2023 Schedule

We are excited to announce our 2023 slate of authors and poets and to welcome our moderator Bill Craig back to the podium.

July 13: Matthew Olzmann (Constellation Route, Contradictions in the Design) / Jeff SHARLET (The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War)

July 20: Douglas BAUER (The Beckoning World, The Book of Famous Iowans) / Joyce MAYNARD (The Bird Hotel, The Influencers, The Best of Us)

July 27: Vievee FRANCIS (The Shared World, Forest Primeval) / Asako SERIZAWA (Inheritors)

Readings begin promptly at 7:30 pm, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.

Superb entertainment by some of the nation’s finest writers.

Free admission.

Books available to purchase, provided by the Norwich Bookstore.

Hosted by the Canaan Town Library.

2019 Schedule UPDATED

Be aware that Walter Wetherell will now be reading week 1, July 11 and Hernan Diaz will be reading week 2, July 18.

Moderator: Phil Pochoda
July 11: Wyn Cooper Mars Poetica (poems). Cooper’s fifth book of poetry. His poems have been turned into songs by Sheryl Crow, David Broza, and Madison Smartt Bell. Nominated for a Grammy Award, 1995.

Walter Wetherell Where We Live (stories, fiction). Lyme’s prolific Walter Wetherell
delivers another wonderful book of short stories (his sixth) to
join his seven novels, five essay collections, three memoirs, and
two travel and nature guides

July 18: Christopher Benfey IF: The Untold Story of Kipling’s American Years. Benfy has written many wide-ranging books and essays (in the NYRB, NYT, and elsewhere) on themes and authors of the Gilded Age in America.

Hernan Diaz In the Distance (novel). 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist; 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist. Publisher’s Weekly Top 10 Book of the Year.

July 25: Gregory Pardlo Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America. Pardlo’s second book of poetry, Digest, (from which he will also read,) won
the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2015, and was named NYT best poetry
book of the year

Alice Mattison Conscience (novel). Mattison is the author of ten previous novels and
books of short stories, several of which were listed as NYT notable books of the year.

Aug 1: Christopher Castellani Leading Men (novel). One of top 10 literary fiction titles for Spring 2019 (PW) “Blazing….casts a spell from the start.” (Dwight Garner, NYT).

Peter Orner Maggie Brown & Others (fiction, stories). Orner is the author of two previous novels, two books of short stories, and a book of essays. His books have been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Prize and for the Los Angeles Time Book Prize; winner of the Goldberg Prize for Jewish fiction; finalist for the PEN Hemingway Prize.

2018 Meetinghouse Readings Schedule

Canaan Meetinghouse Reading Series: Summer 2018

Moderator: Phil Pochoda                                    

July 12:  Peter Manseau  — The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost. Chosen by Publisher’s Weekly as One of the Ten Best Books of 2017.

Ivy Pochoda  — Wonder Valley (fiction); Chosen as one of the best books of 2017 by NPR and LA Times, and book of the month by Oprah Winfrey and EW.

July 19:  Christopher Wren — Those Turbulent Sons of Freedom: Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys and the American Revolution. Wren was New York Times Bureau Chief in Moscow, Peking, Johannesburg, Cairo and Ottawa.

 Lauren Groff  — Florida  (short stories); her previous novel, Fates and Furies, was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction, the National Book Circle Award, and the Kirkus Award. Was Amazon.com #1 book of 2015.

July 26:  Howard Mansfield — Summer Over Autumn: A Small Book of Small-Town Life. Mansfield is the author of eight previous popular books about local history, architecture, and preservation, including In the Memory House and The Same Ax Twice.

Robin MacArthur  — Heart Spring Mountain (fiction). Macarthur’s previous book of short stories, Half Wild, was a finalist for the 2016 New England Book Award, and chosen by Barnes & Noble as a “Discover Great Writers” book.

August 2:  Lloyd Schwartz  — Little Kisses (poems); Author of three previous books of poetry, Schwartz is the classical music commentator for NPR’s Fresh Air and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Joan Silber — Improvement (fiction); Winner of the 2017 National Book Circle Critics Award in Fiction, and Winner of the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award.  She is the author of six previous highly acclaimed books of fiction.

 

All readings start at 7:30 at the Meetinghouse, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.

