Tara Karr Roberts’ lyrical debut novel Wild and Distant Seas follows four generations of women as they seek to chart their own futures. Join author Tara Karr Roberts and Nantucket historian and writer Mary Bergman to learn more about how Roberts draws inspiration from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and created a richly imaged world all her own.
Casey Sherman is a true crime author of over 10 books, most recently Hell Town: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod and A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinsel Town's Most Shocking Crime. Join Casey with fellow author and Festival co-chair Sara Divello as they investigate true crime writing and Casey's immersive books of true and thrilling nonfiction.
Katherine Howe, author of A True Story and The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, specializes in historical novels set in New England, which she uses to query ideas about the contingent nature of reality and belief. Katherine and Tim Ehrenberg, Nantucket Book Foundation Board President and creator of Tim Talks Books, will take you through all her writing adventures, chat about pirates and witches, and also discuss co-writing Astor and Vanderbilt with American broadcast journalist, Anderson Cooper.
Gabriella Burnham, a graduate of Nantucket High School, is the author of It Is Wood, It Is Stone, which was named a best book of the year by Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. Her new novel, Wait, takes place on Nantucket and tells the story of two sisters navigating turbulent social currents, immigration systems and more all while leaning into the bond of sisterhood. Join Gabriella in conversation with Jason Graziadei of the Nantucket Current.
Prepare to enjoy, appreciate and even laugh at this series of ten-minute plays written by Nantucket teens, under the mentorship of award-winning filmmaker, Jay Craven. Students worked this spring to develop and revise their original short plays - which will be performed by professional actors in a staged reading at White Heron Theatre.
This year’s students include Anna Popnikolova, Danielle Lewis, Marina Cassano, William Martin, and Brenda Macias. One play tells an epic tale of love, betrayal, and finding yourself. Another shows a character hitting the lowest of low and finding a way back up. One takes us into a world where mythical creatures, gods and humans intermingle - and another (on Nantucket) shows two best friends who spend a day celebrity-hunting for their two favorite Instagram influencers. Still another sets up a longstanding rivalry that has grown cold, but reheats after an embarrassing moment on stage. Risks are taken, the tea has never been so scalding and an icy road looms ahead.
Each year’s program is different - but all feature complex characters, muscular plots - and surprising insights that come fully to life in these compelling slices of life - real and imagined. Nantucket Young Playwrights is produced and sponsored by Kingdom County Productions, White Heron Theatre, Nantucket Atheneum and the Nantucket Book Festival, working in association with Nantucket High School.
Join several of this year’s authors in a comfortable after-hours setting, while enjoying your favorite beverage. Admission is free, and there will be a cash bar.
