spark, tossing up unexpected words, making strange connections, inventing vocabulary, & in general, cracking open the natural world & letting us watch it tick.   Intimate & worldly at the same time, Julie Doxsee is a surprising and deeply gifted poet, & this, her first book, glows in the dark.”   Svalina lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where he co-curates “The Clean Part Reading Series” & teaches creative writing at Nebraska Wesleyan University.   He is the co-editor of Octopus Magazine & Octopus Books.   He is the author of the several chapbooks, including Why I Am White; Creation Myths; &, with Julia Cohen, When We Broke the Microscope.

• Wednesday, August 20th at 8:00 P.M. (Reading)

Northampton resident John Sheirer will read from his new book, Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail.   Sheirer hiked the same two-mile trail in Somers, Connecticut, once a day, every day for a year.   Along the way, Sheirer discovered that an obsession with hiking & caring for the same New England trail every day can be surprisingly adventurous—ranging from blistering heat, flooding rain, whiteout snowstorms, early mornings, dark nights, & everything in between.   (Plus there's an unexpected love story & a really cute dog.)   Loop Year received the Connecticut Green Circle Award for environmental activism.   Sheirer is author of numerous books, including Growing Up Mostly Normal in the Middle of Nowhere; Shut Up & Speak!: Essential Guidelines for Public Speaking in School, Work, & Life; & Saying My Name.

• Thursday, August 21th at 8:00 P.M. (Group reading)

The Gather Round Children Variety Show: A Lively Night of Lit & Music For Kids 18 & Up   Fiction by University of Massachusetts professor Chris Bachelder, author of U.S.! & Bear v Shark; as well as, Hanuman Goleman & Ben Stein; poetry by Jeannie Hoag; & music by Tina Antolini, Ari Feld, & Sara Blaylock.   Hosted by Gabe Durham.