From 5:30-6:30, Wednesday, April 16, please join us at Oeno Gallery, 2274 Prince Edward County Rd 1, Bloomfield, ON K0K 1G0 for an evening in the County with Alice Neel Books will be available for purchase.

Author Melanie Dugan will read from her most recent novel, Hard White, which reimagines the life of revolutionary painter Alice Neel. Dugan will be joined by painter and cultural critic Deborah Root for a discussion of Neel’s work. Question and Answer session will follow.

Reviewing Hard White in The Skeleton Press, Jocelyn Purdie, former director of the Union Gallery in Kingston writes, “This is a timely read given the current zeitgeist where hard fought for freedoms in society are under threat. It is a very compelling and beautifully crafted story about an exceptional artist.”

Melanie Dugan is a former resident of the County, and the author of five novels, including Sometime Daughter (“Stunning debut,” Kingston Whig-Standard), Revising Romance (“Heartwarming, amusing, and…downright sexy,” Midwestern Book Review), and Bee Summers (“Buzzes with intelligence and a deep understanding of human nature,” Merilyn Simonds). melaniecdugan.com

Deborah Root is a painter and cultural critic whose works focus on the radical possibilities of painting, and the relationship between visual arts and cultural politics.

Contact info: Melanie Dugan, 613-214-5660, 2maynarddugan@gmail.com

Once more, with feeling: On 23 January I was scheduled to read from and chat about my fifth novel, Hard White, at Brighton Public Library, 35 Alice St., Brighton, Ontario (613-475-2511). I was really looking forward to the event, however, this being Canada, weather intervened (blizzard, if you recall) and it had to be cancelled.

At 6:30 pm, Tuesday, April 15 I will be trying again. If you’re able, please join us at Brighton Public Library for a reading and a Question and Answer period afterward. And please let any friends and relations in the area know. All are welcome, there is no charge – because libraries are like that, welcoming and generous.

Let’s hope the weather spirits are cooperative, the ice storm we had this weekend doesn’t repeat itself, and that the event can go ahead as scheduled. Looking forward to this.