The Salon Series — a hidden gem of the Milford Readers and Writers Festival

In addition to the ticketed main stage events at the Milford Readers and Writers Festival (MRAW), a number of free events will take place around town. Among these is Sean Strub’s Salon Series. As the name implies, a salon is a group of intellectuals or other prominent people invited by a celebrity gathered in a smallish space to exchange ideas. Edson Whitney, co-chair of the Festival, said, “Sean Strub, instrumental in the founding of the Festival, has curated the Salon Series featuring three authors every year since the beginning. An integral part of our free offerings, the series always brings diverse and fascinating authors to the conversation on topics ranging from pandemics, to history, crime, art and health disparities, among others. This year the series will be of great interest again.”

Strub agrees, adding, “Each year is different, no particular theme other than, usually, the authors are personal friends of mine whose work I think is interesting or important.”

The free Salon Series will be held at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church (110 West Catherine St., Milford) on Sunday. September 15, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Salon Series includes three conversations:

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Funny Boy

Jessica Max Stein will be in conversation with Fred Buchholz discussing Richard Hunt, who worked with Jim Henson creating and voicing many Muppets. Stein’s recent book, “Funny Boy” describes what made Hunt so special: “I’m hoping we can give people a sense of Richard Hunt’s big personality, his humor and spontaneity, how he really connected with nearly everyone he met, from celebrities to cabbies; and also, how incredibly talented he was, how he was always ‘on,’ how puppetry is a serious, underappreciated art that he mastered despite identifying more as an actor.”

Buchholz, who worked closely with Hunt, will be sharing some anecdotes and clips. He will talk about some of the Muppets Hunt worked on, including Janis, Scooter, the original Miss Piggy and, oddly enough, Ernie’s right hand (one person had to operate Ernie’s mouth, and someone else had to operate his right hand.)

1 to 2:30 p.m.: Four Laws for the Artificially Intelligent

Ian Domowitz, an AI expert, will talk to storyteller and futurist Joe Callan, who has a strong interest in the intersection of technology and literature. They will be talking about Domowitz’new book, “Four Laws for the Artificially Intelligent.” Domowitz said, “From a social point of view, AI must produce, enable decision-making, integrate into its environment, and evolve cultural norms.” The session is intended to concentrate on the last two, with a particular emphasis on writing and the arts.

3 to 4:30 p.m.: The Reluctant Conductor

Tim Turner will be in conversation with Richard C. Morais to discuss Turner’s new book, “The Reluctant Conductor,” written with Moisey Gorbaty, a Moldavian musician who uses music to sustain family, find love, and survive in a world besieged with bombs, bigotry and hate. Gorbaty, listed on the cover with Turner, is the protagonist on which the novel is based. Turner and Gorbaty met a local gym where Turner asked Gorbaty to give him Russian lessons. The two became close and Turner even traveled to Moldova with Gorbaty and his wife. Then the experience turned into a novel. Morais, a renowned novelist, said, “I’ll be asking questions about how the book came about — Tim is a recovering journalist and playwright — and [we’ll] explore the line between fact and fiction and how to get the balance right in a book like this.”

For his part, Turner said, “We will encourage attendees to compare what took place 100 years ago in Ukraine with what is happening now, how Jews were treated during WWII with what is happening now in Israel, and financial self-sufficiency as the path to freedom as practiced in the USSR versus the U.S.A. We may also discuss: What is a pogrom, how are they like the crusades or the inquisition, and the way Jews have been treated throughout the ages, like the way European settlers treated Native Americans.”

Sean Strub’s Salon Series will give plenty of food for thought and stimulation for interesting conversation — even after the sessions are over.

Another session worth watching

On Saturday, September 14 at 11 a.m. Manjula Martin will join Nancy Pinchot at the pool pavilion at Grey Towers to discuss Martin’s book, “The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History,” which details her personal experience with a raging California forest fire that threatened her home, and how it threatened her own bodily health crisis in a world actively experiencing climate change.

For more information on these events and everything the Festival has to offer, visit milfordreadersandwriters.com.