We are partnering with ClimateCounts.org and Phillips Exeter Academy to bring you Colin Beavan, author of the new book, No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes about Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process and subject of the new documentary of the same name.

Colin Beavan is a writer based in New York City. This book is about his attempt to live off the grid in NYC, to see if it is possible to make no net impact on the environment. He forgoes toilet paper, electricity and motorized transportation. Check out Beavan's blog about the process at www.noimpactman.typepad.com and watch a trailer for the documentary there as well. Beavan was recently on NHPR's Word of Mouth. Listen to the segment at http://www.nhpr.org/nextgreenthing.
 
Climatecounts.org is a collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change. They score the world's largest companies on their climate impact to encourage more corporate climate responsibility. Check out what they're doing, discover the scores of hundreds of companies, and make a donation at www.climatecounts.org.
 
The reading and signing will take place at Water Street Bookstore at 6:30pm. The screening of the documentary is part of the PEA Documentary Series and is being held at the Academy Center Forum on Tan Lane, just a short walk away on the Phillips Exeter Academy campus, and will begin at 7:45pm.

Join us for both, but if you can only make it to one, that's great too!

Hallman is the author of the short story collection, The Hospital for Bad Poets. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. His work has appeared in GQ, Boulevard, Prairie Schooner, and a number of other journals and anthologies.

His stories are inventive, literary, and profound. Never liked short stories? Give this collection a shot.

"A hard-eyed look at the mess we humans have made of our earthly home, J.C. Hallman's stories also trace with rare delicacy the tentative approaches each alienated soul makes toward another. The writing throughout is polished, witty, and fiery."
--Jean McGarry, author of "A Bad and Stupid Girl"

"Hallman's understanding of the depth of human suffering equals his fiendish wit: "The Hospital for Bad Poets" marks an inventive debut into the world of the allusive."
--Edie Meidav, author of "Crawl Space"

"These shrewd, oblique stories run the gamut from the romance of microbiology to illicit trysts in hedgerows. Along the way, Hallmanskewers modern life with the toolkit left behind by Donald Barthelme, Shirley Jackson, and a monkey wrench borrowed from Rod Serling. At bottom, "The Hospital for Bad Poets" is filled with mysteries and delights."
--Brent Spencer, author of "Are We Not Men?"

"What I like most about Hallman is his surreal depiction of American life and love. Somehow he's able to find the strangeness in the familiar and the familiar in the strange. The result is a compelling collection rich with insights and ironies. This is fiction at its weirdest and most wonderful."
--Jonis Agee, author of "The River Wife"

Join us for our usual open mic poetry night (second Wednesday of the month, every month). Our featured readers will be anyone with a poem in the 2010 Poets' Guide to New Hampshire. The Guide comes out every year, is edited by John-Michael Albert, and will be available for purchase at Water Street Bookstore. Come and read your own poem from the guide or one by someone else featured in the anthology. The readings will be followed by an open mic, at which anyone is welcome to read one or two poems. Join us to read or join us to listen!

Thomas is the author of the acclaimed book, The Hidden Life of Dogs, a detailed and loving account of hours she spent observing dogs. Thomas takes a similar course with In The Hidden Life of Deer, uncovering lessons about the natural world through her observations of these beautiful, majestic animals. A delightful read.

Thomas has written for numerous magazines, such as The New Yorker and National Geographic. She is a gifted naturalist and an eclectic natural historian. Thomas resides in New Hampshire.

Join us for Matthew Dicks, author of the hilarious novel, Something Missing. 

Something Missing is the story of Martin, a burglar inflicted with OCD and a heart of gold. He only steals things from people that he knows they won't miss-- a stick of butter, a cup of olive oil, a spare tube of toothpaste. He gets to know his "clients" and practically sees them as friends. One day he breaks one of his cardinal rules, and everything goes downhill from there. A likeable, honest character, great writing, and funny, unique storyline make this novel irresistible. Come meet the author and ask him about his research for a novel all about burglary!

Archer Mayor is back with another Joe Gunther mystery! Join us for everyone's favorite Vermont police detective, and the man who created him. If you've never read Mayor's mysteries, you can definitely jump in here for number 19, or stop by the store and catch up on some of his earlier novels.

We are so excited to be one of a select number of bookstores with access to Kate DiCamillo's webcast from Sidwell Friends School in D.C! We'll be showing the entire webcast on a screen in Time of Wonder. Kate is the author of such modern classics as The Tale of Desperaux, Because of Winn Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and the Mercy Watson series. She will be reading from her new book, The Magician's Elephant, and will be talking about writing for chilldren, her favorite books, and much more. We'll also be raffling off copies of her books, including a signed copy of The Magician's Elephant! You have to be present at the webcast to be eligible to win. Please join us for this fun and unique event!

We are hosting another Book Group Night at Water Street Bookstore. If you came to the last one, you know what it's all about. We invite representatives from three of the biggest publishing houses (this time it's Random House, Simon and Schuster, and Houghton Mifflin) to come and share with us their favorite picks for book groups. These will be books that encourage conversation, in every genre. They'll have fiction and non-fiction in paperback and hardcover. Consider them your very own book experts--come with questions! And the books will be different from last time, so be sure to make it to this one. Bring your whole book group, or just a friend. Even if you aren't in a book group, these titles are sure to interest you.

RSVP to let us know you're coming, at waterstreet.books@myfairpoint.net. See you there!