Exeter native and UNH grad Mark Dagostino got his start writing for the Boston Globe's NH Weekly section in the 1990s. He went on to a storied career at People Magazine, working in L.A. and New York City, where for over a decade (most recently as a Senior Writer) he sat down for exclusive interviews with a wide range of celebrities--Michael J. Fox, Lindsay Lohan, Robert Redford, the Olsen Twins, and Exeter's own Dan Brown among them--while also gaining behind-the-scenes access to such major events as the Oscars and Golden Globe Awards. He also covered a wide range of breaking news and human interest stories, including interviewing families at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11. 

Mark recently moved back to New Hampshire with his family, and in addition to starting his career in books, is about to start a new venture in his life—serving as Senior Editor at Tonic.com, a web-based media company focused on "good news," including charitable causes, green initiatives, and celebrity and entertainment stories designed to uplift and inspire.
 
Hulk Hogan burst onto the professional wrestling scene in the late 1970s and enjoyed success for decades. In My Life Outside the Ring, Hogan chronicles his difficult past few years, and how he emerged from the pain stronger than ever.

Join us for this very special event. Ashley Davis Bush (formerly Prend) will be leading a discussion about how to cope with grief during the holidays, which can be for many people the hardest time of the year to deal with the loss of a loved one.

Transcending Loss: Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Loss and How to Make it Meaningful  has helped thousands and thousands of grievers understand how to grieve and how to live with loss. Unlike other grief books that imply there is an “end” to the process, this book acknowledges and honors the lifelong process of integrating loss into life. It also shows how to channel pain into avenues that make meaning out of loss.

Ashley is a licensed psychotherapist and grief counselor in private practice in Epping, NH. Her work focuses on coping with losses, searching for meaning, maximizing one’s potential, finding inner peace, and navigating transitions.   Ashley shares her thoughts on her own experiences in her weekly blog “Transitions….where endings meet beginnings,” which can be found on her website, www.ashleydavisbush.com. Currently she is working on a book entitled “Peaceful Divorce.”

We'll be circling our chairs in the back of the store for an informal discussion. If you are concerned about how you'll cope with grief during the upcoming holidays, or you know someone else who is, please join us.

What happens when our loved ones die? How do we find true comfort and encouragement that they are still present in unseen realities? This extraordinary book chronicles one woman's experience through three deaths and the beautiful love stories that continue through death and beyond.
 
This book traces the passing of Jane’s father, Harry Lee Smith, who never intended to abandon his bedridden wife of forty years. Amazingly, through Jane he began a series of communications to comfort his wife and describe the beauty of the life to come.

Jane is a graduate of the Guild for Spiritual Guidance and has studied for several years with multi-dimensional healer Greta Bro. She has recorded several volumes of messages from spiritual teachers in meditation. She has traveled extensively with her visual art exhibits and original solo dramatic performances. Finding in art a pathway to the heart and spirit, Bernhardt uses creativity as a vehicle for human transformation.

As head of her celebrity sister's production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret hobby: baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from her oven, Gesine took one step away from her glittery, empty existence--and one step closer to her true destiny. Before long, she and her husband left the trappings of their Hollywood lifestyle behind, ending up in Vermont, where they started the gem known as Gesine Confectionary. And they never looked back. 

The ingredients of her story will appeal to anyone who has ever considered leaving the life they know and completely starting over.

This book is laugh out loud funny and full of amazing recipes. Gesine has a relatable, youthful voice that you will love!

Stop by the store for a recipe card for Starry Starry Night cookies before the event. You can make them in advance and come on December 3rd with questions for Gesine or to share your take on the recipe.

Kendra Kersey is a writer, poet, and motivational speaker, dedicated to conveying an uplifting message of hope and healing to others through her writing.

Kendra was a caregiver and healthcare advocate for her husband during his 12 year illness. He was brain-injured at age 45 and later diagnosed with brain cancer. After a valiant battle involving extensive rehabilitation, craniotomy, radiation, chemotherapy and a clinical trial, he passed away in 2006.

In The Whatever Girl, Kendra tells her compelling story of grieving, healing, and recovering from the death of her husband from brain cancer. She does this through a unique collection of poignant vignettes: short, descriptive poems chronicling her experience of surviving loss as a widow, which became her journey of self-discovery. The title of the collection refers to the ability to adapt to Life's unexpected turns with dignity and grace-- doing 'whatever' it takes to overcome adversity.

In these troubling times, there exists a need to connect to one another as well as to something within ourselves. Poetry is powerful and emotional and humorous and silly and sad and thought-provoking and life-affirming-- reflecting all that is universal in the Human Experience.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.  THE NH SLAM TEAM WILL BE THE FEATURED READERS AT OUR JANUARY OPEN MIC NIGHT ON 1/13/10. SEE YOU THEN! 

Now in it's fourth year, the New Hampshire poetry slam team - a.k.a. "Slam Free or Die" - calls The Bridge Cafe in Manchester it's home.  In August of 2009, the team traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida, to take part in the National Poetry Slam, where they finished 35th out of just under 70 teams, the best since it's inception. 

The team consists of: Matt Biondi, Ari Cameron, Ryan McLellan, Cara "Rollergirl" Losier and Mark "The Colonel" Palos (also the team's coach and venue slam-master).  The team produced a CD of poetry from the Bridge Cafe, titled "Defenders of the Cause 2: Rockstars Against the Forces of Evil" and their team chapbook, "The Great American Rodeo Massacre", is available from Sargent Press.

After the featured readers, we will open the mic for any and all to read. Join us to share or just to listen. Always a good time!

Mary Ann Esposito, cookbook author and host of the long-running PBS cooking show, Ciao Italia, will be here to sign her latest cookbook, Five Ingredient Favorites: Quick and Delicious Recipes from an Italian Kitchen. We'll also have her other best-selling cookbooks on hand, like Ciao Italia Pronto and Ciao Italia Slow and Easy. Her signed cookbooks make great gifts for the gourmets in your life!

Carla Snow and Brian Smestad will be here to talk about and sign their cookbook, Wine & Dine with New Hampshire.  This book features the award-winning wines, ciders, and meads of New Hampshire, and the companies who created them. Along with each beverage, they have included recipes specifically designed to pair perfectly with the drink.

 "Carla Snow has done a terrific job with New Hampshire's foods, wines, and wineries. The photographs and recipes capture the state's produce so well and the book is both educational and entertaining! Change the state motto to 'Live Well and Dine!'"
—Michael Mondavi

This is a great gift for the wine enthusiast, gourmet cook or New Hampshire fan in your life.