Program of Bookstock Events-Saturday, July 31st

Here's the Cliff's Notes version of Bookstock 2010 (it's almost short enough to tweet):

• 10AM - 5PM Saturday, July 31, in Woodstock VT
• David Macaulay, 10AM
• Bill McKibben, 11 AM

followed by:

• 18 other authors and poets
• Outdoor dance and musical performances
• large exhibitor tent
• food
• two second-hand book sales (which begin July 30)
• Vermont's first annual statewide young writers' competition!

Presenter and Author Biographies

Complete Schedule

10-10:45 am
Keynote Speech - David Macaulay speaks about writing and illustrating his renowned books about such landmark structures as buildings and bridges. He discusses the challenges he's met and approaches he takes in meeting each of them, while creating his classics Cathedral & The Way Things Work. (Town Hall Theatre)

10-11:45 am
Bookmaking for Children - Presented by Tayo Skarrow of Purple Crayon, this art activity includes making books, making sketch books, & having fun drawing & doodling. This activity is geared to children from ages 2-12. (Circular Tent on The Green)

11-11:45 am
Eaarth & Our Earth - Bill McKibben talks about his new book, Eaarth, & the global-scale campaign he has been running to try to keep climate change from getting any further out of hand. For ages 12 & over. (Town Hall Theatre)

Telling the Story with Color for the Whole Family - Artist & Illustrator Annette Compton invites you to join her for an interactive hour of watercolor, and a slide presentation about her work. For all ages, but no more than 30 participants in all. (Woodstock Historical Society History Room)

11:30 AM-12:45 pm
Poetry Readings - Chard deNiord reads from his last three books of poetry, Sharp Golden Thorn, Night Mowing, & The Double Truth. Martha Zweig reads from her latest work, Monkey Lightning. Martha is also willing to include some Q & A, comments & discussion. (Norman Williams Public Library Reading Room)


12 Noon-12:30 pm
Music by Old Sam Peabody Band - Traditional acoustic dance tunes of Quebec & Ireland, played by an 8 member group with fiddles, cello, accordion, guitar, mandolin & piano. (Circular Tent on The Green)

12 Noon-12:45 pm
Writing the Historical Novel - Ernest Hebert talks about the process of writing The Old American, a narrative about a captor & his captive that takes place in the early days of the French & Indian War. For ages 12 & over. (Norman Williams Public Library Mezzanine)

Re-publishing Two Favorites - The author & illustrator, David Macaulay, discusses the soon-to-be-published revised versions of his early books Cathedral & City. Both have been completely redrawn & are now in color. This is mainly for children, but adults will be welcome. (Woodstock Historical Society History Room)

12:30-12:50 pm
Dance Performance by the FLOCK Dance Troupe (Circular Tent on The Green)

1-1:45 pm
The Last Day; or Jesus on the Beach - Jim Landis reads from his novel The Last Day and discusses its origins in the beaches of New Hampshire & the deserts of Iraq & the longings for a life eternal. (Norman Williams Public Library Mezzanine)

Birdology - Discovering the Essence of Birds - Sy Montgomery talks about how birds are wild animals we see daily, yet they remain strangers. We take them for granted, forgetting that they are really winged dinosaurs. Unlike mammals, birds are made of little more than air. Birdology lets us see birds anew, restoring our awe & sense of connection to these astonishing animals. For young adults & adults. (Woodstock Historical Society History Room )

Music by Henderson & Grenade - Acoustic rockabilly duo singing original tunes, accompanied on bass, guitar, mandolin & banjo. (Circular Tent on The Green)

1-2:15 pm
Poetry Readings - Jim Schley reads from his most recent poems & prose, which include a very interesting project involving his own family's history. Jodi Gladding reads poems from Rooms and Their Airs as well as from some of her translations & new work. (Norman Williams Public Library Reading Room)

2-2:45 pm
Rethinking the Back-to-the-Land Literary Tradition: Reflections from Up Tunket Road: the Education of a Modern Homesteader - Phillip Ackerman-Leist discusses the American back-to-the-land literary movement ranging from Thoreau to John Burroughs to the Nearings. He asks if this tradition still makes sense in light of current ecological & social challenges. He reflects on this with excerpts from his new book. (Norman Williams Public Library Mezzanine)

Macabre Vermont, The New England Grimpendium - J.W. Ocker introduces his new book, The New England Grimpendium, looking at the darker side of Vermont & nearby areas of New England. He gives us a glimpse of fascinating cemeteries & tombstones, horror movie filming locations, famous personalities of the macabre & classic monsters of the Green Mountain State. For young adults & adults. (Woodstock Historical Society History Room)

Kenya & Kids' Books - Kelly Cunnane, who runs interactive cross-cultural workshops, demonstrates Kenyan culture & language through the use of authentic artifacts & dress seen in her books Chirchir Is Singing & For You Are A Kenyan Child. For all ages. (Circular Tent on The Green)

