One Book One Valley

The One Book One Valley committee is happy to announce Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, is its selection for 2022. Set in a native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez, is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy. A collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of an indigenous community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.

Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation where he grew up. He received his BA in Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and his MFA in fiction from Stonecoast’s low-residency program. His story collection Night of the Living Rez is forthcoming from Tin House Books (2022), and his work has appeared in Granta, The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative Magazine, LitHub, and elsewhere. A winner of the 2021 Narrative Prize, Talty’s work has been supported by the Elizabeth George Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts (2022). Talty teaches courses in both English and Native American Studies, and he is on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in creative writing. Talty is also a Prose Editor at The Massachusetts Review. He lives in Levant, Maine.

Mr. Talty will give a presentation and hold a book signing at the Majestic Theater on October 27th at 7PM. There is no charge to attend this event, which will also be live streamed. Just prior to the grand finale event, Mr. Talty will be the guest of honor at a “Meet the Author” event to be held at the Conway Public Library. Tickets for this event will be limited and cost $20 with proceeds benefiting One Book One Valley. Be on the lookout for TBD associated programming related to the themes of the book for the fall. Copies of the book will be available at all participating OBOV locations including White Birch Books. Comprised of White Birch Books and the public libraries of the Mount Washington Valley and beyond,
One Book One Valley is a community read program for the Mount Washington Valley. Its mission is to
strengthen community ties and promote literacy through reading and discussing a book with a theme
that resonates locally.

I am pleased to report that Sir Bentley’s Mauraders won the day. They will get a copy of Dead by Dawn to keep as well as a book plate in a gifted copy of the new Mike Bowditch novel, Hatchet Island, released in June.

There was one question no one got! What “scent” animal may soon join Maine wardens’ missing persons search and rescue efforts? It’s horses!

Thank you to everyone who played and everyone who participated this year. Don’t miss the recording of Paul Doiron’s presentation – it’s terrific.

Ordinarily, our 16 participating libraries and bookstores plan lectures and events around our annual book selection. This year live events have gotten tricky so, instead, we thought we could create activities you could do at home. Lichen Rancourt, with the Jackson Public Library, has offered several rounds of online trivia to our communities over the last 18 months and she agreed to produce a themed round to help celebrate One Book One Valley 2021. She says, “I changed up the format this time so that it’s self-paced. Do all the questions at once or work on them over a few days. Please, no researching or Googling for the answers and leave your team name and contact information to be eligible for a prize.” 

To play Bowditch’s Maine themed trivia – all questions relate to Maine, the Warden service, Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch books, or some other book series – simply choose your team and play online, anytime, anywhere. The top scoring team will be announced at the author event which takes place at the Majestic Theater on October 28th at 7pm. Be warned, it is tricky and almost impossible if you haven’t read the series so ask around and find some teammates who have been into reading the Mike Bowditch series from the start.