My Coffee with Andre

Patricia Gorton (AAUW) and Pam Jacobson (Rowley Library)
with Andre Dubus III at recent author event they organized

"What a great event! I am so pleased with how everything went, the turnout was awesome, the refreshments were perfect, just a great day." [Pam]

The "Coffee With Andre Dubus" author event with Andre Dubus III, held on Saturday, February 22, at the Rowley Public Library, was a huge success. There was a great article about Andre Dubus on the front page of the Georgetown Record written by the editor of the Ipswich Chronicle, who had a long telephone interview with Andre. Many attendees came because they had read about the talk in the newspaper.

We had just fifty reservations before the event, but we set up seventy chairs and most, if not all, were occupied for the talk. We sold all the books we had and could have sold more. As this was a fund-raiser for the North Shore and Newburyport Branches of the American Association of University Women and the Friends of the Rowley Public Library, we are very pleased with the results.

Andre’s talk was one of his best. The audience applauded him long and loud. He did not talk about his new book “Dirty Love” but he read a short story which he wrote about knitting, written at about the time he had his first girlfriend and about his love for his aunt, his mother’s older sister, for whom he learned to knit a scarf. He inspired us.

He spoke about family being so important in his life and that both sides of his extended family lived in Louisiana. They visited Louisiana each summer, driving down in an old car.

We know form “Townie” that he learned to fight with his fists while growing up. He later turned to boxing, a legitimate sport. Interestingly, the guys with whom he spent most of his youth, have all passed away.

There were many young women in attendance on Saturday. That was a nice surprise.

Andre held an individual conversation with each of us as he signed copies of his books after the talk. 

Event Announcement: Coffee With Andre Dubus III on Saturday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m., at the Rowley Public Library, 141 Main St., Rowley ADMISSION $15, not including book purchase

Coffee With Andre Dubus III is a fund-raiser for the North Shore and Newburyport Branches of the American Association of University Women and the Friends of the Rowley Public Library. Refreshments will be served, including homemade muffins and coffee cakes, fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. AAUW funds will go to its Educational Opportunities Fund, which provides more than $4.5 million in funding for more than 250 fellowships, grants and special awards to outstanding women and groups, and the funds raised for the library will go to library programs that serve the public.

Dubus will talk about his newest book, a best seller, "Dirty Love." The books may be bought either before the event or at the event and will be signed by the author. A 10 percent discount will be given to those who purchase the book before the event. Reservations and book purchases can be made by contacting Pamela Jacobson, director of the Rowley Public Library, at 978-948-2850 or online at rowleylibrarydirector@gmail.com . Mail a check made out to Friends of the Rowley Public Library, to the library at 141 Main St., Rowley, MA 01969. The discounted book charge is $23.35.

The national website address for the AAUW organization is www.aauw.org.

Coffee With Author Edith Pearlman

Edith Pearlman will speak about her award winning book of short stories, “Binocular Vision” on Saturday, May 5, 10 AM at Georgetown Peabody Library, on Maple Street. Coffee, Juice and home made baked goods will be served at this fund-raiser at the cost of twelve dollars. The event is co-sponsored by the North Shore and Newburyport branches, American Association of University Women and the Friends of the Georgetown Peabody Library. For reservations, contact Linda Britt, 978-531-6116.

AAUW’s share of the proceeds will be awarded to a local college student to attend the National Conference of College Women Student Leaders.

Photos of AAUW Newburyport and North Shore branches holiday luncheon with silent auction and speaker

AAUW Newburyport and North Shore branches annual holiday luncheon

silent auction items for fundraiser

more silent auction items for fundraiser

International Fellow, Elizaveta Lehchiner from Russia

Elizaveta describes her background and says Thank You! to AAUW for sponsoring her work

Elizaveta explains apoptosis, a form of cell death, and its potential for the treatment of cancer

AAUW Silent Auction & Lunch With International Fellow

On December 10th AAUW Newburyport and North Shore branches will hold their annual holiday luncheon with a silent auction, where our 2011 International Fellow will speak.

Our annual holiday luncheon and silent auction to benefit the Educational Foundation is fast approaching.  It will be on Saturday, December 10th at the Rowley Public Library at 11:00 a.m.  Please contact one of the co-chairs, Scottie Robinson at 978-768-1183 or Nellie Wadsworth at 978-825-0779, if you are attending the luncheon.  We need to know by December 8th to prepare food.  Feel free to bring a guest with you.  The cost of the luncheon is $15.  

Fellow 

We will be having an international fellow, Elizaveta Lehchiner from Russia, as our speaker this year.  She is studying at Harvard University, with a concentration in Chemistry.  Her research focuses on how cells achieve the balance between life and death.  She is looking forward to applying her knowledge to the development of new pharmacological agents to treat disease.

Silent Auction 

We are asking people to bring items for the silent auction.  This is good time to clean out stuff or re-gift items.  Everyone has things they would like to “recycle”.  You can also bake items for the auction.

Kim’s Project 

Liz Fragola, MA AAUW president, as a follow up to our very successful State Meeting held recently on Human Trafficking, has asked that we help out "Kim's Project."  The things this organization can use the most are gift cards that are good at multiple places, since the women they serve have such diverse needs. If you don’t have time to to get a gift certificate, you can donate money and Liz will take care of purchasing gift cards.  As we learned, this organization gets these women who were used in trafficking on the path to new lives.

We are looking forward to seeing all of you on Saturday.  The day is always so much fun.

