Local authors, Ben Anastas (far left), Steve Almond (top right) and Andre Dubus III. All three will be in Rockport Saturday to discuss memoir writing. (Courtesy Photos)
"Men And Their Memoirs"
Three of our region’s favorite authors who all have local ties will address the challenges of transforming life into compelling memoirs in a Literary Cape Ann-hosted discussion at the Shalin Liu Performance Center on Saturday, March 19 in Rockport.
Andre Dubus III, Benjamin Anastas and Steve Almond will appear at the Shalin Liu Performance Center at 2 p.m., Saturday, March 19. Their memoirs — “William Stoner and the Battle for the Inner Life,” by Steve Almond; “Townie,” by Andre Dubus III; and “Too Good to be True,” by Benjamin Anastas — are powerful, unflinching and critically acclaimed.
All three have deep ties to Cape Ann, the North Shore and Boston. Sometimes witty, sometimes wrenching, the memoirs are thought-provoking page-turners worthy of a deep dive.
Benjamin Anastas is the author of the novels “An Underachiever’s Diary” (Dial Press) and “The Faithful Narrative of a Pastor’s Disappearance” (FSG). His memoir, “Too Good to Be True “(Little A), was a national bestseller, and his short fiction has appeared in The Paris Review and Yale Review, where it was awarded the annual Smart Family Prize for Fiction.
His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, Harper's, Bookforum, the Oxford American, and “The Best American Essays” anthology. He teaches literature and writing at Bennington College and is the fiction editor at the Bennington Review. He is from Cape Ann and his late father, Peter Anastas, was a local newspaper journalist, known for his fiction and nonfiction.
Steve Almond is the author of a dozen books, including New York Times bestsellers “Candyfreak” and “Against Football.” His new novel, “All the Secrets of the World,” will be published in April by Zando Books, and has been optioned for television by 20th Century Fox. He’s the recipient of an NEA grant for 2022 and teaches at Harvard and Wesleyan. His stories have been published in the “Best American Short Stories,” the “Best American Mysteries” and “Best American Erotica,” and his essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times Magazine.
Andre Dubus III’s seven books include the New York Times’ bestsellers “House of Sand and Fog,” “The Garden of Last Days” and his memoir, “Townie.” His most recent novel, “Gone So Long,” has been named on many “Best Books” lists, including The Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018.” His new novel, “Such Kindness,” is forthcoming in 2023, and his essay collection, “Ghost Dogs,” will be released in 2024. He has been a finalist for the National Book Award, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and is a recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. His books are published in over 25 languages, and he teaches full time at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Admission is free. (Masks and proof of vaccination are encouraged so they are on hand should they still be required). The authors’ books will be on sale by The Bookstore of Gloucester after the discussion, and all three authors will sign books.
