When some 50 authors, illustrators, poets and writers and many, many more book-lovers from far and wide gather on Friday–Sunday, Oct. 4–6, for free events in Portland, Farmington, Brunswick, Waterville, Bangor and Presque Isle (and online), for the second Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance festival, there’ll be an additional LGBTQ+ component, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald.
When the Press Herald asked organizer Michael Colbert “What event did you plan, and what makes you excited about it?,” here’s what he had to say:
“I planned the ‘Proud Mary’ reading at Cocktail Mary [in Portland]. Some amazing queer writers from Maine and beyond will be reading their work. In designing this event, I wanted to engage the community outside of the literary world.
We’re partnering with Queers and Beers as well as GQB (Guerrilla Queer Bar), two local event series, to get the word out. Cocktail Mary has also been great to work with. A lot of readings can center around the publication of a book. The idea behind this event was to get writers and readers out of bookstores and to invite the queer community into the Lit Fest in a more informal, community setting. Cocktail Mary – an East End queer bar, which puts on wonderful events all year – felt like a natural partner. We have a stacked lineup of poets, essayists and fiction writers, and I think this will be a fun night out.”
Here’s the scoop:
Proud Mary Reading
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- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024
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- 8–10 P.M.
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- COCKTAIL MARY, 229 CONGRESS STREET, PORTLAND, ME
Grab a cocktail or mocktail, kick back, and hear seven dynamite queer writers, from Maine and beyond, read their work after hours at Cocktail Mary.
Featured writers include Johan Alexander, Chen Chen, Michael Colbert, Melissa Febos, Emily Lowe, Rebecca Turkewitz, and Arisa White.
Author books will be available for purchase by Print: A Bookstore.
Read the complete Portland Press Herald story here.
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