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Writers on a New England Stage, the celebrated author series presented at The Music Hall with partners New Hampshire Public Radio, Yankee Magazine　and RiverRun Bookstore, welcomes to the stage the internationally acclaimed novelist Margaret Atwood.　　 The bestselling author of such heralded works as　The Handmaid’s Tale　and　The Blind Assassin　(winner of England’s coveted Booker Prize), Atwood will take the stage to discuss her new novel, THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD　on Tuesday, September 21, at 7:30pm. Tickets to the evening event are currently on sale as are vouchers for books signed by the author.　

When Margaret Atwood published　The Handmaid’s Tale　more than twenty years ago, it was hailed as a groundbreaking work of speculative fiction and became an instant classic. Now, with the publication of　THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD,　Atwood returns with another master dystopian work that, in the words of her publisher,　 "brilliantly sends up every facet of twenty-first century life and is destined to be read for generations to come."　　 The book’s reviewers have raved it is "Nobel Prize-worthy" (Elle), "enthralling" (San Francisco Chronicle) and "gripping" (The New York Times).

Writers on New England Stage　executive producer Patricia Lynch says, "Margaret Atwood is a true visionary. In　The Handmaid’s Tale　she reported on a future that came to be in many ways.　She’s not just inventive, she’s prescient.　 Atwood is without a doubt one of the great writers of this generation – a voice to be heard and listened to.　THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD, while wildly funny, is a warning to us all. There are still seats available but I encourage readers to act fast. Audiences are coming from all over."　　

About the book, THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD

　The novel is set in an unnamed yet not-too-distant future in the wake of a civilization-destroying virus. Just two women seem to have survived—Ren and Toby. Ren is a young trapeze dancer at the sex club Scales and Tales, whose boss had locked her in a hermetically sealed observation chamber because he feared she’d accidentally had unsafe sex with a customer and it was club policy to literally ‘wait and see’ with potentially exposed employees. But before he could learn her fate, he and everyone else in and around the club were killed by the virus that was much more virulent than anyone guessed. Toby is a woman in late middle-age who has barricaded herself in a spa called AnooYoo and was once a senior member of a cult-like group called God’s Gardeners. As Toby and Ren recount their lives before the annihilation of the world as they knew it, they meet some of fiction’s most remarkable characters….Ren and Toby can’t stay locked up forever, but what awaits them in the world outside may be every bit as dangerous as the memories haunting them indoors.　THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD, by turns dark, tender, violent, thoughtful and uneasily hilarious, is Atwood at her most brilliant and inventive.

Ticket and book purchases

High School and Book Club guests

Tickets for　Writers on a New England Stage:　 Margaret Atwood　($13, $11 for members of The Music Hall) are available through The Music Hall Box Office, located at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, over the phone at 603-436-2400 or online at the Web site.　 Autographed copies of Atwood’s new book YEAR OF THE FLOOD are available on the evening at The Music Hall or the day after at RiverRun Bookstore.　 Paperback editions are $13.50 when reserved in advance; hardcover editions, $24.25.　 Advance vouchers can be purchased through The Music Hall box office and at RiverRun Bookstore at 20 Congress Street in downtown Portsmouth.　 Autographed books, as available, can be purchased on the evening for the full retail price of $15.00 paperback; $26.95 hardcover.

Patrons who want to read the book before the writer’s event can buy　an unsigned copy as soon as RiverRun Bookstore has them available.　 The 10% discount price will be in effect when they show their ticket to the author’s　Writers on a New England Stage　evening.　 The producers ask for patrons’ support of this vibrant series through the purchase of books through The Music Hall and/or River Run Bookstore.

At each　Writers　event, The Music Hall hosts local high school students selected by their teachers, who come free of charge to the event and get an opportunity to meet the author.　 The Music Hall welcomes local book clubs attending on the night to take part in a drawing to be guests at a private backstage book signing/reception with the featured writer.　 For more information on how to join the　Writers on a New England Stage　book club list and drawing, email Associate Producer Margaret Talcott.　 Interested high school and middle teachers can contact Outreach Coordinator Chris Curtis.　

About the Author, Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939, and grew up in northern Quebec and Ontario, and later in Toronto. She has lived in numerous cities in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. She is the author of more than forty books—novels, short stories, poetry, literary criticism, social history, and books for children. Atwood’s work is acclaimed internationally and has been published around the world. Her novels include　The Handmaid’s Tale　and　Cat’s Eye—both shortlisted for the Booker Prize;　The Robber Bride, winner of the Trillium Book Award and a finalist for the Governor General’s Award;　Alias Grace, winner of the prestigious Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy, and a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, the Booker Prize, the Orange Prize, and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award;　The Blind Assassin, winner of the Booker Prize and a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; and　Oryx and Crake, afinalist for The Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award, the Orange Prize, and the Man Booker Prize. Her most recent works of fiction are　The Penelopiad,　The Tent, and　Moral Disorder. She　 lives in Toronto with novelist Graeme Gibson.

About Writers on a New England Stage, the 2010-2011 Season

Writers on a New England Stage　was created by executive producer Patricia Lynch, also executive director of The Music Hall, and is presented in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio and in collaboration with　Yankee Magazine　and Portsmouth’s independent RiverRun Bookstore.　Since 2005, the series has spotlighted a broad range of celebrated authors including Alan Alda, Mitch Albom, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Dan Brown, Isabel Allende, Stephen King, Barbara Kingsolver, E.L. Doctorow, Anita Diamant, Madeleine Albright, the late John Updike, Wally Lamb, Jodi Picoult, Greg Mortenson, and Cokie Roberts, among many others.　

Appearing in the　Writers on a New England Stage　series this fall, following Margaret Atwood:　　Simon Winchester,　　the New York Times bestselling author of THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN with his book ATLANTIC on November 3; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian　Joseph J. Ellis　with his new work FIRST FAMILY: Abigail and John Adams on November 30.　　Each author’s presentation will be followed by an interview with Virginia Prescott, host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s "Word of Mouth."　 Live music will be performed by the award-winning house band Dreadnaught.　 The live shows will be rebroadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio.