Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin to Visit the Music Hall

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE PRESENTS
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of No Ordinary Time and Team of Rivals

Doris Kearns Goodwin

with

THE BULLY PULPIT:

Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism 

Wednesday, December 4, 7:30pm

“Trust Goodwin to work her best-selling, Pulitzer-worthy magic here.”—Library Journal 

Join a discussion of THE BULLY PULPIT with
The Music Hall Book Club on Wednesday, January 8, 7pm 

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, October 31, 2013:  The Writers on a New England Stage series welcomes acclaimed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin—the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of No Ordinary Time and Team of Rivals—on Wednesday, December 4, 2013. Ms. Goodwin will discuss her latest book about American presidency during an epic moment in history, THE BULLY PULPIT: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism.

The 7:30 event in The Music Hall’s Historic Theater in downtown Portsmouth, NH, includes an author presentation and on-stage interview with Virginia Prescott, host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s “Word of Mouth.”  The series’ house band Dreadnaught will play live music during the one hour event. 

“It is a tremendous honor to welcome back Doris Kearns Goodwin, who took the stage in 2005 with her bestseller,Team of Rivals, as part of the very first season of  ourWriters on a New England Stage series. Once again, with deep intelligence, wit and wisdom, she will bring us insight into our country. I look forward to hearing from her about her new book, which seems so timely,” said Patricia Lynch, Executive Producer, and Executive Director of The Music Hall.

In THE BULLY PULPIT, Goodwin brings her trademark blend of scholarship, intellectual rigor and riveting storytelling to the turbulent and fateful relationship between two presidents, the rise of muckraking journalism, and the far-reaching ferment of the Progressive Era—a time in many respects uncannily like our own.

The vast technological and economic changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution had widened a massive gulf between rich and poor. Daily life had become harder and more stressful for ordinary people, increasingly squeezing out the middle class.  Spectacular mergers had produced giant companies; the influence of money in politics had deepened, and a dizzying array of inventions had sped the pace of daily life. By the end of Roosevelt’s presidential term, however, an unprecedented spirit of reform had swept the country, creating a new kind of presidency and a new vision of the relationship between the government and the people.

The essence of Roosevelt’s leadership, Goodwin maintains, lay in his innovative use of the “bully pulpit,” a phrase he himself coined to describe the national platform offered by the presidency to shape public opinion and catalyze action.

“That many of these problems seem unnervingly familiar in the wake of our recent tech revolution and the Internet age served only to heighten my interest in this absorbing era,” says Goodwin. “Indeed, the central issue Roosevelt asked—what should the relationship of the government to the people be? —is just as pressing, as urgent today as it was a century ago.

”THE BULLY PULPIT  has been selected for discussion by The Music Hall Book Club on Wednesday, January 8,  in the Loft. The guest moderator will be Jack Herney, a history instructor emeriti at Philips Exeter Academy. “With our unique book club event for Contributor level members, the discussions Doris Kearns Goodwin begins can continue in greater depth,” said Lynch. 

ABOUT THE BOOK
Over the course of seven years of research and writing THE BULLY PULPIT, Goodwin immersed herself in an enormous trove of primary materials. She draws upon correspondence of more than four hundred letters between Roosevelt and Taft that spanned nearly three decades; the diaries of Edith Roosevelt and Nellie Taft; and the journals, memoirs, and voluminous letters of the muckrakers.  In addition, the letters of Captain Archie Butt, who served as a personal aide to both Roosevelt and Taft offers intimate glimpses into both men and their families.

As she conducted her research, Goodwin’s process of discovery led her to the realization that her narrative incorporated three interwoven strands.  The first was the story of Theodore Roosevelt, whose crusade to expand the role of government in national life through a program of moderate reform required the transformation of the presidency.  The second was the story of William Howard Taft, whose talents and skills played a more significant role in the Roosevelt administration, and in the overall advancement of the Progressive agenda, than is generally understood.  Yet Taft’s presidency foundered in large part because he was temperamentally unsuited to make use of the third strand of her narrative—the bully pulpit, immeasurable enhanced by the novel and noble form of journalism, which had provided the key to his predecessor’s success.

“It is my greatest hope,” Goodwin writes, that THE BULLY PULPIT “will guide readers through their own process of discovery toward a better understanding of what it takes to summon the public to take the actions necessary to bring our country closer to our ancient ideals.” She quotes Sam McClure, a prominent publisher of the day who cast about for a remedy to America’s woes, in saying and warning, “‘There is no one left… none but all of us.’”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, in part the basis for Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award winning pictureLincoln.  She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history forNo Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.   She is also the author of the bestsellers Wait Till Next Year, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. 

Book Clubs and High School Guests of The Music Hall

At each Writers event, The Music Hall hosts local high school students selected by their teachers, who come free of charge to the event and get an opportunity to meet the author.  The Music Hall welcomes local book clubs attending on the night to take part in a drawing to be guests at a private backstage book signing/reception with the featured writer.  For more information on how to join the Writers on a New England Stage book club list and drawing, email Associate Producer Margaret Talcott atmtalcott@themusichall.org.  Interested high school and middle teachers can contact Programming Coordinator Chris Curtis at ccurtis@themusichall.org  

Tickets and Signed Books 

Tickets to Writers on a New England Stage: Doris Kearns Goodwin  on Wednesday, December 4, are $13.25 ($11.25 for members of The Music Hall and NH Public Radio).  For each 1-2 tickets sold, the purchase of a book voucher ($40) is required. Vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event for a signed copy of Goodwin’s discussed work, THE BULLY PULPIT.  