2:30-3:45 pm
Poetry Reading - Alice B. Fogel talks about & reads from her 3 books of poetry & some other poets' work. She also discusses demystifying poetry & simple ways for readers to enter a poem. Wyn Cooper reads from his recent works. They hope to have time for open discussion & Q & A as well. (Norman Williams Public Library Reading Room)

3:00-3:30 pm
Music - Kim Heath & local musicians Geoff Dates & Tim Traver play traditional tunes from West Texas to New England on banjo & fiddle. (Circular Tent on The Green)

3-3:45 pm
An Actor's Guide to Unlocking Shakespeare's Text - Actress Lisa Harrow demonstrates many methods an actor can use to bring Shakespeare's words to life. She tells how actors must love language in order to play Shakespeare, whose plays are full of "heightened language," or language that is not naturalistic but full of images and metaphors. She shows how to make Shakespeare's language real. For ages 12 & over. (Norman Williams Public Library Mezzanine)

Vive la Zine: The Art of Self-Publishing - Before the blog, there was the zine. Robyn Chapman, self-publisher & teacher at The Center for Cartoon Studies offers a brief history of self-publishing in America with hand-made publications from her own collection, & explains why zines & minicomics are powerful & valid forms of communication in today's high-tech world. (Woodstock Historical Society History Room)

Dance Performances - the FLOCK Dance Troupe (Circular Tent on The Green)

4-4:30 pm
Reading by John Greisemer, who reads his much-loved short story "Roy on the Roof" (Circular Tent on The Green)

4:30-5 pm
Presentation of Awards for the Young Writers Competition and Closing of the Festival - Hasse K. Halley presents prizes to the five Young Writers who took equal first place in the Bookstock Young Writers Competition (Circular Tent on the Green)

All Day
Visit Bookstock Exhibitors - Countryman Press, Chelsea Green Publishing, Everybody Wins! Vermont, Harbor Mountain Press , Green Living Journal, Independent Publishers of New England , Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park , Pentangle Arts Council, Pleasant Street Rare, Antiquarian & 1st Edition Books, Project Peru, Radiant Hen, Shir Shalom Synagogue, Skylight Paths Publishing, Steerforth Press, Sustainable Woodstock, Thistle Hill Publishing, Trafalgar Square Books / Horse & Rider Books, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Willow Bascom, Yankee Bookshop (On the Green)

Bookstock 2010 in a Nutshell

Here's the Cliff's Notes version of Bookstock 2010 (it's almost short enough to tweet):

• 10AM - 5PM Saturday, July 31, in Woodstock VT
• David Macaulay, 10AM
• Bill McKibben, 11 AM

followed by:

• 18 other authors and poets
• Outdoor dance and musical performances
• large exhibitor tent
• food
• two second-hand book sales (which begin July 30)
• Vermont's first annual statewide young writers' competition!

Bookstock July 31, 2010 Presenter Profiles

Philip Ackerman-Leist homesteads and farms off-the-grid in Pawlet, Vermont with his wife Erin and their three children. Philip is an associate professor of Environmental Studies at Green Mountain College, where he is also Director of the GMC Farm & Food Project. His new book, Up Tunket Road: The Education of a Modern Homesteader, with pen and ink drawings by Erin, is a reflection on his two decades of farming, homesteading and teaching. (2 PM)

Robyn Chapman, self-publisher and teacher, lives in White River Junction, Vermont, where she teaches at The Center for Cartoon Studies. Robyn's work has been featured in several anthologies and publications, including Scheherazade, Stuck in the Middle, the NY Metro, and Seven Days. She edits and publishes a zine about eyeglasses titled Hey, 4-Eyes! (3 PM)

Annette Compton's award-winning illustrated children's book, God's Paintbrush by Sandy Sasso, is in its tenth printing from Jewish Lights Publishing. She has been a professional artist for over twenty years, and has taught workshops in France, Scotland, Italy and Bermuda after writing her book, Drawing from the Mind, Painting from the Heart. Her work in oil and watercolor is in many collections world-wide, and she continues to teach and design in her studio in Woodstock called Compton ART. (11 AM)

Wyn Cooper's fourth book of poems, Chaos is the New Calm, was published this year. His poems appear in 25 anthologies of contemporary poetry. He has given readings across the country and in Europe. He has written songs with Sheryl Crow, David Broza, Jody Redhage, and David Baerwald. His second CD with Madison Smartt Bell, Postcards Out of the Blue, came out in 2008. Their songs can be heard on six television shows. He lives in Vermont and helps run the Brattleboro Literary Festival. (2:30 PM)

Kelly Cunnane worked with the Peace Corps in Kenya from 1979-1981. She has revisited the same Kenyan village several times and lived there with her family for 6 months. Kelly writes childrens' books to develop curiosity and open minds and hearts to the joy of Africa. Through her books, she hopes to show both the differences and similarities between the lives of children in very different countries. Kelly lives in Maine where she teaches English, art and culture. (2 PM) 

