The Music Hall welcomes journalist and bestselling author Cokie Roberts to the stage on Thursday, April 24, in the first Writers on a New England Stage evening this year. The NPR Political Commentator and ABC News Analyst/Anchor will discuss her new book, Ladies of Liberty, her second work chronicling women in American history.

Roberts’ appearance in the highly acclaimed author series marks the start of a month-long focus on female writers and journalists. The triumvirate of women presented includes the award-winning novelist Louise Erdrich, at The Music Hall on Wednesday, May 14, and the first lady of broadcast journalism, Barbara Walters, on Friday, May 23.

Three women in the news, shaping fact and fiction

Cokie Roberts – April 24

Louise Erdrich – May 14

Barbara Walters – May 23

Women As part of the Writers on a New England Stage evening, each author will be interviewed by NPR veteran newscaster and host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s The Exchange, Laura Knoy. A question and answer session will follow. The house band Dreadnaught will provide live music, and the entire show will later be broadcast on NH Public Radio.

Said Patricia Lynch, creator of the Writers on a New England Stage series. "We welcome to the series these three distinct voices, women who have broken numerous glass ceilings, and, above all, writers of depth and character. What an opportunity for young women, mothers, sisters, and friends to celebrate, along with the important men in their life the accomplishments and lives of these remarkable women."

Ladies of Liberty is Cokie Roberts’ second book on women in American history. Her first, Founding Mothers, paid homage to the women who helped establish our nation. In Ladies of Liberty, she continues the story of more remarkable women and their achievements in moving the fledgling nation forward, from the election of John Adams in 1796 to the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828.

Louise Erdrich’s Plague of Doves is the first novel in three years from the National Book Critics Circle and National Book Award winner. It brings readers back to Erdrich’s imaginary North Dakota country, her own Yoknapatawpha county, where much of her earlier fiction is set. The story should delight the broad readership of her bestselling novels including The Master Butcher’s Singing Club, Love Medicine, The Bingo Palace, and The Beet Queen.

In Audition, a memoir of her private life and professional career, Barbara Walters reflects on the choices she has made, the work she has done, the people she has met, the heartbreak she has faced, and the challenges she has coped with and overcome. The award-winning TV journalist, known for her talent as a news anchor and for her historic and insightful interviews of leading politicians and celebrities, will come to The Music Hall after several national engagements, including an interview with Oprah Winfrey scheduled to air on Oprah Tuesday, May 6.

Writers on a New England Stage was created by executive producer Patricia Lynch and is presented by The Music Hall along with partners New Hampshire Public Radio and RiverRun Bookstore. Past authors presented include John Updike, Dan Brown, Anita Diamant, Mitch Albom, and Ken Burns. Yankee magazine has trumpeted the series as "phenomenal…the hottest ticket in town" (March/April 2008 edition). The evenings have also earned New Hampshire Magazine’s coveted "Best of New Hampshire" award (2006).

At each Writers event, The Music Hall hosts local high school students selected by their teachers. The Music Hall also encourages the attendance of local book clubs and invites them to take part in a drawing to attend a backstage reception and book signing with the author. For more information on how to join the Writers on a New England Stage book club list and drawing, email Writers on a New England Stage Associate Producer Margaret Talcott at mtalcott@themusichall.org.

Writers on a New England Stage: Cokie Roberts will be held at The Music Hall on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30pm. Louise Erdrich joins the series on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30pm, and Barbara Walters caps off the series for the season on Friday, May 23, at 7:30pm. Tickets for each individual evening are $12 ($10 for members of The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio) are now on sale to Music Hall members. Tickets for Barbara Walters go on sale to non-members on Saturday, March 15, at noon. They can be purchased at the box office at 28 Chestnut Street in downtown Portsmouth, by phone at 603.436.2400, and online at www.themusichall.org. Vouchers for pre-signed hardcover copies of each authors’ book, redeemable on that author’s evening, can be purchased through The Music Hall box office.

Series Sponsors: Auger Building Company, Inc; RMC Research Corp.; Haunted Milk Design; Calypso Communications; Popovers on the Square

About The Music Hall: An American Treasure for the Arts

The Music Hall is a nonprofit performing arts center that entertains 100,000 patrons, including 20,000 school children, annually with acclaimed film, music, theater, and dance performances. Its historic 900-seat theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New Hampshire and designated an "American Treasure" by the National Parks Service’s Save America’s Treasures Program. Living out its mission to be an active and vital arts center for the enrichment of the Seacoast community, The Music Hall presents diverse and relevant programming, including its signature series and innovative community outreach programs, and hosts numerous community fundraisers and celebrations for the benefit of more than 40 local nonprofits. A cultural anchor in a thriving Seacoast economy, The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $4.2 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending. The Music Hall is a 501c3 tax exempt, fiscally responsible nonprofit organization, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a professional staff. The historic hall is located in Portsmouth, the seaport city recently named a "Distinctive Destination" for 2008 by National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information about The Music Hall and its schedule of events, visit www.themusichall.org.

Convenient parking

The Music Hall is at the heart of Portsmouth’s eclectic and artsy downtown shopping district which offers a rich variety of restaurants, pubs, wine bars, and cafés. Portsmouth High-Hanover parking garage (at the corner of Hanover and High streets) offers bargain parking rates and ample parking within easy walking distance of The Music Hall.