The Art of Writing Historical Fiction at The Aldrich on Novmeber 9

American novelist Nathaniel Rich was commissioned to write a short story based loosely on the collecting life of Larry Aldrich, founder of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, for the institution’s 50th Anniversary.

Now he will join Joseph Kanon, author of Istanbul Passage, and Joanne Dobson, author of The Kashmiri Shawl, for a discussion about historical fiction at the Museum from 2 to 3 pm on Sunday, November 9. The panel will cover the genre’s varied interpretation by writers, and the challenges and opportunities faced when working in this motif. After a brief reception and book signing, Rich will lead a registration-required writing workshop from 3:30 to 5 pm. Both the talk and the workshop are free for Aldrich members and free with the price of Museum admission for non-members.

Rich’s story The Collector, published in June 2014, is the first in a series of projects that use the Museum’s archive as a catalyst and investigative tool for the creation of original works in a range of disciplines and media, expanding The Aldrich’s reach beyond the realm of the visual arts. The photographs illustrating The Collectorwere all taken at the Museum in the 1960s. The publication is for sale at The Aldrich and Books on the Common:  $5, members, $7 non-members.

Nathaniel Rich is the author of two novels: Odds Against Tomorrow and The Mayor's Tongue; his short fiction has appeared in McSweeney's, Vice, The American Scholar, and Salon, and his essays in the New York Review of Books, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and the Atlantic.

Joseph Kanon is the author of Los Alamos, which won the Edgar Award for best first novel; The Good German, made into a film starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett; The Prodigal Spy and Alibi, which earned Kanon the Hammett Award of the International Association of Crime Writers; and Istanbul Passage, released in May 2012. He received The Anne Frank Human Writers Award for his writings on the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Joanne Dobson, is an English professor and creative writing teacher at various colleges and universities. She is the author of the Professor Karen Pelletier Series, six academic mystery novels; Face of the Enemy (2102, coauthored with Beverle Graves Myers); and, most recently, The Kashmiri Shawl (2014). A noted Author of the Year, New York Library Association, and Creative Arts Fellow, American Antiquarian Society, Dobson lives in Brewster, New York.

This program is presented in partnership with Ridgefield Library and Books on the Common. The official media sponsors are Ridgefield Magazine and WSHU Public Radio.

For more information, please contact Tracy Moore attmoore@aldrichart.org. The Aldrich is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.

Museum: Founded by Larry Aldrich in 1964, The Aldrich is dedicated to fostering innovative artists whose ideas and interpretations of the world around us serve as a platform to encourage creative thinking. The Aldrich is one of the few independent, non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States, and the only museum in Connecticut devoted to contemporary art. It is one of only twenty museums in Connecticut and only 318 art museums in the country to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. All exhibitions and programs are handicapped accessible. Free on-site parking. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm. For more information call 203.438.4519 or visit aldrichart.org.

 
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Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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