Tickets for the Music Hall Book Club discussion on Wednesday, January 8, at 7pm, are  $8 and include a beverage of choice and selection of gourmet cheeses.. The discussion event will be held in the Loft from 7:00-8:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm and stay open post discussion for informal talk and social timeEvent tickets and book vouchers can be purchased at The Music Hall box office in the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, or over the phone at 603-436-2400. Tickets and vouchers are not available online. 

 Music Hall 2013-14 Season Sponsors:  River House Restaurant; Carey & Giampa, Realtors 
Writers on a New England Stage Presenting Sponsor: University of New Hampshire 
Writers on a NE Stage Media Sponsor: Yankee Magazine 
Writers on a New England Stage Series Sponsors:  Auger Building Company; Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service; RMC Research Corporation; Calypso Communications; New England Audio Tech 
Evening Sponsor: Jenn Madden Realtors  
                                         
About The Music Hall Book Club   

The Music Hall Book Club is a benefit for all members starting at the $150 level. This new life-of-the-mind series of book discussions connects our inner circle of members with the works of our celebrated authors in a lively way four times a year. Books selected for will come from various genres; the hour-long discussions will be held in the Loft 2-4 weeks after the author’s appearance in Writers on a New England Stage or Writers in the Loft.  Book discussions will be moderated by Patty Burke Hickey and Ralph Sneeden and by guest moderators selected by the duo. Patty is a long-time Music Hall member from New Castle, NH, avid supporter of the Writers on the New England Stage Series since its inception, and English instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy. Ralph, an accomplished poet and fiction writer, has taught in the English department at Phillips Exeter Academy for many years and leads writing workshops in the summer.   Tickets for each discussion event are $8 and include a beverage of choice and selection of gourmet cheeses, plus time for social gathering before and after each discussion.   For more information about upcoming authors and books for selected Music Hall Book Club discussions, please visit TheMusicHall.org.  If you would like to become a member at the $150 level or above, please contact the Membership Coordinator, Lorianne Saniuk, at LSaniuk@themusichall.orgor (603) 766-2176. 

About Writers on a New England Stage

Writers on a New England Stage was created by executive producer Patricia Lynch, also executive director of The Music Hall, and is a partnership between The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio.  Since 2005, the series has spotlighted a broad range of celebrated authors including Salman Rushdie, John Irving, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Dan Brown, Isabel Allende, Stephen King, Ann Patchett, E.L. Doctorow, Madeleine Albright, John Updike, Wally Lamb, Jodi Picoult, David McCullough, and Cokie Roberts, among many others. Each author’s presentation is followed by an interview with Virginia Prescott, host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s “Word of Mouth.”  Live music is performed by the award-winning house band Dreadnaught.  The live shows are rebroadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio.  The series’ media is sponsor Yankee magazine; its companion bookstore is RiverRun, in Portsmouth, NH.  

About The Music Hall

The Music Hall is a performing arts center featuring curated entertainment from around the world in two theaters in its downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire campus - one, a landmark 1878 Victorian theater, designated an American Treasure for the Arts by the National Park Service’s Save America's Treasures Program, the other the intimate Music Hall Loft around the corner, recently named "best performing arts venue" by Yankee Magazine and the recipient of the NH AIA award for design excellence. Acclaimed signature series bring top authors and artists to both stages, while HD broadcasts and independent film fill both screens. A radio show broadcast on NH Public Radio originates here. This dynamic arts center urges patrons to Explore + Learn via master classes, post film panel discussions, and matinees for children. An anchor cultural organization in this historic working seaport, The Music Hall is one of downtown Portsmouth’s biggest employers and largest contributors to the regional economy: The Music Hall and its patrons contribute $7 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor related spending. Innovative in its outlook, the organization is community oriented and committed to making the Seacoast flourish. The Music Hall is a 501c3 nonprofit managed by a professional staff with the assistance of a volunteer board.  Though global in the scope of its artists and programs, The Music Hall operates independently with the support of 3,000 members, 300 business supporters and 58 community partners. Welcoming more than 100,000 patrons (including 20,000 children) each year from the tri-state area and beyond, The Music Hall is the region’s center for the performing arts, literature and education…easy to get to, impossible to forget. An American Treasure celebrating 135 years.www.themusichall.org “The crown jewel of Portsmouth’s cultural scene” - Yankee Magazine “the beating cultural heart of New Hampshire's seacoast” -  Boston Globe For author interviews, please contact Producer Margaret Talcott at mtalcott@themusichall.org or 603-766-2193 or Executive Producer Patricia Lynch at plynch@themusichall.org  or 603-433-3100x1007 
  

Praise for Team of Rivals and No Ordinary Time

"Splendid, beautifully written....Goodwin has brilliantly woven scores of contemporary accounts...into a fluid narrative....This is the most richly detailed account of the Civil War presidency to appear in many years. "
— John Rhodehamel, Los Angeles Times 

"Endlessly absorbing....[A] lovingly rendered and masterfully fashioned book. "
— Jay Winik, The Wall Street Journal 

"Goodwin has pulled off the double trick of making Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt seem so monumental as to have come from a very distant past, and at the same time so vital as to have been alive only yesterday."
— The New York Times 

"Engrossing . . . No Ordinary Time is no ordinary book. . . . An ambitiously conceived and imaginatively executed participant’s eye view of the United States in the war years. . . . The sheer abundance of colorful biographical anecdotes and the cumulative weight of telling detail sustain an atmosphere of immediacy and leave a lastingly vivid impression."
— The New York Times Book Review 

"The Roosevelt marriage is endlessly gripping because it was so consequential. . . . The reader feels like a resident in the White House."
— The Boston Globe