What Color is Caesar, one dog's quest for self-definition, is anything but black and white in this delightfully droll, enlightening tale by an acclaimed former poet laureate. Caesar is a large white dog with a great many black spots. Or is he a large black dog with even more white spots?  From celebrated poet Maxine Kumin comes a doggedly quizzical hero, brought comically to life by Alison Friend's expressive watercolors -- a lovable picture-book character who ultimately learns that it's not what's on the outside that counts.

Kumin was U.S. Poet Laureate from 1981-1982 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1973 for Up Country. She will be reading her new picture book and signing.

Kumin is truly a national treasure; don't miss this special event!

Liz Whaley's book group will meet at the Loaf and Ladle to discuss her February book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard.

Liz's book group is free and open to the public. They meet on the third Wednesday of the month at the Loaf and Ladle on Water Street in Exeter. Click here for a list of upcoming titles for discussion.

Just read the book and join us-- no reservations necessary!

Toby Lester is a contributing editor to and has written for The Atlantic on subjects that include the sociology of new religions, the attempt to reconstruct ancient Greek music, the struggle to change alphabets in Azerbaijan, and the chance harmonies of everyday sounds. His work has also been featured on the radio show This American Life.

A former Peace Corps volunteer and United Nations observer, he lives in the Boston area with his wife and three daughters. He is an invited research scholar at Brown University’s John Carter Brown Library.

The Fourth Part of the World is is an epic adventure story about the creation of the map that introduced Europe to America and ushered in the New World.
Kirkus Reviews calls it "a swift, sweeping primer on the Age of Discovery and the legacy of mapmaking."

Join us for a fascinating discussion on the map that joined the New World, the "fourth part of the world," to the rest of history.

Rick Schubart will be presenting Abraham Lincoln: from Springfield, Illinois to Exeter, New Hampshire and Beyond at the Exeter Historical Society to kick off the Lincoln in Exeter events.

Schubart is the Bates-Russell Distinguished Faculty Professor at Phillips Exeter. In 2008, Rick was named a founding trustee of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society and Governor John Lynch appointed Rick to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission through 2010.

Harold Holzer is one of the country's leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, and frequent guest on television, he serves as co-chairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, appointed by President Clinton in September 2000, and elected co-chair in 2001. President Bush, in turn, awarded Holzer the National Humanities Medal in 2008.

He has written, co-authored, and edited 34 books. The Library Journal “highly recommended” his new book, Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861 and Doris Kearns Goodwin called it a "stunningly original work that casts completely new light on the most turbulent and critical presidential transition in American history."

Holzer will be discussing Lincoln's pivotal Cooper Union Speech, Lincoln's most influential and widely reported pre-presidential address -- an extraordinary appeal by the western politician to the eastern elite that propelled him toward the Republican nomination for president. Delivered in New York in February 1860, the Cooper Union speech dispelled doubts about Lincoln's suitability for the presidency and reassured conservatives of his moderation while reaffirming his opposition to slavery to Republican progressives.

The lecture will be followed by a books signing and light reception at the Exeter Historical Society, located at 47 Front Street in Exeter. 

This event is sponsored by The Exeter Historical Society, Phillips Exeter Academy, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, and many others. For the entire schedule, see the Exeter Historical Society website.

Passport to Peace presents a live video broadcast of Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools, speaking at a private event in Exeter, at the Cooperative Middle School Auditorium in Stratham.

This event is free and open to the public. Seats are first come, first served (auditorium seats 600). Doors open at 6:15pm.

Books will be available for purchase at CMS the night of the event, and in advance at Water Street Bookstore. We will be offering a 20% discount on all of Mortenson's books starting February 15th through the night of the event. 

For more information, contact info@passport2peace.org.

Spread the word!

The Exeter Historical Society is partnering with Phillips Exeter Academy, SAU 16, Exeter Public Library, American Independence Museum, Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce, Inn by the Bandstand, Infinite Imaging of Exeter, NH Historical Society, Town of Exeter, Exeter Arts Association, Manchester Historic Association, NH Political Library and Woodman Institute to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's visit to the state. 

Festivities will include guided walking tours of Lincoln-related sites in town, a Geocaching adventure created by local 8th grade students, a Civil War-era band concert and kids' activities sponsored by the Exeter High School History Club. 

The event will culminate in Lincoln's encore presentation at Exeter's Town Hall, where he spoke on March 3, 1860. 

This program is made possible by a grant of the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Mike Pride, author of the updated edition of Elwin Page's Abraham Lincoln in New Hampshire, and PEA professor Rick Schubart will discuss Abraham Lincoln's historic visit to Exeter in 1860. They will be speaking at the Exeter Public Library, and their talk will be followed by a book signing with Mike Pride.

Help us welcome home Joe Hill for the last (and best!) event of his author tour for HORNS!

Joe is the author of the best-selling novel Heart Shaped Box and the short story collection 20th Century Ghosts. The Washington Post calls him 'a major player in 21st-century fantastic fiction.'

His latest endeavor promises to be as good as the first two. After a late night drinking, Ig Perrish wakes up to discover a pair of horns have grown on his forehead. With the horns comes a terrifying and fantastic gift-- instantly he is privy to everyone's deepest and darkest secrets. He soon finds that everyone believes that, despite a lack of evidence, Ig did kill his high school sweetheart, except his brother, a famous TV talk show host. It's a supernatural thriller that will have you flipping pages to the very end.

Join us for a reading by this amazing writer in his hometown bookstore!

If you're not able to make it to the event, but still want a signed copy of Horns, call us at (603) 778-9731 or email us at waterstreet.books@myfairpoint.net and we'll set you up!

Join us for our monthly open mic poetry night!

Maren Tirabassi was Portsmouth Poet Laureate
from 2001-2003. Her first project was the book Portsmouth Unabridged - New Poems for an
Old City which boasted more than ninety local poets from age nine to one hundred. Her
second year she ran a “Humor in Poetry”’ festival. Maren teaches poetry in
a wide range of settings and travels as a facilitator for United Church of Christ
(Congregational) workshops and conferences.

Harvey Shepard is a retired UNH Physics professor and is active with
the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program. His work has appeared in Poetry East, Poet Lore, The Connecticut River Review, Psychotherapy Review, Roanoke Review, the Portsmouth Herald and in numerous anthologies and online journals.

After the featured poets, we'll open the floor for you to read your work (one or two poems only please). Get here early to sign up!

Local puppeteer extraordinaire Martha Dana is back! We are so happy to host our favorite puppet lady as she tells stories and teaches lessons using her beautiful, full-sized, handcrafted puppets. Join us for this fun and free event, great for children of all ages.

Liz Whaley's book group will meet at the Loaf and Ladle for an informal discussion of her March book, The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry.

The Secret Scripture is an epic story of family, love, and unavoidable tragedy from the two-time Man Booker Prize finalist Sebastian Barry 's novels have been hugely admired by readers and critics, and in 2005 his novel A Long Long Way was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In The Secret Scripture, Barry revisits County Sligo, Ireland, the setting for his previous three books, to tell the unforgettable story of Roseanne McNulty. Once one of the most beguiling women in Sligo, she is now a resident of Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital and nearing her hundredth year. Set against an Ireland besieged by conflict, The Secret Scripture is an engrossing tale of one woman's life, and a vivid reminder of the stranglehold that the Catholic church had on individuals throughout much of the twentieth century.

Liz's group meets the third Sunday of the month at the Loaf and Ladle on Water Street in Exeter. Just read the book and join us-- no reservations necessary!