The Norwich Bookstore will sell current and past books by each author at the Meetinghouse. (Many of the books can be purchased at the bookstore in advance, and can be signed by the authors in July or August)

2017 Meetinghouse Readings Schedule

July 6: Cynthia Huntington: Terra Nova (poems); author of five books of poetry; previous collection, Heavenly Bodies, was a finalist for the National Book Award for poetry.

Rick Moody: Hotels of North America (fiction); author of seven novels, including the national bestseller, The Ice Storm; in 1999 New Yorker Magazine chose him as one of the “20 Writers for the 21st Century”.

July 13: James Wright: Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War; President of Dartmouth for 11 years, Wright has become a leading spokesman for veterans rights and benefits.

Megan Abbott: You Will Know Me (fiction); chosen as one of the best mystery books of 2016 by NPR, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews.

July 20: April Ossmann: Event Boundaries (poems); her second book of poems.

Victoria Redel: Before Everything (fiction); author of five novels and four books of poetry; winner of numerous literary awards.

July 27: Major Jackson: Roll Deep (poems); author of four books of poetry; finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry; poetry editor Harvard Review.

Alexander Chee: Queen of the Night (fiction); NYTBR editors choice; chosen a best book for the year by NPR, Boston Globe, SF Chronicle.

All readings start at 7:30 pm at the Meetinghouse, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.

The Norwich Bookstore will sell current and past books by each author at the Meetinghouse. (Many of the books can be purchased at the bookstore in advance, and can be signed by the authors in July).

Announcing the 2016 Schedule

Moderator: Phil Pochoda

July 7: Ellen Fitzpatrick: The Highest Glass Ceiling: Women’s Quest for the American Presidency; PBS election commentator; author of NYT bestseller, Letters to Jackie

              Mary Gaitskill: The Mare; author of National Book Award nominee, Veronica

July 14: Sy Montgomery:  Soul of an Octopus: a Surprising Exploration into the WOnder of Conciousness; 2015 National Book Awards finalist

               Diane Les Becquets: Breaking Wild; author ALA best book for young adults, Stones of Mourning Creek

July 21: Vievee Francis: Forest Primeval: Poems

               Dawn Tripp: Georgia: a Novel; national bestseller and Indie Best Pick, American Booksellers Association

July 28: Pagan Kennedy: Inventology: How We Dream Up Things that Change the World; former Who Made That? columnist for New York Times magazine; author of eleven books

                Tommy O’Malley & Doug Purdy: We Were Kings: (The Boston Saga); sequel to acclaimed, Serpents in the Cold; O’Malley is author of New York Times Editor’s Choice, This Magnificent Desolation

All readings start at 7:30 at the Meetinghouse, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.  Free Admission.  Please, no infants, toddlers, or squirmers.

The Norwich Bookstore will sell current and past books by each author at the Meetinghouse. (Many of the books can be purchased at the bookstore in advance, and can be signed by the authors in July)

Announcing the 2015 Schedule

Canaan Meetinghouse Reading Series: Summer 2015

Moderator: Phil Pochoda                                    

July 9:    David Gates: A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me: Stories and Novella,   Author of Jernigan, Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Critics Circle finalist

Jonathan Lethem: Lucky Alan: and Other Stories; Author of Motherless Brooklyn, NBCC  fiction winner

July 16:  Deirdre Heekin : An Unlikely Vineyard; Chosen as one of the best wine books of 2014 by the NYT

Ann Hood: The Italian Wife; Author of bestselling novels, The Red Thread and The Knitting Circle

 July 23:   Vicki Croke: The Elephant Company;  New York Times bestseller

Jeffrey Lent : A Slant of Light (fiction); Author of international bestseller, In the Fall

July 30:  David Ferry:  Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations Ferry received the National Book Award for poetry in 2012

Megan Mayhew Bergman: Almost Famous Women: Stories;  Her previous book of stories,  Birds of a Lesser Paradise, was chosen as one of the best books of 2012

All readings start at 7:30 at the Meetinghouse, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.  Free Admission.  Please, no infants, toddlers, or squirmers.

The Norwich Bookstore will sell current and past books by each author at the Meetinghouse. (Many of the books can be purchased at the bookstore in advance, and can be signed by the authors in July)

 

2014 Schedule

We are happy to announce that our 2014 schedule is ready and we hope you can join us!