Linda Britt

Coffee With Andre Dubus lll, Saturday, May 21, 10 AM, Georgetown Peabody Library

Coffee With Andre Dubus lll, Saturday, May 21, 10 AM, Georgetown Peabody
Library, Lincoln Park, Georgetown, MA

With the Friends of the Georgetown Peabody Library, North Shore and Newburyport Area Branches AAUW, we will welcome nationally recognized author and long time friend and supporter of AAUW, Andre Dubus lll to speak about his new book “TOWNIE” on Saturday, May 21, 10 AM at the Georgetown Peabody Library.

Refreshments will be served, including juices, coffee, tea, bagels, home
made muffins and coffee cakes. The cost of attending is twelve ($12.00)
dollars.

Reservations can be made by sending a check made out to AAUW, and mailed to
Judy Donovan (Tel. (978) 535-1544).

AAUW's share of the profit from the event is a grant to attend the National
Conference of College Women Student Leaders, which will be awarded to Deb
Woods, an individual member of AAUW from Beverly. Deb is a graduate student
at Boston University studying Women's Health Internationally. Deb has just
returned from Zululand, where she conducted research for her thesis.Deb is
Massachusetts Chair of CARE. Her  registration fee of $395.00 and the
cost of her airplane flight will be awarded to her.

Publisher's Weekly has written the following review of Andre's book, "Townie". "Long before he became the highly acclaimed author of "House of Sand and Fog", Dubus shuffled and punched his way through a childhood and youth that was full of dysfunction, desperation, and determination. Just after he turned twelve, Dubus' family fell rapidly into shambles after his father, the  prominent writer Andre Dubus, not only left his wife for a younger woman, but also left the family in distressing poverty on the violent and drug infested side of their Massachusetts mill town.

For a few years, Dubus escaped into drugs, embracing the apathetic "no-way-out" attitude of his friends. After having his bike stolen, and being slapped around by some of the town's bullies, while watching his brother and mother humiliated by some of the town's thugs, Dubus started lifting weights at home and boxing at the local gym.

Modeling himself on the Walking Tall sheriff, Buford Pusser, Dubus paid back acts of physical violence. Ultimately, he decided to take up his pen and write his way up from the bottom and into a new relationship with his father. In this gritty and gripping memoir, Dubus bares his soul in stunning and page-turning prose.

Gender Equity and Women in Iran, Cuba and Israel

How are women doing in three diverse cultures? What rights do they have? What can they do to create more equitable conditions for themselves?

Join our  public policy conversation on Saturday, March 5, 10AM, at the Topsfield Library as we recount recent American Association of University Women member trips to Cuba and Israel. Linda Britt and Pat Gorton will describe their encounters with women in Cuba, while Liz Fragola and Patricia Ho will report on their findings in Israel. To begin our consideration of gender equity in other countries, Sanaz Raoufi will speak about the conflicting pressures facing women in Iran.

Following these short reports, everyone is invited to engage in our informal conversation on questions such as –
a. What inequities do these women face in their countries?
b. What cultural, historical or political factors might promote these conditions?
c. Are there different perceptions regarding the status of these women?
d. Do western media reinforce stereotypes and misconceptions?
e. How can women in any culture help bridge misunderstandings or conflicting expectations among groups?
f. How can women help bring about change for equity for each other?

Refreshments will be served. The public is welcome and  there is no charge for attending. For further information call 978-352-8931

Human Trafficking in th U.S., Legal Seafood, Copley Place Dinner Meeting

The Boston Branch, AAUW has invited neighboring branch members to participate in a program about Human Trafficking in the U.S. It is a dinner meeting beginning at 6:15 p.m.,Tuesday, March 8, 2011, at Legal Seafood, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

What is Human Trafficking in 2011? Who is affected? What can we do to help people move from modern bondage to freedom. Barbara Anderson, founder of "All Hands In" will lead us in the conversation.

Read one woman's story in an NPR related article that brings this problem close to home.

Saturday, October 23, 2010, Leadership Training with Lisa Maatz

Mission NOT Impossible: Getting What You Need to Make It Happen, was the topic of  the morning. Lisa Maatz, AAUW Director of  Public Policy and Government Relations, led a leadership training  for members of all the North of  Boston branches.  The session was held at Brooksby Village in Peabody, with breakfast included.

Members learned about lobbying and making political contacts. Lisa also explained how members could develop skills and strategies in Outreach and Campus connections.

Liz Fragola, MA AAUW president invited all to attend the State Fall conference, held in partnership with Babson College Center for Women's Leadership on Saturday, November 6, at Babson College.

Coffee With the Authors, Saturday, November 20, 2010, 10 AM

The Newburyport Area and North Shore Area branches of AAUW partnered with the Friends of the Georgetown Peabody Library to present Coffee With the Authors in November.

Salem author, Brunonia Barry spoke about her second novel, "The Map of True Places" (see Amazon reviews) and Georgetown's own Sue Miller, under the name, Harriett B. Varney Miller, spoke about her first novel, "Birth of The Phoenix".

Read more information about the books and the event in the November/December North Shore Area Branch newsletter.

Photo is of a window in the old part of the library in Georgetown.

AAUW Delegation Visits Cuba, October 30 to November 4, 2010.

AAUW is one of the worlds leading voices on issues of equity for women and girls. Academic Travel Abroad organized a delegation of 45 women and one man, AAUW members from across the country, for the purpose of studying "Gender Equity and the Role of Women in Cuban Society." Approval of each participant was given by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Treasury Department.

Pictured above is the delegation, smiling, as they enjoy an outstanding experience in Cuba. In the center of the  front row are Linda Hallman, Executive Diorector, AAUW, wearing a blue top. To the right of Linda is Mariela Castro Espin, Director, National Center for Sex Education and Research, and to  the right of Mariela is Carolyn Garfein, President, AAUW.