Dana is pleased to have mentored some incredible teen writers over the years.
Thanks to the Henniker Historical Society and to the Tucker Free Library for help in research. Thanks also to the Congregational Church of Henniker for providing beautiful space (and even microphones!) for the staged reading. And thanks to the Henniker Community School for staging the production! What a thrill to see the research appear as a story on the stage.
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Turning a question into an opportunity to teach research skills.memories penned by Dana
While working with my junior high mentee one winter, she asked about a local legend: the Ghost of Ocean Born Mary. "Who was Mary?" she wondered.
Our research on the internet, at the local library, and at the town's historical society turned up more than just information about the Widow Mary Wallace; we also learned about the huckster who moved to town in 1917 and proceeded to spin a number of yarns about the Ghost of Ocean Born Mary who allegedly haunted the home he shared with his mother. As an internationally-recognized photographer, Louis Maurice Auguste "Gussie" Roy knew his way around the press. During the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, stories of the ghost who haunted his Henniker home were published across the country. At the height of his publicity campaign, as many as a hundred tourists could be seen queuing up to take the famous Ghost Tour. Wanting to share the juicy details with others, we decided a stage play would be the best presentation. Thus was born "The Ghost & Gussie Roy." Coincidentally, we were also able to whip the play into shape by the 200th anniversary of Mary Wallace's death: Feb. 13, and we were fortunate to find a local venue to host a staged reading of the play. The most memorable part of that evening was meeting a resident who actually took the Ghost Tour as a child! The next spring saw the play produced at the Henniker Community School. We are so appreciative to the program director for helping to make that happen. And for allowing my co-writer to assistant direct the production. What a thrill! |
Mentored high school students in coastal Downeast Maine...via FaceTime.Thanks to LearningWorks of Maine for making this program possible. And to Three Pines Bed and Breakfast for providing Dana with beautiful accommodations when she visited face-to-face with her students at school.
View of Sullivan Harbor from Dana's room on the second floor at Three Pines Bed and Breakfast and Farm in Hancock, Maine.
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