Book & Author Luncheon Planned At East Hill Woods

SOUTHBURY — East Hill Woods’ thirteenth annual Book and Author Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27.

The luncheon, prepared by the culinary staff at East Hill Woods, will commence at noon and will be followed by presentations from three well-known authors: Pamela Harrison, Katherine Valentine, and Drew Valla.

Pamela Harrison of Vermont was named the PEN Northern New England Discovery Poet for 2002. Her first chapter book, Noah’s Daughter, was published in 1988. This was followed by a critical essay “The Shape of Things: An Architectural Guide to the Poetry Wars of the Late Twentieth Century” in The Arkansas Quarterly in 1992 and a second chapter book Pamela Harrison: Greatest Hits 1981–2000, published in 2002.

Ms Harrison is currently an instructor and mentor at Dartmouth College. Her most recent publication, Stereopticon, is her first full-length collection of poems.

Katharine Valentine resides in the Litchfield Hills, where she draws inspiration for the Dorsetville series. Her stories center on the fictional town of Dorsetville in New England, a place filled with caring friends, unforgettable characters, and stories of hope.

The idea for her first book A Miracle for St Cecilia’s, came on the heels of a prayer after having suffered several personal tragedies. Less than a year later, she was given a multibook contract with Viking Penguin Publishers.

“God’s promise had come to pass,” she says. She has since published A Gathering of Angels and Grace Will Lead Me Home. Her next book in the series, On A Wing and A Prayer is due at bookstores in July.

Drew Valla, a local author, has been the proprietor of Deepwood Nursery in Woodbury for the past 21 years. Prior to that, he taught emotionally disturbed adolescents in Taunton and Fall River, Mass.

His first publication A Shade of Gray, shares a poignant view of life in the 60s as told by a 13-year-old. Taught to trust priests, teachers, and police officers, the young man becomes stymied by the system when he is exposed to the adult world of police corruption, religious hypocrisy, racial prejudice, and deaths.

Individuals interested in attending the Book and Author luncheon are asked to make a reservation by sending a check in the amount of $25 per person to Jane Miller, treasurer, at East Hill Woods, 217 Birchwood, Southbury CT 06488. Checks should be made payable to East Hill Woods Library Fund.

Note, $15 of each ticket is tax-deductible.

Deadline for reservations is Wednesday, April 21. Proceeds from the event will be used to enhance the collections of the East Hill Woods library. For further information, call 264-7890.