Saturday, May 3rd at 9pm

Free music with Subject Bias w/ special guest Guy Capecelatro III

Subject Bias is the winner of the Portland, Maine's Phoenix "Best Indie Rock Band".  Often compared to the sounds of Bright Eyes & Elliot Smith, they deliver a beautiful sound with emotional intensity. 

They play with acoustic and electric guitars, drums, upright bass, piano, banjo, ukulele and three vocals.  Download six free songs at www.myspace.com/subjectbiasmusic .

Sunday, May 4th at 2pm

Seeing With The Heart's Ear:Poetry and music with David Peloquin, Martin Steingesser, and Judy Tierney followed by an invitation to write a few lines of poetry

The three poets will lead a program called Seeing With The Heart's Ear, complete with poetry and occasional flute & guitar accompaniment.  This will be followed by a workshop where all may participate in determining the focus for the creative collection of a ballad, or other form of poem composed together, under the poets' guidance.  Issues of world or local concern may be suggested by those attending.

David Peloquin is a writer, illustrator, internationally known folk musician and recording artist.  His group Compass Rose performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2000.  With Jack Dalton, he co-authored and performed in "Listen to the Stories", a short play for young people sponsored by an ECHO grant.  He is an associate editor for "Method Mad", the magazine of the East Coast Writers Collective.  His most recent poetry appears in "Method Mad" and "The Other Side of Sorrow: Poets Speak Out Loud About Conflict, War, and Peace".  He has brought his program, "The Music of Poetry", to audiences throughout New England as a cure for those who feel they have become "allergic" to poetry. 

Martin Steingesser is a poet and performer and author of a book of poems, "Brothers of Morning". Martin is the City of Portland's first Poet Laureate and was selected to receive the Maine Alliance for Art Education's Bill Bonyun Award in 2006 "for exemplified talent as an artist and being an inspiration to students, teachers and the community."  One of his poems has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and another won First Place this year in the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Annual Literary Awards.

Judy Tierney has been presenting poems in Maine for several years and has been nourished in the garden of poetry over many life seasons.  She was creator and host of a weekly radio program, "Walking in the Air", celebrating poetry and its voices, on WRFR, Rockland's community radio station.  She and Martin are currently touring a performance work, with the accompaniment of a cellist, based on the writings of a Dutch woman who died in the Holocaust. 

Sunday, May 4th at 7:30pm

Books & Music series continues with Tower of Silence and Offset Needle Radius

Our popular music series continues, in celebration of some of the best albums to come out of this year's RPM (Record Production Month) challenge.  The concert is FREE and open to all ages.  A five dollar donation is suggested.

Monday, May 5th at 7pm

 RiverRun Book Group meets at SecondRun to discuss

Meredith Hall's "Without A Map"

We had a packed house for Meredith's reading in April! Now join us at SecondRun for a discussion on Meredith Hall's bestselling memoir, where she chronicles her experiences being shunned in her small town in New Hampshire in the 1960's, after finding out she is pregnant at 16. 

There will be snacks, and as always, anyone who has read the book is welcome to join us!

Tuesday, May 6th at 7pm

Lawrence Weinstein reads/signs copies of "Grammar For The Soul"

How does grammar affect your well-being? That's the question Lawrence A. Weinstein will answer.  Weinstein takes a new angle on the hundreds of grammatical decisions each of us makes daily without thinking: he describes how these decisions affect the people who make them.

Writing in a lively, anecdotal style, Weinstein demonstrates numerous surprising connections between elements of grammar and human attributes that most of us would like to possess--connections, for example, between use of the "double-barreled" punctuation mark, the colon, and assertiveness, between use of passive constructions like "my hand is guided" and creativity, between use of the first-person pronoun ("I") and heightened awareness.

Lawrence A. Weinstein taught expository writing at Harvard University from 1973 to 1983 and co-founded Harvard's Writing Center.  He is currently a member of the English Department at Bentley College.  His book "Writing at the Threshold" is a bestseller of the National Council of Teachers of English. 

Wednesday, May 7th at 7pm

Margot Livesey reads/signs "The House on Fortune Street"

Nationally acclaimed writer Margot Livesey will be here to read from her latest novel.  She has been forging a solid literary reputation for years with such novels as "Criminals" and "Eva Moves The Furniture".  With her exquisitely constructed sixth novel, "Livesey is writing at her very best," according to Ann Patchett, bestselling author of "Bel Canto". 