Chard deNiord is the author of three books of poetry: Night Mowing, Sharp Golden Thorn and Asleep in the Fire. Two new books will be published next spring: The Double Truth, a book of poems, and Sad Friends, Drowned Lovers, Stapled Songs, a collection of interviews with senior American poets. DeNiord's poems, interviews and essays have appeared in a number of well-known literary reviews. He teaches English at Providence College and lives in Putney, VT. (11:30 AM)
Alice B. Fogel's most recent book of poems, Be That Empty, was a national poetry bestseller in 2008. A recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Nat'l Endowment for the Arts, and four-time Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in Best American Poetry and other anthologies and journals. Her 2009 book, Strange Terrain: A Poetry Handbook for the Reluctant Reader, is a non-academic guide for those who don't "get" poetry. Alice lives in Acworth, NH. (2:30 PM)

FLOCK Dance Troupe is a dance company founded in 1999 and works out of Sharon, VT. FLOCK seeks to move its audiences toward a new recognition of our place as human beings in the natural order of life on earth. Artistic Director Carol Langstaff's work with FLOCK translates and transforms tensions and difficulties through humor, visual beauty, stunning music, and graceful, ecstatic ensemble dance. (12:30 PM; 3:30 PM)

Jody Gladding, poet and translator, lives in East Calais, Vermont and teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College of the Fine Arts. Rooms and Their Airs is her most recent book. Her translations include Pierre Michon's Small Lives, which won the 2009 French American Foundation Translation Prize. She was awarded the Yale Younger Poets and Whiting Writers Awards. (1 PM)

John Griesemer is the author of the novels No One Thinks of Greenland and Signal & Noise. His short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, GlimmerTrain, Boulevard and a number of other publications, and No One thinks of Greenland was made into the film "Guy X." John has also worked as an actor on Broadway and with the NY Shakespeare Festival and Lincoln Center. John lives with his wife in Lyme, NH. (4 PM)

Lisa Harrow's stage career started at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) where she played such leading roles as Olivia in Twelfth Night opposite Judi Dench, and Portia in The Merchant of Venice, opposite Patrick Stewart. Ms. Harrow has also acted opposite John Hurt and Peter O'Toole, and was a core performer in the legendary TV production Playing Shakespeare: RSC Master Classes. In the USA, Ms. Harrow has performed major roles in Wit, The Cherry Orchard, All My Sons, Mary Stuart, Ion and in Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll. Quite recently, she played Gertrude in Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Northern Stage Theatre in White River Junction. (3 PM)

Ernest Hebert is the author of eight novels and two non-fiction books. He is also a Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. He will speak about the writing of his novel The Old American. Based on historical fact, it is the fictitious account of a man held captive by Indians before and during the French and Indian War. (12 PM)

Jim Landis has written many novels and one book of poetry. Longing was a New York Times Notable Book. Lying in Bed won the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Jim Landis is also author of a book of poetry for children, illustrated by his wife, called Cars on Mars and 49 other poems for kids on Earth. He was also Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of William Morrow & Company. (1 PM)

David Macaulay, Bookstock 2010's keynote speaker, is an international bestselling author and illustrator. Macaulay lives in Norwich, VT, is a MacArthur Fellow, and is the author/illustrator of sixteen widely popular books for both children and adults. His books range from Cathedral (1973) to The Way We Work (2008). In 1991, he won the prestigious Caldecott Award for Black And White. (10 AM; 12 PM)

Bill McKibben has written a dozen books, beginning with The End of Nature (1989), the first book on climate change written for a general audience, which has appeared in 24 languages. McKibben has been a staff writer at the New Yorker, and his work has appeared in most national publications. Currently, he is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College, and is founder of 350.org, a climate campaign that in 2009 organized what CNN called "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history." (11 AM)

Sy Montgomery, while researching her books, articles and films, has been hunted by a swimming tiger, bitten by a vampire bat, and deftly undressed by an orangutan. She has worked in a pit swarming with 18,000 snakes, swum with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and searched for snow leopards in Mongolia's Great Gobi. The author of 15 books for adults and children, her latest books are Birdology and Kakapo Rescue, both published this spring and both about birds.

J.W. Ocker has a B.A. in English and a Master's in Liberal Arts, the latter from the Great Books Program of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. He runs the website O.T.I.S. (Odd Things I've Seen), where he chronicles his visits to various oddities of culture and history. Some of his darker travels have been featured in Rue Morgue magazine and on CNN.com. He currently lives in Nashua, NH. (2 PM)

Jim Schley is the author of a collection of poetry, As When, In Season. He has been co-editor of the literary quarterly New England Review and editor-in-chief of Chelsea Green Publishing Company. He is now managing editor of the book publisher Tupelo Press and an associate member of the journalists' collective Homelands Productions. He lives off-the-grid on a land cooperative in Strafford, VT. (1 PM)

Martha Zweig's published works include Powers, Vinegar Bone, What Kind and Monkey Lightning. Among her awards are Hopwood Awards at the University of Michigan, The Mrs. Giles Whiting Award and Three Pushcart nominations. Recently, three of her poems were featured in the February 2010  edition of Poetry magazine. Her work has also been published in such journals as Boston Review, The Paris Review, The Progressive, The Gettysburg Review, Poetry Daily and others. (11:30 AM)