Gulf of Maine Books is hosting a book event at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 6, featuring speakers Shannon Mullen and Gov. Janet Mills. They will read from and speak about Mullen’s new book “In Other Words, Leadership: How a Young Mother’s Weekly Letters to Her Governor Helped Both Women Brave the First Pandemic Year.”
Gov. Janet Mills holds a copy of the book “In Other Words, Leadership” by author Shannon Mullen about letters Mills got weekly from constituent Ashirah Knapp of Temple during the pandemic on May 22. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald file photo
Based on the correspondence between a young Maine mother, Ashirah Knapp, and Mills, plus the governor’s journals, this tells the saga of Maine as it moved through the pandemic years in a story that is “a celebration of empathy in the face of rancor, and of resolve in the face of adversity,” according to a review of the book by Heather Cox Richardson/ She calls it “a remarkable book … a story of work, worry, art, faith, community, life and hope. And it is an instant classic.”
Mullen is a journalist, author, screenwriter, film producer, playwright and podcast host. She grew up in New Hampshire and earned degrees from the University of New Hampshire and Boston University. She reported for NPR for two decades (Marketplace, Morning Edition, All
Things Considered) and her print work has been published widely (The New Yorker, Boston Globe magazine and much more)
Janet Mills is the 75th governor of Maine, the first woman governor of the state, currently serving her second term.
The book is available at Gulf of Maine Books and will be available for signing at the event.
Contact Gulf of Maine Books at (207) 729-5083 for more information.
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