By Brian Harris, Staff Writer
We’re not even a week into the school year and the UMass Dartmouth team are already hard at work planning new events to entertain our student body. And one of those events, the Claire T. Carney 12th Annual Author’s Brunch, is nearly here!
But what exactly is this brunch in the first place? Well, that was the first question I posed to Maria Sanguinetti, the publicity chair for the Claire T. Carney Library Associates. Ms. Sanguinetti is very much an expert in the event, being the person responsible for both the press release and the flyers for the annual brunch.
In her words, the event can best be described as: “…an authors’ brunch; namely a brunch followed by presentations by three authors. The theme this year is biography. The three presenters will each speak about the process of writing biographies and will discuss their latest books. A Q&A will follow the presentations and the authors will be available to autograph their books which will be available for sale at the event.”
For twelve years, this event has been a part of the fabric of the UMass Dartmouth community, featuring such authors as Teri Gerritson, J.A. Jance, Anita Diamant, Gregory Maguire and many more throughout the years. The event has served to raise successful funding for various Claire T. Carney library projects, such as purchasing books for the library, and even chipping in on the veteran’s reading room.
So, who are the authors scheduled for this year’s event? Well, first up we have Megan Marshall, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography Margaret Fuller, with a new novel about Elizabeth Bishop on the way. Next let’s talk about Susan Mizruchi whose biography on Marlon Brando, Brando’s Smile: His Life, Thought, and Work has had its film rights successfully sold off to potentially be made into a feature film. Mizruchi will also be showing off some previously never before seen photographs of Marlon Brando at the brunch.
Finally, the third author on the list for the brunch is one Leigh Montville, a sports biographer who has written for publications such as The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated. His most recent biography is the story of Muhammed Ali and his battle with the U.S. government over enlistment in the military during the Vietnam War.
These are some incredibly prestigious and accomplished guests, and along with the brunch portion the event seems like it will be a fantastic evening. But, of course we must answer the most important questions: When and where is it? And how much does it cost?
Well, I think Ms. Sanguinetti has a fantastic run down of the details: “The event, which is held at the Woodland Commons, begins at 12 noon on Sunday, April 22. Guests must reserve tickets in advance. The cost of the tickets is $35. Checks should be made out to the CTC Library Associates and mailed c/o Rita Raymond, 1032 Sterling Street, New Bedford, MA 02745.”
If you have any questions, she can be contacted at msanguinetti@umassd.edu or by calling her at 508-991-5096.”
So, with a few months left to plan, there is still plenty of time to reserve tickets and prepare for a fantastic literary experience!