Literary Readings

Come out and meet the most engaging and interesting authors in literature today as they read from and reflect on their works. Readings take place on the campuses of CSM. All readings begin at 7:30 p.m.

** Books by all authors are available at the CSM College Store.

Literary Reading Schedule

• Friday, October 15, 2010 – C.M. Mayo
• Friday, November 19, 2010 – Olga Grushin
• Friday, December 3, 2010 – Contributors to the Fall 2009 Connections Literary Magazine

Audio Files of Previous Readings

Check out the Connections archive at our CSMDTube YouTube site

Fall Connections Magazine Submission Deadline: October 30, 2010.

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OCTOBER 15, 2010: LEONARDTOWN CAMPUS AUDITORIUM
7:30 p.m.

Author C.M. Mayo
Discussing and reading from her novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

C.M. Mayo:  The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

Epic in scope, Mayo's impressively researched novel set in mid-19th century Mexico City mines the true story of the short turbulent reign of the archduke of Austria, Maximilian von Hapsburg, who was made emperor of Mexico in 1864. Childless and desperate for an heir, the emperor makes substantial monetary promises to the parents of a young boy named Agustin. With much trepidation, they agree to give over the boy, who becomes a pawn in a custody battle that begins when Maximilian adopts the two-year-old Agustin with the hopes of having him inherit the throne. Agustin's American mother, Madame de Iturbide (nee Alice Green), soon becomes dissatisfied with the arrangement and pleads with Maximilian to return her son. Maximilian has Alice deported, which sets off an international brawl. Maximilian finally concedes as Mexico devolves into bankruptcy and lawlessness and Maximilian's wife, Carlota, becomes increasingly unmoored. Lengthy, expository, meandering and grandiose, Mayo's reanimation of a crucial period in Mexican history should satisfy history buffs and those in the mood for an engaging story brimming with majestic ambition.
 
From Publishers Weekly
For more information: www.cmmayo.com
C.M. Mayo Press Release

 

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NOVEMBER 19, 2010: LA PLATA CAMPUS, BI-113
7:30 p.m.

Author Olga Grushin
Discussing and reading from her novel, The Line

Olga Grushin The Line

Olga Grushin a Granta Best Young American Novelist, won the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award for The Dream Life of Sukhanov. She was also a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction Fiction and short- listed for the Orange Award for New Writers. The Dream Life of Sukhanov was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and one of the Washington Post's Top 10 Books of 2006.

Grushin's stunning debut drew praise that placed her in the top rank of young literary voices. Now she returns with that rarity: a second novel even more dazzling than her first.

The line: the universal symbol of scarcity and bureaucracy that exists wherever petty officials are let loose to abuse their powers.

The line begins to form on the whispered rumor that a famous exiled composer is returning to Moscow to conduct his last symphony. Tickets will be limited. Nameless faces join the line, jostling for preferred position. But as time passes and the seasons change and the ticket kiosk remains shuttered, these anonymous souls take on individual shape. Unlikely friendships are forged, long-buried memories spring to life, and a year-long wait is rewarded with unexpected acts of kindness that ease the bleakness of harshly lived lives. A disparate gaggle of strangers evolves into a community of friends united in their desire to experience music they have never been allowed to hear.

The Line is a transformative novel that speaks to the endurance of the human spirit even as it explores the ways in which we love-and what we do
for love.

For more information: www.olgagrushin.com
Olga Grushin Press Release

Tickets
$3.00 advanced sale through CSM box office
$3.00 at door with student ID
$5.00 at door general admission
Box Office
http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/BoxOffice.html

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DECEMBER 3, 2010: LA PLATA CAMPUS, BI-103
7:30 p.m.

Connections Literary Magazine Publication Reading

Connections Literary Magazine is a regional journal published twice a year that features poems, stories, artwork and photography of Southern Maryland. Also included in each issue is featured material from visiting authors.  Contributors to the fall 2010 issue will read from and discuss their published works. 

Free admission, no tickets required