The Sleeping Giant Reading Series brings writers and book lovers together on the third Thursday of the month. In the long shadow of Hamden’s Sleeping Giant, writers of every kind gather to hear professional readings, raise a glass, network, and support one another’s work. All are welcome, whether you’re a scribbler who hasn’t yet dared to call yourself a “writer” or an experienced published author.
This month’s featured guest writers are: Annie Murphy Paul and David Gates.
Join us for first-hour readings by our featured guest writers, including some of the great voices of our day, followed by Writers’ Happy Hour, a chance to meet fellow writers, ask questions, lend your support, and have fun together!
Annie Murphy Paul is an acclaimed science writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, Slate, Time magazine, and The Best American Science Writing, among many other publications. Her most recent book, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, was called “fascinating, sure-footed and wide-ranging" by the Wall Street Journal. Paul is also the author of Origins, a New York Times "Notable Book," and The Cult of Personality, hailed by Malcolm Gladwell as a “fascinating new book.” A sought after speaker, her TED Talk has been viewed by more than 2.6 million people.
David Gates’s novel Jernigan was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; The New Yorker called his story collection A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me “gripping, sophisticated, gasp-inducing.” The Paris Review wrote: “There’s a caustic wit at work on nearly every page; empathy and misanthropy match stride for stride in a way that recalls Cheever at his best.” David taught for many years in the MFA program at Bennington College and at the University of Montana. He now teaches at St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn.
Curated by local writers Alice Mattison, Sandi Shelton (aka Maddie Dawson), Kathy Czepiel, and Heather Jessen, the Sleeping Giant Reading Series happens every third Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Best Video Film and Cultural Center in Hamden, Connecticut. The Sleeping Giant Reading Series is free to attend. Donations at the door for our guest readers are always appreciated.