WINTHROP – The Bailey Library in Winthrop will virtually host author and registered Maine guide Earl Brechlin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. The event is the fourth in a 10-part series celebrating Maine’s bicentennial that will explore outdoor recreation in Maine. The public is invited to attend via Zoom by visiting baileylibrary.org/athome and navigating to the “Virtual Events” tab. Attending is free and open to all, but attendees will need a high-speed internet connection, and a device capable of running the Zoom software or app. For help attending, email director Richard Fortin at rfortin@baileylibrary.org.
Brechlin will give a slideshow presentation about Maine’s iconic landscapes, and the search for meaning and renewal in the Maine wilderness. Brechlin explores Maine from Kittery to Eastport, from Fort Kent to Monhegan, focusing on the natural wonders, quirky characters, remarkable inventors, and haunting ghosts and legends. Whether it’s Moxie Nerve Food, the North American Wife Carrying Competition, alleged UFO abductions along the Allagash, or Katahdin’s role in creating “Bambi,” Brechlin celebrates all that makes the state unique.
Brechlin’s newest book “Return to Moose River” was released by Down East Books, and includes more than a dozen essays chronicling adventures across Maine. In 2019 the book won the John Cole Award for Maine-themed Nonfiction at the annual Maine Literary Awards. Brechlin is also the author of more than a dozen books on all things Maine and New England, including hiking, paddling and antique postcards. A former Maine Journalist of the Year, he worked for nearly 40 years in the state’s newspaper industry and was the founding editor of the Mount Desert Islander. He is a regular columnist for Islandport Magazine, and his work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Newsweek, and The New York Times among others.
A graduate of the University of Maine Forestry School, Brechlin’s family roots include Maine author Ruth Moore and lighthouse heroine Abbie Burgess. For several years, he operated a small independent bookstore in Bar Harbor featuring Maine authors and illustrators.
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