NEWBURYPORT – Michael Updike, a marvelous sculptor of delicate silver platters, boots and bowls as well as huge granite gravestones, will bring his wit and insights into his father’s mastery of the great American novel to this year’s weekend of celebrating all things literary.
A resident of Newbury, Updike is the son of the world-famous John Updike, who spent much of his life in Ipswich. Michael will open this year’s Newburyport Literary Festivities at the Firehouse Center for the Arts. He will engage in conversation with New York Times Book Review critic Alexander Jacobs, a life-long John Updike fan about the 900-page collected Updike letters by James Schiff.
“We are thrilled to offer the Greater Newburyport community a robust range of authors, poets, and historians for our 21st annual Newburyport Literary Festival,” said Newburyport Literary Association President Jill Gross, a festival co-director along with Vice President and Treasurer Paula Breger. “All through the winter we offered events for our reading community to stay connected with us in order to continue offering the festival for no charge to our many patrons, and we are so appreciative of the support. We encourage all readers to join us for the festival, and immerse into a weekend of hearing from their favorite authors in our beautiful city.”
All festival events are free except Friday evening’s welcome event immediately following the opening ceremony. Upstairs at Mission Oak Grill, light appetizers will be served along with a cash bar. Tickets are $50 on the festival’s website or by check mailed to the Newburyport Literary Association, Box 268, Newburyport, MA 01950.
For 21 years in a row, including a change in leadership over the last year, the festival will feature readers, authors and poets celebrating the love of books and learning through panel discussions.
Events continue early Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. with the Breakfast with the Poets and continue throughout the day. A wide range of distinguished biographers, poets, novelists and historians will read from and discuss their work. Authors and poets include Catherine Newman, Annie Hartnett, Andre Dubus III, Marianne Leone, Gish Jen, Alan Lightman, Christine Pride and Jenna Blum.
Planned panels will focus on romance novels, humor and immigration, and Caleb Gayle (Black Moses) will speak as part of a session sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. A Melopoeia for Charles Coe will be performed by the original Diminished Prophets, and Newburyport High School’s Poetry Soup students will read original works.
Saturday evening’s event, Women’s Voices of Rebellion and Revolution, features readings of women’s writing at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse. As the U.S. reflects on 250 years as a nation, this event celebrates voices that were largely uncelebrated at the time.
Virtual programming on Sunday runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will include a writing workshop with Sara Reish Desmond, a conversation with local tennis journalist Christopher Clarey, who wrote The Master and The Warrior and panels on writing for both Young Adult fiction and adult audiences, plus the environmental mystery of Costa Rica’s golden toads. Registration is required for Zoom events.
Also on Sunday, at 9 a.m., local historian Ghlee Woodworth will lead a historical walk of downtown Newburyport meeting at the Essex Street Inn.
As part of the festival’s efforts to reach readers of all ages, 6 to 8 grade pupils at Newburyport’s Rupert A. Nock Middle School will read No Place Like Home by James Bird of Salem, Mass., made possible by The Charles & Marianne Small Charitable Foundation, and Bird will visit the school to lead students in discussion. The Vicki Hendrickson Literary Festival Scholarship will again be offered to one senior graduating from Newburyport High School who has shown a dedication to reading. Hendrickson founded the festival more than 20years ago.
The festival’s official bookstores are Jabberwocky Bookshop and The Book Shop of Beverly Farms. Festival tote bags will be sold for $15 at Jabberwocky at the Tannery and at Illume Books at 10 Market Square throughout the weekend and at most festival locations.
Whoopie pies decorated with the festival’s logo will be available at Chococoa Baking Co., with a portion of the proceeds donated in support of the festival.
The festival is organized by the Newburyport Literary Association and is made possible through the generosity of our founding sponsors, including the Newburyport Bank and the Institution for Savings. Additional support comes from The Charles & Marianne Small Charitable Foundation, The Friends of the Newburyport Public Library, Burch Ives Family Charitable Foundation, Rotary Club of Newburyport, Hogrefe Publishing, the Cultural Councils of Newburyport, West Newbury, Newbury, Merrimac, Groveland and Georgetown, and Bradford & Bigelow printers.
For a full schedule of events, visit www.
Newburyportliteraryfestival.org. ♦
