News From the Department
Bland Simpson to Appear at the Maritime Museum
For more information contact Fay Mitchell Henderson (919) 807-7389
Beaufort (April 21, 2007) — North Carolina Award winner Bland Simpson will headline a dinner and reception after a day of book signing at the N.C. Maritime Museum. In collaboration with friends in the band Red Clay Ramblers, he has co-written plays for musical theater, musicals celebrating North Carolina history, and songs for CDs. He also has written books all by himself, including “The Great Dismal: A Carolinian’s Swamp Memoir,” and “The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey.”
The multi-talented Simpson is the after dinner speaker during the Wooden Boat Show on Saturday, May 5, at 7 p.m. It’s part of the 2007 Department of Cultural Resources observation of “History Happens Here.” He will speak on “being on the water” and sign copies of his book “The Inner Islands.” The musician, playwright, author of fiction and non-fiction, and raconteur will bring tales of coastal North Carolina life based on his own experiences. Simpson grew up in Elizabeth City, and grew to love the coastal waterways. He also joined a string band and helped create the Off Broadway musical Diamond Studs, the Tony Award nominated play Pump Boys and the Dinettes, and the Broadway hit Fool Moon.
Simpson collaborated with fellow Rambler Jack Herrick to write two musicals celebrating North Carolina history, Cool Spring and Tar Heel Voices. The six books authored by Simpson also draw on the state’;s history. “Into the Sound Country, A Carolinian’s Coastal Plan,” like the book on the Dismal Swamp, is non-fiction.
In 2005, Simpson was recipient of the North Carolina Award for Fine Arts. He is currently director of the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, and resides in Orange County with his wife and three children.
Tickets to the 7:00 p.m. dinner are $10 and are available at the N.C. Maritime Museum. There is a reception from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., tickets are $5. For additional information call 252-728-7317.
The Maritime Museum is part of the Division of State History Museums in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's arts, history and culture. Podcasts are available 24/7 with information about the department at www.ncculture.com.
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