Bridging Writers Author Series

Presents 

Howard Mansfield 

Dwelling in Possibility:Searching for the Soul of Shelter

Monday, November 7, 2016 

6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Thayer Memorial Library

The mystery that attracts Howard Mansfield’s attention is that some houses have life—are home, are dwellings, and others aren’t. Dwelling, he says, is an old-fashioned word that we’ve misplaced. When we live heart and soul, we dwell. When we belong to a place, we dwell. Possession, they say, is nine-tenths of the law, but it is also what too many houses and towns lack. This lost quality of dwelling—the soul of buildings—haunts most of our houses and our landscape. Dwelling in Possibility is a search for the ordinary qualities that make some houses a home, and some public places welcoming.

Howard Mansfield sifts through the commonplace and the forgotten to discover stories that tell us about ourselves and our place in the world. He writes about history, architecture, and preservation. He is the author of seven books, including In the Memory House, The Bones of the Earth, and most recently, Dwelling in Possibility: Searching for the Soul of Shelter which The Boston Globe called “a wholly original meditation … that’s part observation of the contemporary built environment, part cultural history, part philosophical account, and at times something like a Whitmanian poetic survey.”  His newest book, Sheds, with photographer Joanna Eldredge Morrissey, was published in June 2016. 

For more information on this program, or to preregister,  click here.  For questions, contact us at  7bridgewriterscollaborative@gmail.com.

 The Seven Bridge Writers Collaborative

PRESENTS

Saturday, October 15, 2016

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Thayer Memorial Library

            The Pros and Pitfalls of Modern Publishing Solutions, 

with Dale T. Phillips and Ursula Wong

Whether you are writing a novel or have already finished one, this workshop will review the spectrum of publishing solutions available for your book. We’ll discuss the pros and pitfalls of traditional publishing, small press, partnering with collectives, vanity press, and “do-it-yourself” options. Manuscript readiness, editing, contracts, revenue, and what writers can expect from each solution will be included in the comparisons. Finally, we’ll touch on goals and how to decide the best solution for your book.

Ursula Wong lived and worked on the family dairy farm started by her grandparents, who fled Eastern Europe and the Bolsheviks for a better life in the U.S. After losing her father as a young girl, Ursula overcame poverty and went on to become a high-tech engineer. An adventurous traveler, scuba diver, and hiker, Ursula writes gripping stories about strong women struggling against impossible odds to achieve their dreams. Her work has appeared in Everyday Fiction, Spinetingler Magazine, and the popular Insanity Tales anthologies. 

Her award-winning novel, Purple Trees, exposes a dark side of rural New England life. It's the story of a naïve girl who loses her parents, and grows up fast to find work and build a future, while the weight of the past threatens everything she loves. 

Ursula taps her heritage in her upcoming WW II novel, Amber Wolf. Destitute after her parents are taken by Russian soldiers, young Ludmelia Kudirka joins the farmers fighting for freedom in a David-and-Goliath struggle against the mighty Soviet war machine. Rich with scenes and legends of Lithuania, Amber Wolf will be available on Amazon in 2016.

Stephen King was Dale Phillips's college writing teacher, and he's published the Zack Taylor mystery series, a supernatural thriller novel, over 60 short stories, story collections, poetry, and a non-fiction career book on interviewing. His stories have been published in a number of anthologies with other writers.

He's appeared on stage, television, and in an independent feature film. He competed on two nationally televised quiz shows, Jeopardy and Think Twice, losing on both in a spectacular fashion. He co-wrote and acted in The Nine, a short political satire film. He's traveled to all 50 states, Mexico, Canada, and throughout Europe.

Please join us for this free workshop.

To preregister (recommended) click here:

https://goo.gl/forms/zRTmkHVOTnElIGJl1