Archer Mayor kicks off Vermont Voices, Evensong at St. Luke’s, Rural Vermont storytelling

Archer Mayor, Vermont’s favorite mystery writer and raconteur, returns to Chester to kick off Misty Valley Books’ Vermont Voices 2012 series at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.  Accompanying Mayor will be his new – and 23rd – Joe Gunther tale, Paradise City, which unfolds in Vermont, Boston and Northampton.

Author Archer Mayor kicks off Misty Valley Books’ Vermont Voices series.

Each year in November, Misty Valley Books invites Vermont writers who have written admirable books to come to the First Universalist Parish,211 North St., in Chester’s Stone Village to share their work. Also in the series will be historian Willard Sterne Randall and former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin.

In Paradise City, someone has been stealing antiques and jewelry in a string of burglaries in Vermont. While Joe Gunther and his VBI team investigate, an elderly woman surprises thieves in her Beacon Hill home and is viciously murdered. The Boston police notice that the loot is similar to what’s being stolen in Vermont, and word is out that someone powerful is purchasing similar items in the “Paradise City” of Northampton, Mass. Gunther, the Boston Police, and the vengeful niece of the murdered woman converge on Northampton. Archer Mayor is a medical examiner, EMT, lab technician, firefighter, police officer, scholar, editor, researcher, photographer, medical illustrator and Newfane resident, in addition to being a novelist and winner of the New England Booksellers Association award for fiction.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, Willard Sterne Randall, historian, investigative journalist and biographer will present his latest book, Ethan Allen, His Life and Times.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, former Gov. Kunin will be at the Stone Church with her new book, The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family.

A book signing and reception will follow the events, all of which are free. For more information call Misty Valley Books at 802- 875-3400 or visit www.mvbooks.com

Evensong at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Organist and music director Dr. Martha Stretton, and the choir St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. in Chester, invite everyone to attend a service of Choral Evensong at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.  Evensong is a service of reflection in which psalms, readings and canticles are the vehicles for God’s message to us. A quartet – The Meridian Chamber Singers – will be  special guests at the service, singing two selections: If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis and When Rooks Fly Homeward by Arthur Banyon.

Evensong has its roots in the pattern of monastic worship. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer created the evening service by fusing the monastic evening offices of Vespers and Compline. Blending both the beauty of the music and language during Evensong allows the worshipper to enjoy both personal prayer and meditation. A reception in Willard Hall will follow. For details check the church website: http://www.stlukesepiscopalvt.org/

Rural Vermont hosts Annie Hawkins for storytelling benefit

The First Universalist Parish in Chester will be home to Rural Vermont at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 as it hosts master storyteller Annie Hawkins performing In the Arms of Mother Earth: Living Close on the Land. Hawkins’ traditional folk tales and contemporary stories have captivated and delighted adults and children (although they are not well-suited for the very young). The First Universalist Parish, 211 North St., in the Stone Village. Admission is $5 to $15 sliding scale, with all proceeds benefiting Rural Vermont. The event is sponsored by RB Erskine Inc., the Springfield Food Co-op and WAAWWE.

Following the performance, there will be a reception featuring treats and hot drinks donated by the Putney Food Co-op. Meet Hawkins, learn more about Rural Vermont’s work to build strong and resilient local food systems, and check out Rural Vermont’s latest piece of merchandise – a T-shirt declaring Eat No GMOs, designed by Bo Muller-Moore of Eat More Kale.

Annie Hawkins has been performing at universities, theaters, museums, nature centers and other venues all over the country for two decades. She brings a child’s sense of exuberance and wonder to the stage.

For more than 25 years, Rural Vermont has been advancing its mission of economic justice for Vermont farmers through advocacy, grassroots organizing, and education. For more info or to be added to the mailing list, call 802-223-7222, visit www.ruralvermont.org, or find Rural Vermont us on Facebook.