INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP Presents Will Schwalbe

New York Times best-selling author Will Schwalbe asks: Why is it that we read? Is it to pass time? To learn something new? For the author, reading is not only a way to entertain himself, but also to make sense of the world - to become a better person and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live. Each chapter of BOOKS FOR LIVING focuses on a particular book. The author's recommendations for reading range from Herman Melville to Anne Lamott, Anne Morrow Lindbergh to Haruki Murakami, E.B. White to Paula Hawkins. A delightful celebration of reading, BOOKS FOR LIVING is a treasure for everyone who loves books and loves to hear the answer to the question: "What are you reading?"

The ticket package for Innovation and Leadership: Will Schwalbe on Thursday, January 19 at 7pm is $40 ($38 members). In addition to a reserved seat, the package includes a copy of BOOKS FOR LIVING ($25.95 hardcover), a bar beverage, and book signing meet-and-greet. Packages can be purchased through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or online at www.themusichall.org

About the Author: Will Schwalbe has worked in publishing (he's now EVP, Editorial Development and Content Innovation for Macmillan); digital media, as the founder and CEO of Cookstr.com; and as a journalist, writing for various publications, including The New York Times and the South China Morning Post. He is on the board of the Kingsborough Community College Foundation. He is the author of The End of Your Life Book Club, and coauthor, with David Shipley, of Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better. He is a graduate of St. Paul's School (1980) and Yale College (1984).

About Innovation and Leadership

In this Age of Participation, The Music Hall has expanded its programming to focus on issues critical to our time. The Innovation and Leadership series was first launched nearly five years ago to serve our local business community, bringing together the best and the brightest in technology. The series has since broadened to showcase opinion leaders, authors and all variety of educators, and to serve audiences from a tri-state region and beyond - all who are interested in bettering the worlds they live in, at work and at home, locally and around the world. These lively and informative conversations feature experts in their field sharing experiences and providing participants practical tools for making meaningful advances in their lives. From demonstrations in the art of all things digital to special forums featuring regional and global leaders in sustainability, from book discussion-demonstrations on the positive effect of meditation to awareness-raising events led by today's champions in philanthropy, feminism and family matters, each Innovation and Leadership event is memorable and impactful. The Music Hall is committed to community building and personal flourishing. Our Innovation and Leadership series delivers on that commitment.

Presenting Sponsor: ALNÔBA

Series Sponsor: Veris Wealth Partners

Evening Sponsor: Market Street Talent

Season Sponsors: Carey & Giampa Realtors; Portwalk Place; The River House restaurant

Contributing Partner: The University of New Hampshire

About the Music Hall

The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service's Save America's Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named "best performing arts venue" by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence.

Web: www.TheMusicHall.org | Twitter: @MusicHall | Facebook: /musichall | YouTube: /musichallnh