Writers Forum March 5
DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Thompson Free Library and the Maine Highlands Council for the Arts are proud to present four local authors for a Writers Forum on Tuesday, March 5 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Central Hall Commons, 152 East Main Street. Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
Each author’s subjects include the Maine outdoors in some way.
Christopher Packard is the author of “Mythical Creatures of Maine” and his latest book “Lumpy’s Gift”. He is also a full-time high school science teacher at Bangor High School. He is also a trail runner, swordfighter, storyteller, and outdoor adventurer.
Garret Conover co-founded North Woods Ways, the classically resonant canoe and snowshoe guiding service. Conover is an award-winning author of “Beyond the Paddle”, “Kristin’s Wilderness”, “Sauna Magic” and co-author of “The Snow Walker’s Companion” with Alexandra Conover Bennett. He is currently a craftsman and fabricator at Sheldon Slate Products. He is happiest when all senses are generously engaged with the natural world – a world that rewards observation, skills, and artistry by brightening joy.
Jerry Stelmok grew up on a family dairy farm and graduated from UMaine. After serving in the navy, he attended the Boat Building School in foggy but beautiful West Quoddy Head in Lubec, before purchasing the Island Falls Canoe company along with colleague Rollin Thurlow in 1975. Since their move to Piscataquis County, Stelmok and Thurlow have run independent shops in Atkinson, building, restoring, and promoting traditional wood and canvas canoes. After almost 50 years, he is looking forward to cutting back in the shop a bit to enjoy more time outdoors fishing, canoeing, sailing, and in the studio writing and painting. Stelmok has published five diverse books and several articles and reviews.
Rollin Thurlow has worked on wooden boats and canoes for over 40 years. After graduating from Maine Maritime Academy and meeting Stelmok at boat-building school, the two teamed up to professionally build and restore wooden boats. Thurlow has written canoe-building related articles for numerous magazines and co-authored the book “The Wood and Canvas Canoe” – the bible of the wooden canoe world. He has taught wooden canoe building at various schools, museums, and locations around the county and in Canada including the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, and has produced several videos on the subject.