SPACE, Back Cove Books, and Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance present the book launch for The Frequency of Living Things, the new forthcoming novel by author Nick Fuller Googins. Nick will be in conversation with Taryn Bowe, Associate Director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.

The Frequency of Living Things is a heartbreaking American epic about three sisters who unearth lifetimes of family tensions as they are forced to rescue one of their own from peril, testing the limits of sacrifice, sisterhood, and forgiveness from the author of the “profound work of great wisdom” (Alice Elliott Dark) The Great Transition.

Josie may be the youngest sister, but she takes care of everyone. She is the left-brained scientist to her twin sisters’ right-brained artistic chaos. She makes sure their rent gets paid on time, they make their therapy appointments, and has also been their de-facto band manager since she was a teenager. When Ara, her middle sister (by a few minutes), calls from jail, it isn’t exactly a surprise, and Josie knows exactly how to snap into action.

Emma is the quintessential frontwoman, complete with looks and attitude. But the success of The Twins’ first (and only) album—gold records, Grammy nominations, and diehard fans—is two decades behind her. Hiding under the surface of her swagger is a long-held guilt that has turned her into her sister’s enabler. Emma knows she needs Ara’s creative genius and thinks a jailhouse record could be just the thing to get Ara her freedom and their band back on the main stage.

Ara is detoxing, not only from her opioid habit but also from her family. The truth is, as crazy as it sounds, she’s not in a hurry to get out of lock-up. In the most unlikely and dangerous of places, this could be her chance to face the demons of her past and disentangle herself from her family. Bertie, who raised her three daughters as a single mother, has always taught them that family won’t always be around to take care of you. A former defense attorney and perennial do-gooder, she’s committed to taking care of everyone less fortunate even if that means putting her girls’ needs second. But now Bertie must decide if she should reenter her daughters’ lives in their greatest time of need—or watch to see if the resilience she’s taught them will help carry them through.

A story both intimate and sweeping, The Frequency of Living Things explores the timeless question of how our individual destinies are intertwined with our family, our siblings, and our history no matter how we try to untangle ourselves from them.

Nick Fuller Googins has published short stories and essays in The Paris Review, the Los Angeles Times, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Maine and works as an elementary school teacher. He is the author of The Great Transition and The Frequency of Living Things.

Taryn Bowe’s work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, on NPR’s Selected Shorts, and in literary journals, such as The Sewanee Review, Epoch, Indiana Review, and Joyland. She currently serves as the associate director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.

Please join us for MWPA’s beloved GATHER event series! On Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM, MWPA members & friends can attend an in-person Gather at one of several locations around the state as the online Poetry Gather is taking a break for the month of July.

To join an event, find the most convenient location below, and gather with us!

Please note: A couple of our regular Gather locations will not be meeting this month, and some new Gathers have begun or recently rejoined the mix. Please check the details below very closely. You can reach out to your local Gather host for questions and concerns surrounding illness protocols and precautions, and we encourage you to join an online Gather if in-person events become unsafe or inaccessible for you. For more information, contact Samara at: samara@mainewriters.org.

About GATHER: GATHER encourages members (and their friends!) to meet and mingle with fellow members in locations around Maine for camaraderie and conversation. There is no agenda to GATHER besides getting together with your community of fellow writers and literary professionals to talk writing, reading, and life.

While GATHER events are not open readings, manuscript exchanges, or organized writing-prompt sessions, they are opportunities for literary-minded folks to meet and plan any of those things and more. Food and drink is most always available for purchase.

In-Person Events:

BANGOR
Host: Annaliese Jakimides (a.jakimides@gmail.com)
Location: Sea Dog Brewing (26 Front St, Bangor)

BELFAST
Host: Beckie Weinheimer (beckieweinheimer@gmail.com)
Location: Anodyne Book Shop (175 W Main Street, Searsport, ME)

BLUE HILL
Host: Marie Epply & Sarah Pebworth (mmepply@yahoo.com, sapebworth@gmail.com)
Location: Marlintini's Grill (83 Mines Rd, Blue Hill)

BRUNSWICK
Host: Peter Owen (peterowen326@gmail.com)
Location: Flight Deck Brewing (11 Atlantic Avenue, Brunswick )

SOUTH PORTLAND
Host: Kathy Eliscu (kathyeliscu@outlook.com)
Location: Bridgeway Restaurant (71 Ocean Street, South Portland)

Please join the MWPA and Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma for a celebration of the Write ME project!

