1958 Wakefield High School grad; Author of “Affliction”
When novelist Russell Banks speaks at Beebe Library tonight at 7 p.m., it will be more than just a homecoming.
A 1958 Wakefield High School graduate, Russell Banks grew up in a working-class world that played a major role in informing and shaping his writing. Since leaving Wakefield, Banks has become one of America’s most prolific and acclaimed novelists. Two of his books, Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter were adapted into major Hollywood motion pictures.
Russell Banks’ appearance at Beebe Library is part of “Stories for a Safer Wakefield,” a month-long community inquiry during March intended to provoke thought and discussion about violence and its deterrence. His novel, “Affliction” explores the connection between alcohol and domestic violence. Continue »

Local author and Wakefield Daily Item reporter Gail Lowe will be at Beebe Library on Monday September 20 at 6:30 p.m. to read from her new book, Former Things. The event is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served and the author will have signed copies of her book available.

Beebe Library display in memory of the late American writer John Updike.

Thursday, December 4, at 7 p.m.

(Photo by Asia Kepka)
Novelist and short story writer Jennifer Haigh will speak at Beebe Library on Thursday, December 4, at 7 p.m. Her first book, Mrs. Kimble, won the 2004 PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her second, Baker Towers, was a New York Times bestseller and won the PEN/L.L. Winship Award for outstanding book by a New England author. Her latest novel is The Condition.
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Wrote stories set during China’s Cultural Revolution

On Thursday, September 11, at 7 p.m., author Xujun Eberlein will visit Beebe Library to discuss her new collection of short stories “Apologies Forthcoming.”
Ms. Eberlein is a Chinese immigrant who holds a Ph.D from MIT, but after 9/11 gave up her position in high tech to write. “Apologies Forthcoming” is set in China during and after the Cultural Revolution. Four decades ago, China was embroiled in the Cultural Revolution, a period that turned the country on end and defined the generation of Chinese now coming to power. This collection of stories, departing from the usual “victim literature,” provides an apolitical and humanistic view into life during and after that time.
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Wrote The House on Fortune Street

Margot Livesey, author of six novels including her latest, “The House on Fortune Street” (May 2008), will speak at Beebe Library on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 p.m. in the Lecture Hall.
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