September 5, 2023 By The Hingham Public Library
After a three-year hiatus during the Covid pandemic, the Hingham Public Library’s Harold and Avis Goldstein Lecture Series returns Sunday, October 1, at 2 p.m., with an on-stage conversation between distinguished author Lois Lowry and Library Trustee David Mehegan. The event will be held in the Larson Auditorium at Hingham’s Derby Academy, 56 Burditt Avenue, Hingham.
Lois Lowry has twice won the American Library Association’s Newbery Medal for Distinguished Contribution to Literature for Children, as well as many other awards. She is the author of more than fifty works of fiction for young readers, including the young-adult classics A Summer to Die, Newbery winners Number the Stars and The Giver (which has sold more than 17 million copies) and its sequels. Other celebrated books include the memoir Looking Back; On the Horizon, a story in verse about children who suffered the terrors of World War II; and this year’s powerful The Windeby Puzzle, a blended history and novel of a girl and boy in Iron Age Germany.
Ms. Lowry will talk about her career, the art of storytelling, her correspondence with young readers, and the importance of truth-telling in writing for them. She will also talk about the freedom of writers to write, and young people to read, in a time of increasing attacks on writers, publishers, teachers, and librarians.
The Goldstein Lecture is free, although registration is required. Beginning Monday, September 11, register either at the Library or online at hinghamlibrary.org. The program will begin promptly at 2, with light refreshments available at 1:30. Ms. Lowry has consented to sign books after the program. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Buttonwood Books and Toys.
David Mehegan, PhD, is the former book editor of the Boston Globe. The Goldstein lecture, produced by the Hingham Public Library, is generously funded by the Harold and Avis Goldstein Trust. Since 2017, it has been graciously hosted by the staff and Trustees of Derby Academy.