Concord Festival of Authors 2022
For 30 years, the Concord Festival of Authors (CFA) has celebrated the written and spoken word throughout the town of historic Concord, Massachusetts. Every October, the CFA collaboratively honors the narrative arts by featuring dozens of literary and performative programs, the majority of which are free to the public. This year's festival will run from October 13 to October 31 in locations around Concord. This year features celebrated Concord authors such as Keynote Speaker Alan Lightman, Concord Historian Robert Gross and Newbury Award-Winning Author Rajani LaRocca, who will give the annual Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture for Young People. Other notable library-sponsored events include Miller Award Winner Professor Sean Wilentz, the annual Breakfast with the Authors, moderated by Dr. Suzanne Koven, and the always popular Mystery Night with Kate Flora.
The events listed below are sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library, the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Concord Free Public Library Corporation and will take place in the Goodwin Forum, Main Library. Free admission (unless noted otherwise) [View Full Calendar] [View Festival Home Page]
To register for the Festival programs, please visit www.concordfestivalofauthors.org.
Minutemen and Transcendentalists as seen through CFPL Special Collections, Friday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.
Professor Robert Gross will discuss turning-points in his research for The Minutemen and Their World and The Transcendentalists and Their World, when he discovered previously unknown or unstudied documents in Concord’s Special Collections.
2022 Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History, Saturday, October 15, 7:00 p.m. (A hybrid event)
Join us to honor the 2022 Ruth Ratner Miller Award for Excellence in American History Winner, Dr. Sean Wilentz, professor of American History at Princeton University. Professor Wilentz will be introduced by Professor Maya Jasanoff. The introduction will be pre-recorded. In-Person Attendance: $15 per ticket. $5 for students. Register here to receive the Zoom link to watch live on Zoom, free of charge.
CFA 2022 Writing Workshop: Healing Stories with Dr. Annie Brewster, Sunday October 16, 4:00 p.m.
Create your healing story with Dr. Annie Brewster, co-founder of Health Story Collaborative, and Lara Wilson, curator of the Concord Festival of Authors. Experiment with writing prompts, reflective exercises and mindful practices.
The Healing Power of Storytelling: A Conversation with Dr. Annie Brewster, Sunday, October 16, 7:00 p.m.
Reframe your story--and reclaim your life--through the transformative practice of writing and storytelling.
Mindful Storytelling: Shelly Tygielski in conversation with Dr. Christopher Willard, Monday, October 17, 7:00 p.m.
How might we find a path toward greater wellBeing in the midst of it all? Learn from global mindfulness leaders how radical self-care practices can shift difficult experiences toward growth. Feel inspired to Be Present for yourself and others as you discover ways to Be Well - and live a most mindful life!
CFA 2022 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Alan Lightman, Friday, October 21, 7:00 p.m.
Join us as celebrated author Dr. Alan Lightman discusses literary life in Concord and his acclaimed thought-provoking book, Probable Impossibilities.
Breakfast with the Authors, Saturday, October 22, 9:30 a.m.
Dr. Suzanne Koven will moderate the annual CFA event Breakfast with the Authors, as we discuss the literary life with Steve Almond, Rachel Barenbaum, and Lan Samantha Chang.
Writing Is Time-Travel: A Workshop for Teens and New Adults, Sunday, October 23, 1:00 p.m.
"Writing Is Time-Travel" is an in-person writing workshop for teens and new adults facilitated by Cary Stough. Throughout the hour, we will explore memory as well as the future through multi-genre and formless writing that anyone can do.
Writing as an Act of Humanity: Yung Pueblo, Sunday, October 23, 7:00 p.m.
Be Present with author, poet, philosopher and mindful educator Diego Perez, known by 2.3 million Instagram followers as Yung Pueblo. Diego will discuss his brand new book, Lighter, as well as share mindful wisdom that inspires us all to seek ease, engage in Radical Honesty, cultivate caring relationships and show up for one another for the benefit of us all.
Family Narratives Writing Workshop with Lynne Griffin, Wednesday, October 26, 4:00 p.m.
In this in-person program facilitated by family counselor and novelist Lynne Reeves Griffin, participants will consider the particulars of the family story, learning to make craft decisions about the best, and most thoughtful way to approach writing one.
2022 Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture for Young People featuring Rajani LaRocca, Saturday, October 29, 2:00 p.m.
Concord’s Rajani LaRocca, the author of many children’s and young adult books, will be honored as the 2022 Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture Series presenter. All are invited to hear from Rajani as she talks about her books, the most recent of which is the Newbery Honor winner Red, White and Whole.
Writing Collections: Essays & Short Stories with E.B. Bartels and Tom McNeely, Sunday, October 30, 1:00 p.m.
Writers E.B. Bartels and Tom McNeely will share insights about the art of writing collections. Bartels will discuss her essay collection Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter. McNeely will speak about his short story collection, Pictures of the Shark.
Poetry of Witness, Family Life, The Perils of Our Times, Sunday, October 30, 3:00 p.m.
Join a trio of award-winning poets who will read and engage in a host-moderated Q & A about their recently published books from Massachusetts independent literary presses. This event will be moderated by Glenn Mitchell.
CFA Mystery Night 2022, Sunday, October 30, 7:00 p.m.
Join us for this popular annual event with mystery authors Edwin Hill, Edith Maxwell and Carolyn Marie Wilkins. This event will be moderated by author Kate Flora.
Click on the flyer below to view the full calendar of the Festival -