“Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain”, with Mary Riser

February 15, 2010 - Orange Beach, AL - Samuel Clemens modeled his character Tom Sawyer on himself and his childhood experiences. But who was Sam Clemens? Considered by many of his contemporaries to be the voice of America's Golden Age, Sam Clemens authored The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and his many other famous works under the pseudonym Mark Twain. We will discover the man behind Tom Sawyer, and learn a better appreciation of both the man and his work through Mary Riser's, "Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain," Thursday, February 25th at 6:00 p.m. at the Orange Beach Public Library.

Mary Riser holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Alabama, a Master of Arts in Fiction Writing from the University of South Alabama and is completing work on a doctorate in Fiction Writing at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is the founder and director of the Fairhope Film Series. She is a board member of both the Sybil Smith Charitable Trust and the M. W. Smith, Jr. Foundation and is a past board member of the Alabama Writers Forum. Ms. Riser has taught English, fiction writing and poetry writing at Arnold School, Bayside Academy, the University of South Alabama and Spring Hill College. Mary Riser's essays can be found in the books, Literary Mobile and Mobile Bay Tales as well as in the journal, Forming Habits.

This event is part of the statewide celebration of The Big Read: Alabama Reads, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Big Read is made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Alabama State Council for the Arts.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information on programs at the Library, visit www.orangebeachlibrary.org or call 251-981-2923.