Filled with characters that instantly draw us into their complex worlds and hold us in their thrall until the very last page, this boldly imagined work of fiction explores how luck, both good and bad, plays a vital role in all of our lives, and how maybe the search for truth can prove a dangerous undertaking.  The book unfolds through four interlocking narratives, each new character's voice deftly informing the one that precedes it. 

Margot Livesey's other novels include "Homework", "The Missing World", and "Banishing Verona".  Her fiction has appeared in "The New Yorker", and she is the recipient of grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.  Born in Scotland, she currently lives and teaches in the Boston area.

Thursday, May 8th at 7pm

 Seacoast Local and RiverRun Bookstore present John Carroll as a speaker for the latest in the "Making the Connection" series

"Pastures of Plenty: The Future of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Conservation in New England"

UNH Professor John Carroll will talk about increasing local food security beyond peak oil as part of the "Making the Connection" sustainability series, a collaboration between Seacoast Local and RiverRun Bookstore.  The ongoing series aims to be a catalyst for continuing education, community connections, and sustainable change. 

A sequel to his earlier work on sustainable agriculture at the local level,  "The Wisdom of Small Farms and Local Food", Carroll's latest book takes a close look at the prospects for our own region.  "Take advantage of your local circumstances," Carroll suggests, "and reconstruct your world around them."

John Carroll is professor of environmental conservation at the University of New Hampshire.  He's published numerous books on issues of sustainability, including "Sustainability and Spirituality" and "The Greening of Faith", both with forewards written by Bill McKibben, who will be the next featured speaker in the "Making the Connection" series on July 20th at the South Church.

Sunday, May 11th at 5pm

Jack O'Connell reads from his novel, "The Resurrectionist"

Jack O'Connell's latest novel has earned him praise from James Ellroy, who says "'The Resurrectionist', a brilliantly tuned, mesmerizing labyrinth of a quasi-real world as only a master artist could draw it--will jazz you, floor you, grab you, shake you, and leave you hung out to dry.  A brilliant breakthrough novel."

Part classic noir thriller, part mind-bending fantasty,  "The Resurrectionist" is a wild ride into a territory where nothing is as it appears.  It is the story of Sweeney, a druggist by trade, and his son, Danny, the victim of an accident that has left him  in a persistent coma. 

Hoping for a miracle, they have come to the fortresslike Peck Clinic, whose doctors claim to have "resurrected" two patients who were lost in the void.  What Sweeney comes to realize, though, is that the real cure to his son's condition may lie in Limbo, a fantasy comic book world into which his son had been drawn at the time of his accident. 

Jack O'Connell is the author of four critically acclaimed novels, including "The Skin Palace" and "World Made Flesh", which have earned him something of a cult status.  His work has been praised by James Ellroy, Neil Gaiman, Katherine Dunn and Jonathan Carroll, among others.

Monday, May 12th at 7pm

 Judy Norsigian of Our Bodies Ourselves  and contributing writer Judith Stadtman Tucker

"Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy & Birth"

Our Bodies Ourselves, the organization that for almost 40 years has provided indispensable information on women's health and sexuality, has published "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth".  The new book addresses the questions and needs of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the "fourth trimester" of early motherhood.

A co-founder of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective (BWHBC) and co-author of all editions of "Our Bodies, Ourselves", Judy Norsigian is a graduate of Radcliffe College and an internationally renowned speaker and writer on a wide range of women's health concerns.  She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including Oprah, Donahue, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

Judith Stadtman Tucker is a writer and activist.  She is the editor and founder of The Mothers Movement Online (http://www.mothersmovement.org), a website providing resources and reporting for mothers and others who think about social change.  She lives in Portsmouth with her husband and two sons.  Judy wrote a chapter in the book called "Advocating for Mothers and Families". 

 Tuesday, May 13th at 7pm

Portsmouth resident Harold Whitehouse Jr. reads from

 "Home by Nine: The Real South End"

Harold Whitehouse Jr. will read from his new book about growing up in the South End. 

Eighty years a Portsmouth resident, Harold Whitehouse Jr.  looks back on his childhood living in a very different South End from what we know today.  Considered a poor neighborhood, the South End of the 1920s through the 1960s was composed of mostly working families with many fathers employed part or fulltime at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and mothers stayed home with their children.

