The fourth annual Milford Readers & Writers Festival announced today that TV personality Dick Cavett has canceled his appearance there because of health reasons.
The festival — which this year will run from Friday, Sept. 20, to Sunday, Sept. 22, in the Pike County borough — also revealed new names who will participate in the gathering.
Authors and Emmy Award-winning television producers David Heeley and Joan Kramer will present behind-the-scenes stories about their work and the stars they focused on in “In the Company of Legends — An Insider’s Look at Hollywood’s Greatest Stars.” Guests can check out that program on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Saturday’s Main Stage also will feature three other programs:
- A conversation with Anne Perry, historical fiction mystery author of historical fiction, led by writer Victoria Zackheim
- A discussion about the refugee experience between Helen Zia, activist and author of “Last Boat Out of Shanghai,” and Princeton University professor Anne Anlin Cheng
- A conversation with Jack Devine, former deputy director of the CIA, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Wiener, author of “Legacy of Ashes – the History of the CIA” (moderated by Lucian Truscott IV)
Sunday’s Main Stage will include:
- A discussion about “Our Constitution Under Siege” between Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano and constitutional scholar and author Jeffrey Rosen (moderated by Milford Mayor Sean Strub)
- The panel “Life in the Afterlife,” in which psychic/medium George Anderson, author of “We Don’t Die,” will talk with Dr. Eben Alexander, author of “Proof of Heaven,” about his near-death experience
A limited number of festival passes that include entry to all events plus a private authors reception cost $175 until Sept. 3, although advance purchases are recommended since these passes sold out last year. For details or to buy passes, visit milfordreadersandwriters.com.
The festival also will present several free programs:
- “The Wide Worlds of Fantasy,” a fantasy-themed science fiction panel
- “Moral Lessons through Children’s Book” at Pike County Public Library.
Other panels include:
- “Seeing the Forest Through the Trees: Finding Deeper Meaning in the Woods” at Grey Towers National Historic Site
- “Triumph Over Trauma III”
- Poetry, romance and an open-mic event: “RAW After Dark”
- Science fiction readings and beer tasting at the Dimmick Inn
- “The “Fauchere Series” authors
- A pop-up bookstore, conversations, book-signings with local writers and more.
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest