Author Events - Gwen Reiss and David North
Author Gwen Reiss and Illustrator David North
Sunday, September 14th
11:30 am (for children) & 4 pm (all welcome)
St. Mark’s own, Gwen Reiss has teamed up with her brother David North to create a charming and whimsical children’s book – The Winter Lodge - a winter’s tale
of three mice who wait out the winter in high style and blithe domesticity. Inspired by the setting of an old summer camp near the White Mountains, the mice’s adventures are revealed in a series of wildly colorful illustrations that show a small creature’s point of view. Written in verse, the story settles on moments of discovery and celebrates the New England landscape- the forest, cabins, and lake.
Gwen and Dave began working on the book in 1999 when Gwen sent Dave a series of lines, each representing a scene in the story. Over a period of two years he sent her one painting every few weeks from his studio in Brunswick, Maine. The camp that inspired the story is between North Conway, New Hampshire, and Fryeburg, Maine. It was a summer cooking school for girls in the 1920’s, it became a boy’s summer camp in the 50’s and was bought by the Reiss family in 1970.
Author Gwen Reiss, a poet and freelance writer on architecture and preservation, lives in New Canaan with her husband and two daughters. Her freelance work has appeared in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, The New York Times, and Preservation Magazine, and her poetry has been published in a number of literary journals. She works part-time for the National Trust at Philip Johnson’s Glass House. Artist David North, a RISD graduate, lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut, and has lived, worked, and painted in New York City, Albuquerque, and Freeport and Brunswick, Maine. A fine artist at heart, he has also painted for television commercials, theatrical productions, and feature films.
We hope you will join us at one of the two events being offered to meet Gwen and David, see and hear their charming story, purchase a book, and have it signed. What a special gift for the young ones in your family! Books may be reserved through the office at 966-4515 x 123. This event is open to the public so bring your friends!
For a complete listing of fall author events, click here.
