ROCKPORT — For many, the prospect of winter is a gloomy thing.
But for others, the cold times are all about the joys of the season.
As such, author Nina MacLaughlin of Cambridge will be front and center at “A Special Winter Solstice Event” taking place at the Rockport Public Library on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
The gathering, which starts at 5 p.m. in the library’s Brenner Room, will feature MacLaughlin sitting down and engaging in a conversation with fellow author and Gloucester resident John Nelson.
The event is being billed as an event that “takes your breath away with lyrical leaps across time and space.” Event organizers say MacLaughlin will explore several aspects of winter during the discussion — from the meteorological to the mythological.
“The sun has been in retreat since June and the heat inside glows brighter in proportion to its absence,” MacLaughlin said. “We make up for the lost light in the spark that burns inside us.”
MacLaughlin is the winner of the 2024 Massachusetts Book Award for “Winter Solstice.” She is also the author of “Wake, Siren,” a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and is the author of “Summer Solstice.”
Her first book was the memoir “Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter.”
For his part, author John Nelson is known for authoring “Flight Calls: Exploring Massachusetts through Birds” and “Cultivating Judgement,” on critical thinking. Nelson is professor emeritus at North Shore Community College and the founder and chairperson of the Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs.
The program is sponsored by the Mass Book Awards Speakers Bureau and is being presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Center for the Book. Those attending are being asked to register for the event at rockportlibrary.org/events.
The discussion will be followed by a book signing and copies will be available for purchase through Susie’s Stories, 51 Bearskin Neck in Rockport. Books will also be available for purchase during the talk, said Osha Rose, adult program coordinator for the Rockport Public Library.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.