The Bookplate will be hosting three authors during Sultana’s Downrigging Festival on Saturday, November 1st. The events will all take place at The Lawrence Wetlands Preserve, the urban nature center owned and operated by the Sultana Education Foundation.
Starting off the festivities at 11:00 am, kids of all ages are again invited to meet author Letitia B. Burton as she discusses her book, Soar: The Incredible Journey of Hendrix and Ryder. Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Independent Publishers, this middle grade book follows two brother birds on a migration journey.
“It’s early fall in North America, and Hendrix’s parents are taking off to migrate to South America – without him! Now to survive the winter and see his parents again, he and his twin brother Ryder will have to make the long, treacherous journey on their own. But the young birds are at odds right from the start, with fearless Ryder pushing cautious Hendrix at every turn. Can the brothers find their way to South America – and to respect for one another?”
“Read it in a single day of exhilaration at the narrow escapes and of smiles at the tender moments…The danger sequences drive the story, but Burton has interwoven moral issues of courage and prejudice, the relative values of boldness vs. caution, the shunning for being different, the disbelief from others when it is critical to be believed, and the classic dilemma of group vs. individual.”
-George Forman, Emeritus Professor of Child Development
Later in the day at 1pm, all are invited to meet writer David Gendell as he discusses his book The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at The Annapolis Warship Factory. The book traces the history of the famous vessel, from her design, build, and early racing career, through her lesser-known Civil War service and the never-before-told story of her final days and moments on the ground at Annapolis. The schooner’s story is set against a vivid picture of the entrepreneurial forces behind the fast, focused rise of the Annapolis Yacht Yard as the United States prepares for and enters World War II.
To bring this unique story to life, Annapolis sailor David Gendell delved into archival sources and oral histories and interviewed some of the last living people who saw America at the Annapolis Yacht Yard.
Sailor and author David Gendell is an Annapolis native with an extensive sailboat racing background. The oldest of three boys, he grew up as a “River Rat,” swimming, sailing, crabbing, and cruising with his family in and on the Chesapeake Bay. He first earned his Coast Guard Captain’s License at age 19. He first raced from Newport to Bermuda at age 22, one week after graduating from college. In 1995, he cofounded SpinSheet, a Chesapeake Bay sailing magazine, and served as editor for twelve years. In 2004, he cofounded PropTalk, a Chesapeake Bay powerboating magazine. Both magazines remain in production.
David lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and is a frequent public speaker in the Chesapeake Bay region on the subjects of sailing and history.
“A text of flawless prose with an eye to the sheer physical beauty and excitement of the great vessel.”
– Ocean Navigator
“In The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory, Mr. Gendell writes with authority on the subsequent history of the America.”
– The Wall Street Journal
Finally at 3pm, author Thomas Guay will be discussing his historic novel, Chesapeake Bound: Sailing to Revolution, a story of desperate immigrants looking for adventure, advancement, love, and, most of all, a sense of belonging in the colonies
“London, 1763: Gifted musician and medical apprentice Michael Shea is living rough after being blackballed from working as a surgeon’s assistant. Not only does Michael lose his gig playing fiddle in a tavern, he also is framed for the murder of a tavern patron visiting from colonial Virginia. Worse, Michael realizes his ladylove wasn’t interested in true love. He was just a divertissement.
Heartbroken and out of options, Michael and his friend, Danny, escape the turmoil by shipping out on the misnamed brig The Delight as lowly indentured servants. On board are forty-eight other desperate souls—everyday people risking their lives to immigrate to the wilds of America, hoping for a better life in the colonies where they can break free of a rigid class system, prejudice, and poverty. Michael’s medical skills prove critical as the passengers endure the ravages of the long trans-Atlantic journey from London to Annapolis: killer storms, accidents, sickness, and Barbary raiders. While attending to the sick, Michael realizes that he has not yet escaped the murder for which he was framed—and that the real killer will do anything to keep his identity a secret.”
For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. These events are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. The Lawrence Wetlands Preserve is located at 301 S. Mill Street, in Chestertown, Maryland. Parking at the Preserve itself is prohibited, but parking is available on Cannon Street and in nearby public parking lots.
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