Concord, Massachusetts
Two weeks of talks, readings, and discussions celebrating the written and the spoken word.
Randall Kennedy
Ha Jin
Anita Hill
Stephen Greenblatt
How You Can Participate
- Attend: Most events are free. All events are open to the public. Events that require a ticket are so indicated and include information about how and where to obtain tickets.
- Donate: The festival is produced by a non-profit foundation and depends greatly on individual support. Tax deductible donations in any amount are encouraged and can be made online.
- Sponsor: Corporate sponsorship is welcomed and is available. For information please .
Concord Festival of Authors is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council,
a stage agency
Major Sponsors:
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith
Events: Mystery Night
Book: Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery
Mary-Ann Tirone Smith is the author of eight novels as well as a memoir, Girls of Tender Age, about growing up in Hartford. She was born and raised in Hartford and has lived in Connecticut all her life, except for the two years she served as a Peace Corps volunteer on Mt. Cameron.
Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery, written in collaboration with her son Jere Smith, is the debut of a planned series of mystery novels featuring the Old Towne Team. It is the summer of 2007, a couple of hours before the start of a Red Sox doubleheader. As the players congregate in the Fenway clubhouse, they hear some feeble cries. A search party fans out, and Jason Varitek finds the source — a month-old boy, abandoned in an unused office. Grimmer news follows, and Rocky Patel, Boston Homicide Detective First Grade, is ordered to connect the dots.