Four local authors to meet public at library event

Marlborough - The Marlborough Public Library, in conjunction with the Marlborough Historical Society, is inviting the community to celebrate literature with four local authors. According to Library Director Salvatore Genovese, the event, to be held Monday March 23 at 7 p.m. in the library’s Bigelow Auditorium, is an opportunity for local residents and aspiring writers to meet local published authors.

    Initially proposed by the Historical Society, the goal of the event was to expose the community to local talent whose works are on the shelves at the local library, Genovese said. With the four authors lined up to each give a brief talk about their experiences as a writer and their influences, the forum will have a social atmosphere similar to a meet-and-greet, a more personalized experience than the formal lectures offered by the two groups, Genovese said.

    Genovese praised Peggy Ayers from the Marlborough Historical Society for spearheading the gathering.

    “It is going to be a very cool event,” he said.

    Genovese, who has pulled all of the authors’ books from the library shelves for viewing during the event, said he anticipates that it will be a great opportunity to highlight things and people in and around the community.

    “We see lists of people who are writers all the time and they are often from places like New York City and you say, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ But right here within the city boundaries there are people who not only write books but are published … They could be your neighbors and you don’t even know it,” he said.

    While there may be a few other last-minute guest additions, there are currently four authors lined up for the event, including Susan Alatalo, known for bringing countless local performances to the city through her association with the Arts Alliance and for writing “The History of Marlborough”; former newspaper columnist Alan Burton, who has written “From a Window or Two: Memoirs of a Distant Mind”; Janice Lindsay, a columnist for the Community Advocate newspaper, whose book, “The Milly Stories,” has been applauded by reviewers as a fun-filled trip of the unexpected; and Arthur Noletti, author of several widely reviewed books including “Cinema.”

    All of the guest writers represent different genres of writing and can offer different perspectives.

    Burton, who is new to the scene, having only recently published his first book, said he was excited but also a bit nervous about exposing himself through his story.

    “I love to write,” he said. “‘From a Window or Two’ - I am not sure I want to admit - is non-fiction, a memoir of my life in Marlborough and Stowe … Nothing like being naked between the pages.”

    The book, he said, is a combination of a series of moments in life. Like life, the book is compiled of the webs of life around us, some humorous, some depressing and some fulfilling, he said.

    For more information about the authors or the event itself, call the library at 508-624-6901 or stop in. The library is located at 35 West Main St.