Mystic, Conn. ~ Maritime historian, educator and acclaimed author Mary Malloy kicks off the 2010 Maritime Authors Series at Mystic Seaport Wednesday, January 27.
The series runs once a month Wednesday evenings from January to April in the Museum’s G.W. Blunt White Building. Tickets are $65 ($50 members) for the series and $20 ($15 members) for individual programs.
A wine and cheese reception begins the evening at 5:30 p.m., followed by the author’s talk at 6 p.m. The program concludes with a question and answer session and a chance for one guest to win a free copy of the author’s book.
To purchase tickets, visit www.mysticseaport.org/tickets
Speakers are:
January 27 – Malloy will speak about the difference between writing maritime history and historical fiction. Her book Devil on the Deep Blue Sea: The Notorious Career of Captain Samuel Hill of Boston won the John Lyman Book Award for best Maritime Biography in 2006. Malloy’s new novel, The Wandering Heart, is based on historical research and tells the tale of a maritime historian who solves a medieval mystery using the tools of the historian’s trade.
February 24 – Ann Davidson will discuss Catherine’s Cadeau, a historical narrative that is based on the horrific deportation of 11,000 French Acadian farmers by the British Government in 1755. Exile ships carried the Acadians to coastal towns in America, including nearby New London, CT, and to Louisiana, where the culture known as “Cajun” developed.
March 24 – Stephan J. W. Platzer will discuss Bringing E Home, the true story of his journey as radio operator on a transatlantic voyage from Cape Verde to America. Based on the author’s journal entries, the book details the 3,400-mile sail that included weeks of becalmed seas, unexpected squalls and close encounters with freighters as 14 sailors learned to survive and thrive on the 105-foot fishing vessel.
April 28 – William H. White, avid sailor and maritime historian, will discuss When Fortune Frowns, his account of the 1790 voyage of the HMS Pandora that sought to find the men who revolted against the Bounty and Captain William Bligh. The historical novel details the quest and capture of the remaining mutineers and the perilous return trip. Storms, monotony and shipwreck all figure into this epic tale carefully researched from original documents, including a study of the Pandora’s logbook.
The Maritime Authors Series is co-sponsored by the Library Fellows of the G.W. Blunt White Building at Mystic Seaport.
For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org/maritimeauthors
