Brogan: Read, Live And Love Being Local!!

You don't need to have grown-up in Concord or lived here for many decades to know how special this city by the river is. Newcomers to the community almost instantly recognize that they are in a place that is truly remarkable.

Whether you are looking for a place that boasts wonderful places to dine - many of them family-owned - places to shop or browse, or opportunities to take in a rich and historic past, Concord is the place to do all of that and more. In addition, it is a wonderfully walkable city, where you can go from a charming residential community to the hustle and bustle of a thriving Main Street, in a matter of minutes.

If you like sports, there are numerous opportunities and places to both play them or be an enthusiastic spectator. Judging from the number of fitness facilities in the area, from the very popular YMCA to more than a dozen other spots, Concord residents enjoy taking care of themselves while having the camaraderie of connecting with others.

Culturally speaking, the city boasts of a number of top-rate places including The Capitol Center for the Arts, Red River Theatres, Concord Community Music School, Concord Public Library, Bank of NH Stage, Concord City Auditorium, many outstanding dance schools, Gibson's Bookstore, which is much more than a place to buy books, and a list that seems endless.

Everyone likes "free stuff", and Concord has much to offer in that regard. The Walker Lectures, The Gile Concerts, the summer concert series outside of the Public Library, Never's Band and this Wednesday evening, April 5th at 7:30, a free event at the Bank of NH Stage that celebrates some of the talent that enhances and brings entertainment to thousands. It is also a chance to enjoy the splendor of the beautiful Bank of NH Stage.

Following in the footsteps of last year's very successful event, "More Conversations with Concord-area Authors" takes the stage on Wednesday evening. It is a celebration of more of the talented authors who make their home and gain their inspiration, locally. They write in every genre and have wonderful stories to tell about why they write, what motivates them to tell their stories and what's next!!

Hosted by Laura Knoy, the award-winning journalist and host, for 25 years of "The Exchange" on NHPR, she is delighted to share her feeling about the event, which she is hosting for the 2nd year.

"With all the emphasis on the Creative Economy in New Hampshire, let's explore and enjoy the creativity of our state's writers. On my podcast ReadLocalNH, my motto is "expand your reading horizons by reading from your own backyard." Reading Local doesn't mean "only" local: it does mean choosing your books from a wide array of sources, not just the bestseller lists, or some famous person's book club. Check out NH writers next time you're at your local bookstore. You'll be glad you did!"

Margaret Porter and I envisioned this event more than a year ago because we wanted to put the spotlight on the often-unsung talent in our area. We also wanted to make the event free so that everyone could afford to attend. As inveterate readers, we knew how good these writers are and wanted everyone to know.

Margaret, the author of 15 books and winner of numerous writing awards, recently said, in her eloquent way, "From my perspective as an author, it's always a thrill to share the inspiration for my novels, my writing process, and publication information, and respond to audience interest or curiosity about my profession. But it's also extremely important that I--and we--celebrate as widely as possible the talent and successes of so many others in our writing community."

Wednesday evening, Laura, Margaret and I will be joined by three other local authors, making their first appearance at the event. They are Kathleen Bailey, Dan Lawton and Sarah McCraw Crow. It is certain to be an evening of great storytelling, much humor and may even inspire someone in the audience to sit down and start writing that story they've procrastinated about writing. It happened after last year's event, so who knows. They might find themselves on-stage at the Bank of NH Stage for a future evening with local authors.

The event is FREE, but tickets are required, although there are no handling fees or hidden cost.

You can stop by the box-office at 16 South Main Street in Concord, Monday - Wednesday between 12 noon and 6 PM or go on-line at ccanh.com and click on Bank of NH events.

Don't miss out on the event that everyone will be talking about on Thursday morning.