Author Dani Shapiro and Husband, Filmmaker Michael Maren, Set for Talk at Warner Theatre, 2/13

On Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 7:00pm author Dani Shapiro and her husband, filmmaker Michael Maren, will talk with Litchfield County Writers Project Director, Kathy Knapp, about their latest literary and film works and their creative partnership. This is a UConn Torrington Litchfield County Writers Project event and is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Warner Theatre's Nancy Marine Studio Theatre in downtown Torrington.

Dani Shapiro's latest book, Still Writing, is a witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. By turns a memoir, meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate and eloquent companion to living a creative life. Dani Shapiro is also the bestselling author of the memoirs Devotion and Slow Motion, and five novels, including Black & White and Family History. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Elle, The New York Times Book Review, and has been widely anthologized. She has taught in writing programs at Columbia, NYU, The New School, and Wesleyan University, and she is co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy, and a contributing editor at Travel + Leisure. She was recently a guest on Oprah Winfrey's Soul Sunday.

Michael Maren is a journalist, filmmaker, and former aid worker who wrote and directed the feature film, A Short History of Decay, starring Linda Lavin, Bryan Greenberg, and Harris Yulin. The film tells the touching story of an aspiring Brooklyn writer and his brother who travel to Florida to deal with their aging parents: their mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's while their father has recently suffered a stroke. With grace, humor, and compassion, the film addresses serious questions about aging and family ties. Maren is also the author of The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity.

Kathy Knapp, director of the Litchfield County Writers Project, says, "Dani is always a special guest of the LCWP, delighting the audience with her intelligence, substance, and sparkling wit. This evening promises to be a double-treat, as the LCWP welcomes this remarkably talented couple to discuss how they negotiate their creative partnership."

The Litchfield County Writers Project provides programs that celebrate the creative work of Litchfield County and support the academic aims of the University of Connecticut. LCWP gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the Warner Theater for providing space and technical support for this event.

A reception and book signings by both authors will follow the event. Books will be sold by the Hickory Stick Bookshop. For further information about the event or to be added to our email list, email lcwp@uconn.edu or call 860-626-6802.

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit www.warnertheatre.org.

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