Novelist Paul Doiron and poet Kristen Lindquist will read from their work at the gallery of Eric Hopkins, 120 Tillson Avenue, Rockland on Wednesday, December 11, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. This special event is open to the public at no charge; seating is limited. Refreshments will be served.
Paul Doiron is the author of a crime novel series and several short stories featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch. The tenth installment of the series, ALMOST MIDNIGHT, was published this past July; number eleven, ONE LAST LIE, is due out June 30, 2020. Winner of the Barry Award, the Strand Critics Award, the Maine Literary Award, and the Best of Maine Award from DOWN EAST, Doiron’s work has also twice been nominated for an Edgar Award, the “Oscar” for mystery writers. The two most recent books in his series have been USA TODAY national bestsellers, as well. Doiron is past editor-in-chief of DOWN EAST magazine.
A longtime fan of the series, Eric Hopkins recently collaborated with Doiron to create a representation of fictional Maquoit Island, the setting for Doiron’s book STAY HIDDEN, released in 2018. A limited selection of Doiron’s books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
The poetry of Kristen Lindquist has been read by Garrison Keillor on “The Writer’s Almanac.” Her first full-length collection, TRANSPORTATION, was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award. The Hopkins painting “Waterways in the Bay” was featured on the cover. Her most recent book of poetry, TOURISTS IN THE KNOWN WORLD, came out in 2017 and will be available for purchase and signing at the event. An avid birder and naturalist, Lindquist also writes a monthly nature column for Pen Bay Pilot and a daily haiku blog. She is married to Doiron, and they live in her hometown of Camden.
Both writers draw heavily upon the Maine landscape and natural world in their work, the themes and images of which mesh perfectly with Hopkins’s artwork, on full display throughout the sprawling gallery. Hopkins captures the dynamic forces and rhythms of nature in his watercolors, oils, blown glass, mixed media, and photography. His vision focuses on the big picture of the natural world, its geological and geographical forms, and the exchange of energy between the elements of Earth, Water, and Sky. Fellow Mainers Doiron and Lindquist also express these patterns, and rhythms through the perspectives of their specific genres.