Macabre at Memorial Hall Library

Memorial Hall Library is celebrating the spookiness of the season with a four-week series, “Macabre @ MHL”.  Join us for four entertaining, informative, and, perhaps a bit eerie, programs to tempt the Halloween spirit in you.

“Witches, Pop Culture, and the Past” on October 4 at 7pm

In 1692 in Salem, MA, 19 people were executed and hundreds imprisoned during a witch hunt we still discuss today in everyday conversation, pop culture, and American literature. History, tourism, and performance collide when Salem tells its witch stories. "Truth"-- both moral and macabre -- vies with spooky thrills for its authentic place in history. 

Presented by Dr. Robin DeRosa.  Robin DeRosa received a BA in English and Women’s Studies from Brown University and a PhD in English from Tufts.  She is currently Associate Professor of English at Plymouth State University, where she teaches courses in early American literature.  She is the author of The Making of Salem: The Witch Trials in History, Fiction and Tourism and Simulation in Media and Culture: Believing the Hype.  Robin lives in Campton with her husband, sculptor Phil Lonergan, and their daughter, Ruby.  Sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library. 

Registration required:  visit www.mhl.org/eventcalendar, or call 978-623-8401 x31.

Movie Night on October 11 at 7pm - Watch a classic movie by Alfred Hitchcock. 

“Brainstorming!” on October 18 at 7pm

Rory Raven will read your mind, bend your spoon, and leave you talking about it for the rest of your life.  This master mentalist has been entertaining and astonishing audiences for over a decade, from New York to Istanbul.  You won't believe it until you see it, and even then ....!   Please note that while the show is "TV clean," it is more suitable for adults than for children.  Sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library.  Registration required:  visit www.mhl.org/eventcalendar, or call 978-623-8401 x31.

“Why are Vampires Sexy?” on October 25 at 7pm

Vampires have fascinated the English-speaking world ever since Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula became a smash hit more than a hundred years ago. Dracula is probably the most-filmed horror novel of all time, and Stoker spawned an entire genre of tales about night-walkers who drink the blood of the living. Yet legends of the nosferatu and other revenants have been common all over the world since time immemorial. What is it about vampires since Dracula that has kept people so deeply enthralled?

Tom Greene, Professor of English at Northern Essex, outlines the evolution of the modern vampire legend and reveals how vampires captivate us by addressing not only to our deepest fears, but also our most secret desires. Thomas Greene, Ph.D. a resident of Salem, MA, is assistant professor in the English department at Northern Essex Community College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, a Master’s of Fine Art in Creative Writing and a doctorate in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Prior to teaching at NECC he taught English at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, N.Y. and served as a teaching associate at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dr. Greene specializes in Victorian Literature and Cultural Studies. He also works part time as a ghost tour guide in Salem.  Registration required:  visit www.mhl.org/eventcalendar, or call 978-623-8401 x31.

All programs will be held at Memorial Hall Library, 2 North Main St., Andover.  For more information, visit www.mhl.org, call 978-623-8401, x 31 or 32.