With support from the MWPA, the Maine Arts Commission, The Telling Room, and many public libraries and organizations around Maine, and funding from the Academy of American Poets and the Mellon Foundation, Julia Bouwsma created Write ME, a Maine-wide epistolary poetry project that 1) introduced the form through a series of 23 free public workshops across the state during the fall and early winter of 2024 and then 2) paired up hundreds of participating individuals as “poetry pen pals” to communicate with one another during the winter.

This project brought together people in different parts of Maine to exchange letter poems. This project was open to anyone in Maine (or connected to the state) ages 18 and up, with additional youth participation happening through The Telling Room, the Monson Arts High School Program, and assorted Maine high school teachers.

Now we’ll gather together, both virtually and in person, to celebrate the project, hear from people who exchanged poems, and celebrate the power of poetry to connect us all.

A free reception will begin at 6 PM. To watch the livestream of the event, click on the button below or go to YouTube.com and find the Waldo Theatre’s channel.

Please join the MWPA for our favorite night of the year, a community celebration of great writers and publishers from all over Maine. We will laugh, cry, and applaud excellent work from the last year. We are excited to bring the awards back to the Bangor Area for the first time since 2019. Special guests will help announce this year’s winners as we celebrate talented writers, editors, and literary professionals.

Doors open at 6 PM for a reception with snacks and a cash bar; the ceremony begins at 7 PM. Finalist books will be for sale.

The event is free, but we ask that you RSVP by clicking the orange button below. Seating is limited. If you would like to make a suggested ticket donation, we appreciate it!

To to attend online, please click the yellow button below to register for the Zoom link.

Please join us for the hybrid edition of MWPA’s beloved GATHER event series! On Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM, MWPA members & friends can attend an in-person Gather at one of several locations around the state OR choose to participate in an online Gather.

To sign up for an online Gather, click the corresponding RSVP link below. On the afternoon of the Gather date, you’ll receive an email with a link to join your Gather on Zoom.

To join an in-person event, find the most convenient location below, and gather with us!

Please note: A couple of our regular Gather locations will not be meeting this month, and some new Gathers have begun or recently rejoined the mix. Please check the details below very closely. You can reach out to your local Gather host for questions and concerns surrounding illness protocols and precautions, and we encourage you to join an online Gather if in-person events become unsafe or inaccessible for you. For more information, contact Samara at: samara@mainewriters.org.

About GATHER: GATHER encourages members (and their friends!) to meet and mingle with fellow members in locations around Maine for camaraderie and conversation. There is no agenda to GATHER besides getting together with your community of fellow writers and literary professionals to talk writing, reading, and life.

While GATHER events are not open readings, manuscript exchanges, or organized writing-prompt sessions, they are opportunities for literary-minded folks to meet and plan any of those things and more. Food and drink is most always available for purchase.

Online Gathers:

POETRY
Host: Jeri Theriault
RSVP HERE

In-Person Events:

AROOSTOOK
Host: Kim Wright (wrightk@sad1.org)
Location: The Library House potluck (228 state St, Presque Isle)

BANGOR
Host: Annaliese Jakimides (a.jakimides@gmail.com)
Location: Sea Dog Brewing (26 Front St, Bangor)

BELFAST
Host: Rob Bywater (robbywater@fastmail.us )
Location: anodyne book shop (175 W Main St, Searsport)

BLUE HILL
Host: Marie Epply & Sarah Pebworth (mmepply@yahoo.com, sapebworth@gmail.com)
Location: Marlintini's Grill (83 Mines Rd, Blue Hill)

BRUNSWICK AREA
Hosts: Alix Morris, Peter Owen ( alix.morris@gmail.com, peterowen326@gmail.com)
Location: Sea Dog Brewing (1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Topsham)

DAMARISCOTTA
Host: Andrea Vassallo (andrea.granted@gmail.com)

Location: Newcastle Publick House (52 Main St, Newcastle)

LUBEC
Host: John Rule (jdrule@lubecscribbler.com)
Location: Lubec Brewing Co. (41 S Water St, Lubec)

SOUTH PORTLAND
Host: Jeanne Julian (jmcjulian@yahoo.com)
Location: Bridgeway Restaurant (71 Ocean St., South Portland)

WATERVILLE
Host: Holly Zadra (hollyzadra@gmail.com)
Location: The Lounge of Front & Main (9 Main St, Waterville)