"Home by Nine" is a memoir by a Portsmouth native of a time and place mostly forgotten by all but today's old timers who grew up in the South End, learned from the hardships of the Depression, and contributed to today's Portsmouth. 

Wednesday, May 14th at 7:30pm

Writers on a New England Stage at The Music Hall features Louise Erdrich

Literary all-star Louise Erdrich will be the next featured writer for "Writers on a New England Stage".

RiverRun Bookstore is proud to partner with The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio for the ongoing series. 

The celebrated author of "Love Medicine", "The Beet Queen", "Tracks", and "The Bingo Palace" presents her new original novel, "The Plague of Doves".  The author's discussion will be followed by an interview with NPR veteran newscaster Laura Knoy, host of NHPR's "The Exchange". 

Louise Erdrich is one of the most gifted, prolific and challenging of contemporary Native American novelists.  In "The Plague of Doves" she entwines her own personal experience.  The work of fiction takes place in the North Dakota country where many of Erdrich's earlier novels are set.  Her characteristically graceful pose sweeps readers through this stunning novel--a portrait of the complex allegiances, passions, and drama of a haunting land and it's all-too-human people. 

Tickets are $12 non-members, $10 members of The Music Hall. You can purchase tickets at The Music Hall or at their website.

Sunday, May 18th at 2pm

Phil McGrail reads from his book, "Daughter of Statues", at SecondRun

"Daughter of Statues" is Phil's first book, and the first book published by Osiail Publishing, an independent publishing company committed to developing creative, unique, and compelling literary works of fiction. 

"Daughter of Statues" is targeted for older elementary school children, to young adults, or anyone else interested in magical fairy tales.  The fable, subtly laced with practical morals, tells the story of young Kae Elsu, an orphan chasing the last desperate rays of day to adventure, romance, and redemption.

Phil McGrail is co-founder and Business Manager of Osiail Publishing.  He is a mechanical engineer by trade and lives in New Hampshire.

Sunday, May 18th at 6pm

At SecondRun Bookstore, Todd J. Lyon, M.D.,  gives a talk on "The Holding Sky of Awareness"

"The Holding Sky of Awareness" emphasizes the development of non-judgmental awareness upon internal experience as an important catalyst for individual spiritual growth.  Dr. Lyon will discuss many of the common experiences and difficulties encountered by those who open themselves up to their inner truths and move towards greater joy in being.

Todd J. Lyon, M.D., is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine, a Certified Independent Medical Examiner, and a member of the American College of Physician Executives.  He practices both occupational and mind/body medicine, and has worked extensively with altered states of consciousness for healing.  He has developed and teaches a 15 hour training course on stress reduction. 

Monday, May 19th at 7pm

Scrabble Night at SecondRun!

The third Monday of every month, come on down to SecondRun Bookstore in Commercial Alley for a night of testing your Scrabble skills.  Bring a board, a friend, or just yourself and see if you can beat Jody, our staff Scrabble queen.

Monday, May 19th at 6pm

 Popular Young Adult author Catherine Gilbert Murdock reads/signs "Princess Ben"

Catherine Gilbert Murdock burst on to the scene of young adult literature with her debut novel, "Dairy Queen", winner of the Borders Original Voices Award, the 2007 Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and the 2007 Great Lakes Booksellers Children's Literature Award.

Her latest book, "Princess Ben", tells the story of a not so typical princess named Benevolence.  In the spirit of Gail Carson Levine's "Fairest" and William Goldman's "The Princess Bride", "Princess Ben" is a refreshing new fractured fairy tale that will be welcomed by fantasy lovers everywhere.

Catherine Gilbert Murdock and her sister, the best-selling novelist Elizabeth Gilbert, grew up on a tiny farm in Connecticut.  Murdock now lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two children.  Visit www.catherinemurdock.com for more information on the author.

Tuesday, May 20th at 7pm

Paula Doress-Worters reads from "Mistress of Herself: Speeches & Letters of Ernestine L. Rose, Early Women's Rights Leader"

Co-sponsored by the Temple Israel Sisterhood of Portsmouth

Paula Doress-Worters' groundbreaking work, a collection of the speeches and letters of Ernestine L. Rose, gives a perspective on the life of an inspiring, courageous, and controversial founding leader of the first wave of feminism. 

Ernestine L. Rose (Jan. 13, 1810 to Aug. 4, 1892) was unique among the founders of the women's rights movement.  She was a Polish immigrant of Jewish background whose compelling oratory linked three reform movements: women's rights, the abolition of slavery, and religious freethought. 

Doress-Worters is a Resident Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, founder of the Ernestine Rose Society, and c0-author of the original and subsequent editions of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" and related books. 

Wednesday, May 21st from 6:30-9:30pm

Slow Food Seacoast's First Annual Food Writers Night

Tickets are $55.00 and the event is at The Pearl of Portsmouth

Slow Food Seacoast will stimulate your mind and body in a celebration of local food writers and tasty recipes prepared from their cookbooks and essays. 

Tickets are $55 and includes the reading, food and libations.  All proceeds will benefit Slow Food Seacoast.  Tickets can be purchased through www.seacoastfoodie.com The event will be held at The Pearl of Portsmouth, at 45 Pearl Street.  Tickets are limited to only 60 attendees and will go fast.

The food writers speaking include Denise Landis, "New York Times" columnist and author of "Dinner For Eight: 40 Great Dinner Party Menus For Friends and Family"; Jean Kerr author of the "Union Oyster House Cookbook" and "Mystic Seafood"; Kathy Gunst author of "Stonewall Kitchen Favorites" and "Stonewall Kitchen Harvest" and resident chef on WBUR's Here and Now; and James Haller, author of "Vie De France" and founder of the famed Blue Strawbery restaurant.  The evening will be hosted by Rachel Forrest, food writer and restaurant critic for "The Portsmouth Herald" and host of Wine Me Dine Me, a food and drink themed radio show on Portsmouth Community Radio.

After the program, a combination of literature and flavors, all are invited to mingle and ask questions of the authors and purchase signed copies of their books, provided by RiverRun.

Thursday, May 22nd at 7pm

Mark Sarvas reads & signs copies of his acclaimed novel "Harry, Revised"

"Harry, Revised" is the story of Harry Rent, a guilt-ridden, down-on-his-luck widower, who tries to reinvent himself following his wife's untimely death.  His emotional journey takes him from his own solipsistic and outrageously misdirected fantasies about an obsidian-haired, twenty-two-year-old waitress at his local greasy spoon, to the tenuous beginnings of an actual, personal transformation. 

The novel has been getting attention from top-notch writers, including Man Booker Prize winner John Banville, who calls it "funny and sad, rueful, wised-up and curiously moving."

Mark Sarvas lives the quiet life with his wife in the Pacific Palisades.  He is best known as the host of the popular and controversial literary weblog, "The Elegant Variation", a "Guardian" Top 10 Literary Blog, a "Forbes" Magazine Best of the Web pick, and a "Los Angeles Magazine" Top L.A. Blog.  His book reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including "The New York Times Book Review", "The Philadelphia Inquirer", and "Boldtype".  He has written episodic comedy for HBO and Showtime as well as screenplays for Warner Brothers, producer David Foster, and the World Entertainment and Business Network. 

Friday, May 23rd at 7:30pm

 Writers on a New England Stage at The Music Hall features Barbara Walters

SOLD OUT!

Writers on a New England Stage welcomes Barbara Walters to The Music Hall stage.  The first lady of broadcast journalism--an award-winning journalist known for her talent as a news anchor and for her historic and insightful interviews of leading politicians and celebrities--will discuss her new memoir, "Audition". 

In this memoir about her private life and professional career, Walters reflects on the choices she has made, the work she has done, the people she has met, the heartbreak she has faced, and the challenges she has coped with and overcome. 

Sunday, May 25th at 2pm

Books For Dads Recommended by the Lads

Need to know what to get your dad or husband for Father's Day? We have a perfect and FUN way of helping you!

The Portsmouth-area men's book group known as the LADS will gather at RiverRun for a pre-Father's Day panel discussion of their favorite reads.  The 14-member group, "a motley cast of personalities and tastes," says founder Gerry Duffy, has been meeting every month for five years in the homes of its members for book talk and, adds Duffy, "a good spread,--including some of the better beers."

A hunger for friendship and a love of good books drew the men together, says Duffy, adding that humor and a certain rowdiness are important to the mix.  Since its inception in 2003, the LADS have practiced what Duffy calls "a gentle discipline," keeping their talk focused on what they are reading, often sharing short passages aloud to deepen their appreciation  of the writing.

Though their favorite reads will be the focus of the panel talk, their complete book list, including over 40 selections of award-winning poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, will be available.  Seating is limited, so come early! Refreshments will be served.