Writers in the Loft Presents Award-Winning Author Liza Wieland

On Wednesday, July 17, award-winning author Liza Wieland visits The Music Hall Loft with her new novel PARIS, 7 A.M., a sweeping and stunning imagining of what happened to the poet Elizabeth Bishop during the weeks she spent in Paris amidst the imminent threat of World War II.

The 7pm event includes an author presentation and Q+A, plus a book signing and meet-and-greet. It will be held at The Music Hall Loft at 131 Congress Street, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"It's always a delight to welcome authors who fill the missing pieces of history with their own vivid storytelling," said Patricia Lynch, Executive Producer and the night's moderator. "I can't wait to discuss the real and imagined life of the fascinating poet Elizabeth Bishop with Liza, herself an enchantress with words."

June 1937. Elizabeth Bishop, still a young woman and not yet one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century, arrives in France with her college roommates. They are in search of an escape, and inspiration, far from the protective world of Vassar College where they were expected to find an impressive husband, a quiet life, and act accordingly. But the world is changing. As they explore the City of Light, the larger threats of fascism and Nazi occupation are looming. There, they meet a community of upper-crust expatriates who not only bring them along on a life-changing adventure but also into an underground world of rebellion that will quietly alter the course of Elizabeth's life forever.

PARIS, 7 A.M. imagines 1937-the only year Elizabeth, a meticulous keeper of journals, didn't fully chronicle-in vivid detail. It brings us from Paris to Normandy, where Elizabeth becomes involved with a group rescuing Jewish "orphans" and delivering them to convents-where they will be baptized as Catholics and saved from the impending horror their parents will face.

Poignant and captivating, the novel is a beautifully rendered take on the formative years of one of America's most celebrated-and mythologized-female poets.

The ticket package for Writers in the Loft: Liza Wieland with PARIS, 7 A.M. on Wednesday, July 17, at 7pm is $41. In addition to a reserved seat, the package includes a copy of PARIS, 7 A.M. ($26.99, hardcover), a bar beverage, author Q+A, and book signing meet-and-greet. Packages can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603.436.2400, or in person at the B2W Box Office at the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut Street.

Akin to The Music Hall's anchor literary series, Writers on a New England Stage, Writers in the Loft features bestselling authors in a smaller, more intimate space. The series brings audiences today's top authors, the best of fiction and nonfiction, and award-winners across categories. The evening package includes a reserved seat and bar beverage, Q+A, a copy of the book, and a meet-and-greet book signing with the featured writer.

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