Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Phoenix Books hosts two authors this week

Thursday, June 22 & Saturday, June 24—RUTLAND—Phoenix Books Rutland will welcome Bill Schubart for a talk on his new novel, “Lila and Theron” Thursday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. Event attendees who purchase “Lila and Theron” at the event will get a free CD of Bill Schubart reading five of his favorite picks from “Lamoille Stories.”

Set in rural America and spanning much of the 20th century, “Lila & Theron” captures the spirit of the American rural experience, as it relates to their personal stories of love and sacrifice. Award-winning author and public radio commentator, Bill Schubart, first introduced us to “Lila & Theron” characters in his 2008 short story collection, “The Lamoille Stories.” Seven years later, he’s returned to finish their stories. “Lila and Theron” plumbs the depth and triumphs of the human spirit in a way now lost in today’s obsessions with consumerism and celebrity culture, immersing us in a receding world where neighbors and nature are the gifts and love is often comes with great hardship.

Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m., Phoenix Books Rutland will a free story time with Brooke James, author of the new picture book “Why Did the Farmer Cross the Road?” Young readers will laugh out loud at the antics of the farmer’s chickens, goats, pigs, and one anxious cow in this quirky take on the traditional knock-knock joke. The book is ideal for ages 4-8.

Brooke Herter James won her first creative writing award in eighth grade. Then she did a bunch of other things like college, public health nursing, and raising a family. Now she’s writing again. She lives in a very old house in Vermont with her husband and two donkeys, Sarah Ruth and Esther. She is an active member of SCBWI, a student of the Gotham Writers Workshop, and a graduate of the Yale Writers’ Conference.

Both events are free. Phoenix Books Rutland is located at 2 Center St. in Rutland. Copies of the books will be available to purchase and have signed.

For more information, call 802-855-8078 or visit phoenixbooks.biz.

Photo courtesy of Phoenix Books

Author Brooke James sits with her two donkeys Sarah Ruth and Esther, surely inspiration for her book “Why Did the Farmer Cross the Road?”

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