Book Talk: Elliot Ackerman, Sheepdogs
Friday, September 12 @ 6 pm
Academy Art Museum, Easton
FREE
Elliot Ackerman is a writer, journalist, former White House Fellow, and decorated veteran. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His latest, the novel Sheepdogs (August 2025, Knopf), is a spy thriller centered on two elite paramilitary soldiers and their attempt to pull off a life-changing heist. Though the tone is generally light hearted, the legacy of war is always in the background of this continent-spanning caper. As Ackerman puts it, "War is too serious to take seriously all the time." He will be in conversation with Shore Lit Founder/Director Kerry Folan. Registration is kindly requested.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit and the Academy Art Museum. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Friday, September 12 @ 6 pm
Academy Art Museum, Easton
FREE
Elliot Ackerman is a writer, journalist, former White House Fellow, and decorated veteran. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His latest, the novel Sheepdogs (August 2025, Knopf), is a spy thriller centered on two elite paramilitary soldiers and their attempt to pull off a life-changing heist. Though the tone is generally light hearted, the legacy of war is always in the background of this continent-spanning caper. As Ackerman puts it, "War is too serious to take seriously all the time." He will be in conversation with Shore Lit Founder/Director Kerry Folan. Registration is kindly requested.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit and the Academy Art Museum. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
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Family Program: Mahogany L. Browne & Jason Reynolds Saturday September 27 @ 6 pm BAAM Athletic Center, Easton Frederick Douglass Day 2025 wraps up with An Eventing of Literature and Liberation, the kick-off celebration for BAAM's new Ryan Family Library. The evening begins at 6 pm with music, light refreshments, and a storytelling activity for kids hosted by Shore Lit. At 7 pm, the community will be treated to a reading and book signing with world-renowned children's writers Mahogany L. Browne and Jason Reynolds. The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds was also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center's Next 50 fellow and MacDowell Arts Advocacy Awardee, is a writer, playwright, organizer, & educator. She is the inaugural poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center. The talk will be moderated by novelist and Harrietts Bookshop proprietor Jeannine A. Cook. A book signing follows, and families are invited to tour the new library. Registration is kindly requested. This family program is presented in partnership with BAAM, Book Hounds, The Frederick Douglass Honor Society, Harrietts Bookshop, Shore Lit, and the Talbot County Free Library. |
Book Talk: Lauren Francis-Sharma, Casualties of Truth
Friday, October 3, 2025 @ 6 pm
Academy Art Museum, Easton
Opening with the death of a white police officer in 1996 Johannesburg, Casualties of Truth alternates between Prudence Wright’s past and her present. Prudence doesn’t like to think about the summer she spent in South Africa twenty years ago, observing the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings as a young law student. But when an acquaintance from Johannesburg tracks her down, she finds she doesn’t have a choice. Taut and literary, the novel is “a brutal history lesson in the guise of a thriller,” writes the New York Times Book Review. Francis-Sharma will be in conversation with Shore Lit Director Kerry Folan. Registration is kindly requested.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit and the Academy Art Museum. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Friday, October 3, 2025 @ 6 pm
Academy Art Museum, Easton
Opening with the death of a white police officer in 1996 Johannesburg, Casualties of Truth alternates between Prudence Wright’s past and her present. Prudence doesn’t like to think about the summer she spent in South Africa twenty years ago, observing the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings as a young law student. But when an acquaintance from Johannesburg tracks her down, she finds she doesn’t have a choice. Taut and literary, the novel is “a brutal history lesson in the guise of a thriller,” writes the New York Times Book Review. Francis-Sharma will be in conversation with Shore Lit Director Kerry Folan. Registration is kindly requested.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit and the Academy Art Museum. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
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Family Program: One Maryland One Book Author & Illustrator Carole and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 @ 6 pm Chesapeake College Todd Performing Arts Center, Wye Mills Selected by Maryland Humanities as this year’s One Maryland One Book, KIN: Rooted in Hope (Simon & Schuster, 2023)is a powerful blend of art, poetry, and personal family history. The book chronicles Weatherford's search into her family tree, uncovering ancestors who were among the founding families of Maryland and those who helped shape the Eastern Shore. In speaking about her own search and experience, Weatherford will encourage attendees to go beyond genealogical records and bring family members to life in stories, emphasizing that this is a process and project for everyone. The talk will be followed by a reception and book signing. Attendees will also have the opportunity to view an exhibit of Jeffery Weatherford's artwork from the book. Doors open at 5:30. No registration required. This family program is recommended for children ages 10 and up. This family program is presented by Talbot County Free Library, Chesapeake College, Maryland Humanities, and One Maryland One Book, in partnership with Eastern Shore Regional Library, Washington College, Caroline County Public Library, Kent County Public Library, Dorchester County Public Library, Queen Anne’s County Public Library, Shore Lit, Talbot County Public Schools, and The Needle’s Eye Academy. |
High School Program: Free Creative Writing Workshop
Sunday, November 2 @ 12:00-1:30 pm
Ebenezer Theater, Easton
On the Eastern Shore, animals are often central to our lives—as pets, as food we hunt and fish, and as an essential part of the eco-system we protect. In the stories we tell about our lives, they can be both literal and metaphorical, making space for alternative realities and challenging how we see ourselves and our environments. In this generative workshop, award-winning writers Christopher Kondrich and Kyoko Mori will guide students as they begin their own creative writing project—a poem, story, or essay inspired in some way by the animal world.
