Tessa Fontaine
Fontaine’s book debut is a memoir of five months in 2013 when she faced her largest fears. She joined “World of Wonders” as a fire-eating, snake-charming, escape-artist magician — with no prior snake or flame-eating experience! Why would a 28 year old join a traveling show? Two years earlier, Fontaine’s mother had a massive stroke leaving her unable to walk or talk. Tessa dealt with this trauma by looking fear in the face and joining the show, as a way of schooling herself in the character strength of bravery. If her mother could face her new life in a wheelchair, Tessa could face snakes and fire.
Much of the conventional wisdom around writing nonfiction concerns a careful adherence to predetermined rules, such as writing truthfully and ethically. In this talk the author will speak about nonfiction’s wild sister, and when she demands we throw caution to the wind.
5:30 p.m. Cash bar (ticket required)
6:30 p.m. Dinner (ticket required)
8:00 p.m. Program (free event)
MEAL TICKETS:
$32.00 plus fees and tax
**The deadline to register for meal tickets is Friday, October 10.**
DINNER OPTIONS TO CHOSE FROM:
Oven roasted chicken breast with garlic cream sauce and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Served with a fresh seasonal vegetable.
Wild mushroom ravioli topped with fresh sauteed zucchini and roasted red peppers with a light garlic cream sauce. Served with a fresh seasonal vegetable.
North Atlantic Salmon fillet seasoned and baked with white wine and butter, topped with a lemon and lime citrus cream sauce. Served with a wild rice pilaf and a fresh seasonal vegetable.
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking below. After September 22, tickets can also be purchased in person at Pablo Center at the Confluence box office.
>> Our book sales committee will have copies of The Electric Woman available for purchase at this event. Please join us for an autographing session following the presentation.
TESSA FONTAINE is the author of The Electric Woman, a memoir about performing in America’s last traveling sideshow. Other writing has appeared in PANK, Seneca Review, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the University of Alabama and is working on a PhD in creative writing at the University of Utah. She has taught in prisons for five years, and founded a Writers in the Schools program in Salt Lake City. She currently lives in South Carolina.
