This is an online event. Please register to get the Zoom link.

In this casual, conversation-style program, Shannon Bowring, author of The Road to Dalton and Where the Forest Meets the River (Europa Editions), will share her experience writing about a fictional Maine town inspired by the one where she grew up in Aroostook County. Shannon will also discuss other authors whose work has been shaped by Maine, including Stephen King, Elizabeth Strout, and Morgan Talty. Join for a lively chat about the literary journey from real place to imaginary world—and come ready to talk about your own favorites!

Shannon Bowring’s award-winning work has appeared in numerous journals, including Best Small Fictions, and has been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes. She is the recipient of the 2022 Julia Peterkin Literary Award for Flash Fiction and was selected by Deesha Philyaw as a finalist for the Fractured Lit Anthology II Contest. Her debut novel, The Road to Dalton, was selected as an NPR Best Book in 2023 and won the Maine Literary Book Award for Fiction in 2024. The second book in the Dalton Novels series, Where the Forest Meets the River, was published in September 2024. The third book in the series, IN A DISTANT VALLEY, is forthcoming from Europa Editions.  When not writing, Shannon works as a cataloguer at the Patten Free Library.

This program is part of Maine Courses, a monthlong series of free, educational, online events on the topic "Changing Maine." For more Maine Courses offerings throughout March, see below. 

March 3, 6pm: From Hazard to Harvest: How Aerial Robotics Might Be Used to Upcycle Invasive Forest Pathogens To Biochar - REGISTER HERE

March 13, 5:30pm: Satellite Oceanography: Unlocking Insights by Analyzing the Big Picture - REGISTER HERE

March 19, 6pm: Healing Begins with Truth: Understanding Colonization, with Wabanaki REACH - REGISTER HERE

March 25 6:30pm: Understanding Lyme Disease in Maine - REGISTER HERE

March 26, 6pm: Writing Maine: How Authors Blend Fact and Fiction to Create a Familiar, Imaginary World - REGISTER HERE

This series is brought to you by MECollab, a sharing partnership between libraries throughout the state.