This workshop is open to all high school students; no previous creative writing experience is necessary. Participation is free; registration is required. Students are invited to stay after the workshop for the free author panel “The Art and Science of Conservation,” which will consider the ways literature can change attitudes about animals and the environment.
This program is presented by Shore Lit with support from the Talbot Arts Council and Bluepoint Hospitality. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Sunday, November 2 @ 12:00-1:30 pm
Ebenezer Theater, Easton
On the Eastern Shore, animals are often central to our lives—as pets, as food we hunt and fish, and as an essential part of the eco-system we protect. In the stories we tell about our lives, they can be both literal and metaphorical, making space for alternative realities and challenging how we see ourselves and our environments. In this generative workshop, award-winning writers Christopher Kondrich and Kyoko Mori will guide students as they begin their own creative writing project—a poem, story, or essay inspired in some way by the animal world.
This workshop is open to all high school students; no previous creative writing experience is necessary. Participation is free; registration is required. Students are invited to stay after the workshop for the free author panel “The Art and Science of Conservation,” which will consider the ways literature can change attitudes about animals and the environment.
This program is presented by Shore Lit with support from the Talbot Arts Council and Bluepoint Hospitality. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Author Panel: The Art and Science of Conservation
Sunday, November 2 @ 2 pm
Ebenezer Theater, Easton
FREE
“Art is far more likely to inspire a change in our behavior than a string of scientific facts.” This is the thesis of the new anthology Creature Needs, in which writers respond to published animal conservation studies with poems, stories, and essays. In celebration of the tandem centennial birthdays of the Talbot County Free Library and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, legendary Chesapeake Bay journalist-author Tom Horton will moderate a panel exploring the art and science of conservation with Creature Needs co-editor Christopher Kondrich and contributor Kyoko Mori. Tickets are free; registration is required. Doors open at 1:30 and the first 50 arrivals will receive a free copy of the book. Book signing and community reception follow.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit, Talbot County Free Library, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory, and Bluepoint Hospitality/Flying Cloud Booksellers. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Sunday, November 2 @ 2 pm
Ebenezer Theater, Easton
FREE
“Art is far more likely to inspire a change in our behavior than a string of scientific facts.” This is the thesis of the new anthology Creature Needs, in which writers respond to published animal conservation studies with poems, stories, and essays. In celebration of the tandem centennial birthdays of the Talbot County Free Library and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, legendary Chesapeake Bay journalist-author Tom Horton will moderate a panel exploring the art and science of conservation with Creature Needs co-editor Christopher Kondrich and contributor Kyoko Mori. Tickets are free; registration is required. Doors open at 1:30 and the first 50 arrivals will receive a free copy of the book. Book signing and community reception follow.
This program is presented in partnership with Shore Lit, Talbot County Free Library, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory, and Bluepoint Hospitality/Flying Cloud Booksellers. If you have questions about accessibility for this event, please email Kerry Folan at [email protected].
Shore Lit Annual Holiday Book Exchange Fundraiser
Saturday, December 13 @ 10am - 12pm
Golden Hour Rum Room, St. Michaels
$20 per family
Add to your TBR pile or snag books to give away this holiday season at our annual Holiday Book Exchange Fundraiser! Your donation of $20 between November 1 and December 13 serves as the entrance fee for you and your family (cash donations will also be accepted at the door). There’s no requirement to bring anything, but if you have good-condition books from your shelves you’re ready to give away, feel free to add them to the table. We’ll have complimentary brunch snacks, rum cocktails, mocktails, and plenty of great reads for you to take home. Leftover books will be donated.
Saturday, December 13 @ 10am - 12pm
Golden Hour Rum Room, St. Michaels
$20 per family
Add to your TBR pile or snag books to give away this holiday season at our annual Holiday Book Exchange Fundraiser! Your donation of $20 between November 1 and December 13 serves as the entrance fee for you and your family (cash donations will also be accepted at the door). There’s no requirement to bring anything, but if you have good-condition books from your shelves you’re ready to give away, feel free to add them to the table. We’ll have complimentary brunch snacks, rum cocktails, mocktails, and plenty of great reads for you to take home. Leftover books will be donated.