The life and work of author Shirley Jackson will be celebrated this coming Saturday, June 29th from 4:00 PM- 8:00 PM at The Left Bank, located at 5 Bank Street in North Bennington.
This year's celebration will begin at 4:00 PM with the opening of Grimalkin: A Shirley Jackson Tribute Art Show, which celebrates Jackson's affinity for felines. This show has been curated by Rhonda Ratray and will be on view until July 29th. This event is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be available courtesy of the Friends of the McCullough Library.
Live music by JESTER FRETLESS, a musical duo consisting of Barry Hyman and Jared Carrozza from 4:40- 6:30.
Literary event featuring readings of Jackson's work will begin at 7:00 PM.
This year's readers are:
Barry Hyman: the youngest of Shirley Jackson's four children, has been performing, recording, and teaching music in the VT/NY/MA area for decades. A grant-winning composer, his music can be heard at http://barryhyman.com, or seen on Youtube.
Jai Holly: a retired RN who lives in Bennington. Her favorite job was volunteering in the local elementary school for eight years after retirement. She highly recommends this and says those were among the happiest years of her life.
Jamie Franklin: curator at the Bennington Museum since 2005. Shirley Jackson's eldest son, Laurence Hyman, recently gifted a collection of Jackson's writings, including inscribed presentation copies of her first editions, typescript manuscripts of short stories, novels, and essays, letters to her agents, and personal effects relating to her writing career to the Bennington Museum. Franklin has included some of these materials in recent shows, including Haunted Vermont, Bennington Modernism: Images and Metaphors, and will be featuring Jackson's work in the upcoming exhibition Green Mountain Magic: Uncanny Realism in Vermont.
Kristin Dearborn: is all about the monsters. She is the author of The Amazing Alligator Girl (2022), Sacrifice Island (2018), Woman in White (2017), Whispers (2016), Stolen Away (2016), and Trinity (2012), as well as numerous short stories and novellas. She studied English and Theater at the University of Main and holds an MFA in Writing Popular Literature from Seton Hill University. A lifelong New Englander, she currently lives in Vermont.
Brett Cox, who currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Shirley Jackson Awards, will attend to introduce the evening's readers.
The Bennington Bookshop will be on hand with copies of Jackson's work for sale.
CAT-TV will also broadcast this event.