Return To Downton Abbey
On Saturday, Sept. 14, 4–5:30 p.m., the Storyteller’s Cottage will host Return to Downton Abbey: A Formal Afternoon Tea. All ages are welcome, the cost is $25; reserve at: storytellerscottage.com/book-online/return-to-downton-abbey
Wear your most beautiful hat and bring your knowledge of the Grantham family’s melodramas, enjoy a full formal tea, including miniature sandwiches, scones and clotted cream, and petite desserts and of course, hot or iced tea. While we nibble, play fun icebreaker and trivia games.
Back to School at Hogwarts
On Sunday, Sept. 15, 1–4 p.m., the Storyteller’s Cottage will host Back to School at Hogwarts. The cost is $50, and tickets can be reserved at: storytellerscottage.com/book-online/back-to-school-at-hogwarts-1
Guests will spend the afternoon taking classes at Hogwarts, held in all of our different themed spaces, including our Magical Common Room, secret hidden Castle Room and Great Hall. Students can bring their wands and wear their robes or house colors.
Author Talks
The Storyteller’s Cottage will host talks with five successful local authors. The cost for each event is $5 and includes a light reception. Reserve at storytellerscottage.com/book-online
Tina Angeli (Sept. 12, 7–8:30 p.m.) will speak about her book, We Are Angels: Positive Transformation Through Defining Moments, the story of how Tina’s visits from angels and three near-death experiences shaped her life from childhood to adulthood.
Marilyn Simon Rothstein (Sept. 19, 7–8:30 p.m.) is the author of Lift and Separate, winner of the Star Award presented by the Women’s Fiction Writers Association for Outstanding Debut. Husbands And Other Sharp Objects is her second novel.
Serene Hackel (Sept. 22, 2–3 p.m.) will speak about her book, Skipper Goes to War: The True Story of a Pilot and His Dog, the true story of the beloved cocker spaniel who served as a good luck charm and guardian angel for the young crewmen of the B-17 Flying Fortress in World War II.
Mary K. Savarese (Sept. 6, 7–8:30 p.m.) will host an intimate reading and discussion of her book, Tigers Love Bubble Baths and Obsession Perfume: Who Knew?, a contemporary spiritual mystery that transcends three generations.
James M. Chesbro (Sept. 29, 3–4:30 p.m.) will speak about his book, A Lion in the Snow, in which we find a contemporary father’s field guide, a husband’s compendium, and a wife’s glimpse into the turning mind of a spouse in the grounded prose of domestic conflict.
Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express
On Saturday, Sept. 21, 8–10:30 p.m., the Storyteller’s Cottage will host Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express, for ages 21 and over and will include a cash bar. Guests should wear their vintage finest. The cost is just $50; reserve at storytellerscottage.com/book-online/murder-on-the-trans-siberian-express. It is 1906 and travelers are on their way from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. A mystery is afoot when the luxurious train is snowed in and the passengers have to kill some time at a fancy dinner party before the train can move on. Spend the evening with some unusual and suspicious passengers while you enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and desserts.
Seminar For Aspiring Travel Writers
On Saturday, Oct. 5, 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., the Storyteller’s Cottage will host a practical day of workshops for aspiring travel writers, featuring insightful and skills-based classes taught by five professional travel writers, with topics ranging from how to break into the industry, to how to find assignments, develop a niche and deal with rejection, and how to balance work and life. For details about the seminar and to register, visit storytellerscottage.com/book-online/travel-writing-retreat. Enjoy a networking lunch with fellow local writers, and end the day with a refreshment hour and book signing. The cost of $125 includes lunch.
The Storyteller’s Cottage is located in a vintage Victorian house in the center of historic Simsbury at 750 Hopmeadow Street. Parking for The Storyteller’s Cottage is free and is available on the street in front of the building, and in the Fiddler’s Green parking lot on Wilcox Street (behind the house). For more information, please call 860-877-6099 or visit StorytellersCottage.com