Writers Join Forces to Save the Twain House

In the wake of recent reports of the financial difficulties of the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut, several writers will be holding a reading next month to raise money to keep the landmark in operation, according to The Boston Globe.

The addition of a costly visitors center several years ago have put the Twain House severely in the red, and the threat of closure now looms. But authors such as Jon Clinch--who wrote the Twain-inspired novel Finn--are determined to prevent it. Joining Clinch will be Philip Lopate, Stewart O'Nan and other authors. On September 23, they will be reading at the Twain House, with all benefits going to the non-profit organization that operates the House.

For more info, go to marktwainhouse.org.

DeSoto, TN to Hold Community Tom Sawyer Reading

With a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the DeSoto Arts Council in suburban Memphis will be organizing a community reading of Mark Twain's seminal classic of idealized boyhood, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The reading will take place throughout the month of October, and include an outdoor gathering of artists on the Mississippi River, as well as school dramatizations of the novel. Part of the NEA's "Big Read" initiative to encourage community involvement in reading, the event was built around Tom Sawyer in particular due to the proximity of DeSoto County to the great river that is so central to both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Twain's work in general.

Other planned activities include dance and musical productions, a "visit with Mark Twain", oral and visual history of life on the river in DeSoto County, adventures on the Mississippi River, exhibits of historic fishing equipment and photographs of the Mississippi River. There will even be a workshop on creating a graphic novel based on the book.

For more information, check out desotoarts.com.