Thurber House Fall Writers’ Café goes to the Zoo!

On Sunday, September 27, from 12:30  - 4, join Thurber House at the Columbus Zoo for an afternoon of adventure and writing at the 5th Thurber House Writers’ Café.

Fourth, 5th and 6th graders and their favorite adult (mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.) are invited to enjoy a day at the Number 1 Zoo in the country meeting gorillas and cheetah and scaly fish, slimy lizard and even Beco the new baby elephant. All of these animals will prompt story ideas to write about and then to share at the end of the day at an open mic reception with refreshments.

Registration for the event is $20 per student-adult couple, which includes admission to the Columbus Zoo. Parking is $5, unless you are a member of the Zoo, and then parking is free. Registration forms are available to download on the Thurber House website. Deadline for registration is Monday, September 21^st.

Dinners with Authors Open to All!

As many of you know, our Evenings with Authors are the perfect alternative to a traditional book group meeting. For this season, we’ve decided to open the dinners up to anyone interested, limited to 25, whether or not you’re a member of a book group. This is an opportunity to talk with the authors about their work in a more intimate setting; to get reserved seating at the event; to get your book signed ahead of time; and have a great meal. Price for dinner is $40 and includes the reading. For more information or to purchase dinner tickets, please call Anne Touvell at Thurber House, 614-464-1032 ext. 10.

A Note from Hope

Thurber House was delighted to host Hope Anita Smith, the 2009 Children’s Writer-in-Residence, in the cozy 3rd Floor Apartment through July. During her stay, Hope visited the zoo, taught classes at the writing camp, and enjoyed several walks to and from the main library. Hope left a few weeks ago, and the Thurber House family misses her sass and smiles.

Here is what Hope had to say about her experience:

“What to say about my experience.  It was absolutely delightful.

“Being the Writer-in-Residence at Thurber House was an amazing experience.  The opportunity to work on my manuscript without the bustle and constant interruptions of everyday life was invaluable, but the true gift was the opportunity to work with children.  I was inspired by their dedication and passion.  I would bring them various poetry workshops and they were always excited to rise to the challenge.  The poems they created moved me.  I would let out an audible breath, place my hand over my heart to keep it from joy dancing right out of my chest and I would smile. Their words were sonorous.  Their enthusiasm contagious.  I had invited them to poetry and they had come, each of them bringing the gift of the words they had written and I am the richer for it.”

Hope plans to be back in the Columbus Area around October.

Thurber House Announces the Fall 2009 Evenings With Authors

Fall is approaching fast, bringing cool weather, colorful trees and Thurber House’s latest line-up of Evenings with Authors!

Sue Miller returns, after being snowed out in January, and will kick off our season on Monday, September 14, reading from The Senator’s Wife.

The Evenings with Authors schedule is as follows:

• Monday, September 14: Sue Miller, The Senator’s Wife, at the Columbus Museum of Art
• Thursday, September 24: Kaylie Jones, Lies My Mother Never Told Me, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center
• Thursday, October 15: Julia Glass, I See you Everywhere, at the Columbus School for Girls
• Wednesday, October 28: Rita Mae Brown, Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center
• Monday, November 16: America’s Prophet: Moses and the American Story, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center

All Evenings start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $18 general admission, $15 students and senior citizens. Season Subscriptions and Mini-Series (3 dates of your choice) are also available Tickets can be purchased either online at www.thurberhouse.org, or calling (614) 464-1032. Tickets will be available at the door, $20 general admission, $18 students and senior citizens.

Thurber House is also presenting a Bonus Event in conjunction with the Evenings with Authors Fall Season. The Bonus Event is a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception and reading featuring OSU professors, Erin McGraw, The Seamstress of Hollywood, and her husband, Andrew Hudgins, Shut Up, You’re Fine: Instructive Poetry for Very, Very Bad Children. The event will be held on Thursday, October 1 at Thurber Center, and costs $30 for general admission to the reception and reading. But if you buy a full Season Subscription to the Evenings with Authors, this terrific Bonus Event is FREE!

Check out our website and the blog for more information about each event.

Are you a fan of Thurber House? Become a fan on Facebook! Click here to join and keep up with the latest Thurber House news and events.

Sue Miller

Kaylie Jones

Julia Glass

Rita Mae Brown

Bruce Feiler

Erin McGraw

Andrew Hudgins

THURBER HOUSE ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS ARE BACK!

The pilot program this past spring was an overwhelming success, and now the Adult Writing Workshops are a permanent Thurber House program with classes planned throughout the year.

So for all you wordsmiths out there, listen up!

Beginning, Monday, September 14 and running for six consecutive Mondays, from 6-8 p.m.  through October 19, the new classes are: Introduction to Poetry, taught by Ohio Arts Council Award recipient for Individual Excellence in Poetry, Ariane Bolduc.  The other class is Introduction to Young Adult Fiction, taught by the highly regarded YA novelist, Lisa Klein.

Class size is limited so you won’t want to miss out on these details:

TUITION:  $250, non—refundable.

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION:  Tuesday, September 8.

You must be over 18 to participate.

CLASS LOCATION: All classes are held at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, next door to Thurber House. Parking is free on Jefferson Avenue after 6 p.m.

For more information on class content and the teachers, and to download a registration form, go to www.thurberhouse.org.

You won’t want to miss out these terrific classes so ACT NOW!