Canaan Meetinghouse Reading Series: Summer 2014
Moderator: Phil Pochoda

July 10: Douglas Bauer  -What Happens Next: Matters of Life and Death (essays),
winner of  2014 NE/PEN award for non-fiction
Sue Miller        – The Arsonist (fiction); author of The Senator’s Wife,
While I Was Gone (Oprah Book Club)

July 17: Jeffrey Harrison  – Into Daylight , his sixth book of poems
Deb Harkness      – The Book of Life, the third novel in her international
best-selling trilogy

July 24:  Bernd Heinrich  – The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal
Migration; author of Mind of the Raven and other
natural history books
Rachel Urquhart  – The Visionist, a first novel, set in a 19th century
Shaker community

July 31:    Abigail Carroll    – Three Squares: The  Invention of the American Meal
Paul Harding    –  Enon, successor to his Pulitzer Prize-winning first
novel, Tinkers

All readings start at 7:30 at the Meetinghouse, Canaan Street, Canaan, NH.

The Norwich Bookstore will sell current and past books by each author at the Meetinghouse. (Many of the books can be purchased at the bookstore in advance, and will be signed by the authors in July)

2013 Schedule

2013 Meetinghouse Readings Schedule

Summer 2013 Meetinghouse Readings Schedule
Moderator: Phil Pochoda

July 11: Cleopatra Mathis — reading from her book of poems, The Book of Dog
Joyce Carol Oates — reading from her novel, The Accursed
July 18: Jay Parini — reading from the manuscript of his new poetry collection, to be published in the fall
Nicholas Delbanco — reading from his recently re-released fiction trilogy, The Sherbrookes
July 25: Megan Marshall — reading from her biography, Margaret Fuller
Chris Bohjalian — reading from his novel, The Light in the Ruins
August 1: Joe Citro — reading from Vermont Haunts: Tall Tales and True from the Green Mountain State
Ivy Pochoda — reading from her novel, Visitation Street

The Canaan Meetinghouse Readings is proud to partner with the Norwich Bookstore for the upcoming summer events. They will be present at all of the events to offer listeners the opportunity to purchase books by the authors reading that day.
Free admission.
All readings begin at 7:30 pm.
In the Meetinghouse on Canaan St, 2.2 miles from Route 4
Please, no infants, toddlers or squirmers!

The Meetinghouse Readings will be back in 2013!

Phil Pochoda has graciously accepted the helm of the Meetinghouse Readings for 2013!

Phil has recently retired as Director of the University of Michigan Press, and has written and lectured frequently on digital publishing and digital communication.  Phil was also the Editor of Hardscrabble Books: Fiction of New England, a division of the University Press of New England.

Phil is married to Mary Kelley who has been chair of the history departments at both Dartmouth and the University of Michigan.  Mary is an authority on women’s reading practices in the 18th and 19th centuries and herself has read at the Canaan Meetinghouse Readings.  Phil’s daughter and acclaimed novelist, Ivy Pochoda has also read as part of the Meetinghouse series.

Phil says he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up, but in the past he has been the Associate Director and Editorial Director of the University Press of New England; Vice President of Simon & Schuster; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Prentice Hall Press and Director of Anchor Books and Dial Press.

According to Bill Craig, creator of the Meetinghouse Reading Series and author of the new book: Yankee Come Home: On the Road from San Juan Hill to Guantanamo, “The Meetinghouse Readings have always been about community, and now the community is coming together to take the series onward and upward. I’m thrilled!”

We look forward to seeing you all at the Meetinghouse.   Mark your calendars for July 11, 18, 25 and August 1.

Welcome to the Readings Phil!

Announcing the 2012 Meetinghouse Readings!

Yes, there will be Meetinghouse Readings this summer— but they’ll be the last Meetinghouse Readings! Announcing the final season of the series sponsored by the Canaan (N.H.) Town Library:

July 5
CAROLE DESANTI    The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R.
W.D. WETHERELL    Hills Like White Hills

July 12

ERNEST HEBERT    Never Back Down
ANTHONY D’ARIES    The Language of Men

July 19

JEFF SHARLET    Sweet Heaven When I Die
APRIL BERNARD    Miss Fuller

JULY 26

WILLIAM CRAIG    Yankee Come Home: On the Road from Guantanamo to San Juan Hill
CYNTHIA HUNTINGTON    Heavenly Bodies

Our site, meetinghouse.us, offers printable, refrigerator-ready schedules in your choice of formats!

Stay tuned to this site for more information, author links and Meetinghouse 2012 photos.