Literary Festival Events

Join us for uninterrupted reading in a quiet setting, perfect for starting your summer book list. Enjoy an enchanting evening of literary escape sponsored bythe Marblehead Arts Association.

Join Marblehead’s Judith Black for a participatory workshop on the techniques of telling, in which we learn to use our bodies, intentions, and voice. Come ready to play!

Judith Black is an internationally renowned storyteller who has won first place 10 times at the National Storytelling Festival. As artist in residence, she has taught the art at hundreds

of schools.

In an interview with Salem State English professor emeritus Rod Kessler, multi-award-winning author Joan Leegant will speak about the world of Jewish America and the American experience in Israel, as well as the plight of Jewish writers in the world of publishing in the aftermath of the Gaza war.

Trained as a lawyer, Leegant taught at Harvard, was a visiting writer at Bar-Ilan University outside Tel Aviv, and has been a volunteer ESL teacher for African refugees and asylum seekers. Her first collection, An Hour in Paradise, won the PEN/New England Book Award, the Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Her latest book, Displaced Persons, was a finalist for the 2025 National Jewish Book Award, the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Prize, and the Foreward Indies Award.

Susan Butterworth

During a two-mile meander along Marblehead’s lanes, coves, beaches, and islands, participants will be introduced to two fictional characters, Hesper Honeywood, from the historical romance The Hearth and Eagle by Anja Seton, and Azor Peach from the Azor books by Maude Crowley. See the old town through their eyes and walk through the scenes of their stories. Meet at State Street Landing, and wear appropriate shoes.

Susan Butterworth is a lifelong Marbleheader, a former professor of English,and a university chaplain. She brings her deep love for the town's landscapes, stories, and traditions to her walking tours.

Norman Birnbach

In this workshop, author and longtime public relations professional Norman Birnbach will shepherd authors of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry through ways to develop key messages to help market their work, as well as how to conduct media interviews. Exercises and handouts will be a part of his presentation.

Norman Birnbach is the author of the recently released Stealing Time and an award-winning writer who has published over a hundred op-eds, short stories, and articles.He is president of Birnbach Communications, an independent Boston-based PR and social media agency.

Laurie Stolarz

In this workshop, tweens and teens will work on plotting and character development as a fun and supportive group. We will also discuss story elements such as setting, voice, dialogue, and point-of-view. Participants may bring something they’re already working on or they can start something new. Please bring a notebook and pen.

Laurie Stolarz is the bestselling author of eighteen young adult novels, along with many short stories and essays. With over a million books sold worldwide, her titles have been translated into thirty languages, developed into podcast series, and optioned for TV and film. Her most recent title is The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep, a companion book to Jane Anonymous, which was named a Best Book by Kirkus and included on several state and award lists. For more information, please visit her website, www.lauriestolarz.com.

M.P. Carver

Join us for this two-hour workshop where we will learn about erasure poetry (aka blackout), a unique form of found poetry where a poet removes or obscures words from a text to create something new. Erasure has the power to make the familiar unfamiliar and to explore what is and isn’t said in a text. Different poets find different ways to relate to the source material they choose. From government documents to art pieces, we'll start by discussing some examples then create our own erasure poems. Basic materials such as books and sharpies will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own source material and any additional art supplies you might want.

Workshop leader M.P. Carveris a poet and visual artist from Salem, MA. She is director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, miCrO-Founder of Molecule: a tiny lit mag, and teaches creative and digital writing at Salem State University. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Rattle, Mantis, Jubilat, and Love’s Executive Order, among others. She has received funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Essex Community Foundation. In 2023 her poem “In Vitro” was named a finalist in the Connecticut River Review’s Experimental Poetry Contest, and in 2022 her poem “You & God & I” was awarded the New England Poetry Club’s E.E. Cummings Prize.  Her chapbook, Selachipmorpha, was published by Incessant Pipe in 2015, and a chapbook with Lily Poetry Review Books, Hard Up, was released in early 2025.

Join us at 1 pm as adult and student winners of this year’s writing contest read their works to an always appreciative audience. Copies of their entries will be available to read onsite.

Susan Butterworth

During a two-mile meander along Marblehead’s lanes, coves, beaches, and islands, participants will be introduced to two fictional characters, Hesper Honeywood, from the historical romance The Hearth and Eagle by Anja Seton, and Azor Peach from the Azor books by Maude Crowley. See the old town through their eyes and walk through the scenes of their stories. Meet at State Street Landing, and wear appropriate shoes.

Susan Butterworth is a lifelong Marbleheader, a former professor of English,and a university chaplain. She brings her deep love for the town's landscapes, stories, and traditions to her walking tours.

Rich Rubino

Discourse has always been an integral part of the American experience. Popular presenter Rich Rubino will lead us through the evolution of debate, communication, and insults throughout our country’s political history.

Rich Rubino is the author of five political books, as well as a political analyst who has appeared on The BBC, C-SPAN, FOX NEWS Channel, LIVENOW FROM FOX, MSNBC,and radio stations across the country. He also lectures frequently about U.S. politics. His most recent book is: The Great American Political Trivia Challenge:  Political Trivia on Steroids, which will be available for purchase at his presentation.

A new event at this year’s Literary Festival is a Moth-inspired storytelling fest. Come regale us with true stories, told live and without notes. You’ll have five minutes to make us laugh, weep, or ponder. Participant’s names will be drawn from a hat at the event.

Julianna Thibodeaux

The loss of a loved one, the end of a long-term relationship, becoming an empty nester, a health crisis, moving or changing jobs: These are just a few of life’s transitions that can challenge us, even when the changes are positive. A large body of literature suggests that both reading about others’ experiences and writing about one’s own can offer solace and even healing. In this workshop, we’ll explore creative writing as a tool for moving through those big moments or understanding their impact once they are complete. All levels of writing experience are welcome!

Julianna Thibodeaux is the founder of Marblehead Writers’ Workshop and an assistant professor at Montserrat College of Art. She lives in Marblehead with her youngest child and is about to complete the transition to becoming an empty nester, the latest in a series of major life transitions. Learn more about her at juliannathibodeaux.com.

When she determined to write her first book of fiction back in 2017, Betty Breuhaus was a complete newbie, and the task she set before herself was daunting. Now, several books into her Woodford Harbor series, which is set in a locale that could very well be Marblehead, she's learned a great deal about the writing process, book promotion, and what readers want. She'll share all of  this and more in an informative and congenial workshop on July 5. Betty  is one author and workshop leader you won't soon forget.

Marblehead resident Betty Breuhaus is the author of the nonfiction When the Sun Goes Down: Planning the Funeral of Your Life, A Curious Corpse, The Time is Now, and Is the Past Past? She is currently at work on her  fourth book in the Woodford Harbor mystery series.

Author Eric Jay Dolin interviewed by Julianna Thibodeaux

In conversation with Julianna Thibodeaux, multi-award-winning author Eric Jay Dolin will discuss the importance of research when crafting popular narrative historical non-fiction.

Eric Jay Dolin is the author of 16 books on maritime topics, wildlife, and the environment, many of which have won awards from a variety of prestigious organizations. In addition, he was presented a certificate from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recognizing his contribution "to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the IPCC." For more on Eric and his writing, please visit http://www.ericjaydolin.com.

In this abbreviated version of Margo Steiner’s popular obituary-writing workshops, participants will learn about the history and various kinds of obituaries, the key elements of an obituary, obtaining information for your own or a loved one’s obituary what to include—and what to leave out, dealing with difficult obituaries, and more.