In the Heart of the Sea
Audiobook
Selected Events:
Thurs., Sept. 12, 2019; 7:00–8:15pm
“Sailing Towards My Father” Performed by Stephen Collins
Attleboro Public Library
“Sailing Towards My Father” is a one-man play about Herman Melville, the American author best known for his whaling epic Moby-Dick. The play chronicles Melville’s life, concentrating on his evolution as a writer and his complex relations with religion, his family, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Funded by the Friends of Attleboro Public Library.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Sat., Sept. 14, 2019; 2:00–4:00pm
NEA Big Read Kick-off Event and Enormity Opening Reception
Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park St.
The Attleboro Arts Museum, collaborating with the undergraduate sculpture students from Wheaton’s College Art Department, presents an exhibition of the original 3D forms inspired by Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea. Enormity explores concepts of extreme scale, perilousness, or one’s perception of an issue as foul or fundamentally improper. Emerging sculptors interpret the actions of a vengeful whale, the profound struggles between moral code vs. survival and how- despite being surrounded by the seemingly endless angry seas- one fights to carry on. A reservation is requested, but not required. Call the Attleboro Arts Museum at 508-222-2644 x10 or email office@attleboroartsmuseum.org to reserve your space.
Sat., Sept. 21, 2019; 1:00–2:30pm
A Brief History of New England Whaling with James Russell
Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, Pelletier Stack Gallery, 42 Union St., Attleboro
Whaling has been a part of our shared maritime history for centuries. Join Executive Director of the Nantucket Historical Association, James Russell, and learn how Nantucket’s unique location provides a key to understanding the whaling industry’s social, economic, and environmental impact. As one of the most lucrative and capitalized anti-bellum industries, whaling in Nantucket grew to such an extent that, at its zenith, Yankee whalers traversed the globe. Nantucket’s whalers created the first energy cartel in the colonies, provided a spark for the American Revolution, and sailed the first vessel up the Thames.
To register call 508-222-3918 or email director@industrialmuseum.com
Mon., Sept. 23, 2019; 6:30–8:00pm
Come Aboard the Big Read: Panel Discussion
Attleboro Public Library
Journey with a panel of passionate readers into a sea of their favorite books. Go home with a must-read book list for readers of all ages, tastes, and genres! Scheduled panelists are Audrey Craig, retired teacher; Leo Landry, author, illustrator and book buyer for The Unlikely Story book store; and Tricia Svendsen, Bishop Feehan High School Media Specialist. The panel will be moderated by Kathy Hickman, former Book Club Columnist for the Sun Chronicle. The audience will be encouraged to share their own recommendations at the end.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Wed., Sept. 25, 2019; 7:00–8:00pm
A Conversation on Ocean Conservation with The Nature Conservancy
Attleboro Public Library
In honor of Climate Change Preparedness Week join Steve Kirk, Coastal Program Manager of the international organization The Nature Conservancy for a conversation on ocean conservation.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Thurs., Sept. 26, 2019; 6:00–8:00pm, Doors open at 5:30pm
In the Heart of the Sea Film Screening
Route One Cinema Pub, 652 East E Washington St., North Attleborough
Join us for a free screening of the movie In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, at the Route One Cinema Pub in North Attleborough. The film is based on events from our NEA Big Read title In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Doors will open at 5:30 and the movie will begin at 6:00pm. Attendees are responsible for the cost of any food and beverage.
In the Heart of the Sea is rate PG13 for intense sequences of action and peril, brief startling violence, and thematic material.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Fri., Sept. 27, 2019 3:30–4:30pm
“A Novel Idea” Teen Book Club
Location: Attleboro Public Library
Youth ages 13+ are welcome to join us for the teen book club! This month we will be discussing the young reader’s edition of this year’s NEA Big Read choice, In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Copies of the book will be available at the library. Registration is required.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Mon., Sept. 30, 2019; 6:30–7:30pm
In the Heart of the Sea Drop-in Book Discussion
Attleboro Public Library
Join Reader Services Coordinator, Elise LaForge, for a casual conversation on In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. Light refreshments will be provided.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Thurs., Oct. 3, 2019; 7:00–9:00pm
Keynote Presentation with Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea
Bishop Feehan High School
Join us for a presentation by Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea. Philbrick published the New York Times bestseller in 2000 which won the National Book Award for nonfiction.
Philbrick will be discussing In the Heart of the Sea and answering questions from the audience.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Wed., Oct. 16, 2019; 6:30–8:00pm
The Arrival of New Immigrants from Whaling Ports of Call with Akeia Benard
Attleboro Public Library
Join Dr. Akeia Benard, Curator of Social History at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, for a presentation on how the whaling industry of New England brought people from all around the world to New Bedford. The whaling industry was certainly a driving force in globalization by the nineteenth century. The industry gave the United States a global presence from the beginning and indirectly expanded American presence into the Pacific while, at the same time, providing labor for men around the world who sought to escape colonial oppression, famine, drought, conscription and encroachment on traditional lands. As whaling captains anchored for fresh water, food, and leisure time and as American crew men died or deserted, men from countries with strong maritime cultures around the world were willing to sign on to whaling voyages for lower pay than their American counterparts. The whaling industry brought people from the Azores, Cape Verde, Brazil, and the Pacific Islands to the United States throughout this period—a legacy that is still visible on our diverse landscape.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.
Mon., Oct. 21, 2019; 6:30–8:00pm
African Americans in the Maritime Trades with Dr. Mary Malloy
Attleboro Public Library,
From Colonial times to the twentieth century, men of African ancestry worked aboard Yankee ships, in every capacity from greenhand to Captain. The maritime trades depended on the Black workforce, and offered opportunities for merit-based advancement that were not available in other industries. In this illustrated lecture, Mary Malloy will trace the history of Black whalemen through documents and photographs.
Register online at attleborolibrary.org or call 508-222-0157.