Maine writer and memoirist Phuc Tran (author of “Sigh, Gone”) and poet Gibson Fay-LeBlanc will share the stage on Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick for a fundraiser to support literacy education. The evening will feature Tran and Fay-LeBlanc reading from their work and in conversation about their inspirations and influences. A reception and meet-and-greet with the authors will follow. All proceeds will benefit Midcoast Literacy, a non-profit organization that provides free literacy programs for people of all ages, including both native English speakers and the growing number of multilingual families in the area. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased now from Midcoast Literacy at www.midcoastliteracy.org or by calling 207-443-6384.

“We’re thrilled to have two accomplished writers sharing a stage who write in such different literary forms. That contrast is part of what makes these evenings special,” said Daniel Burson, Midcoast Literacy’s executive director. Added Fay-LeBlanc: “Phuc and I have been friends and two members of the world's greatest book club for some years. I’m looking forward to a wide-ranging conversation about his creative inspirations and what keeps him going.”

Midcoast Literacy’s Author-to-Author series brings Maine writers together for conversations about craft and the power of words. Tran and Fay-LeBlanc, who are longtime friends, each come to being Maine writers from very different perspectives and write in different genres. Their conversation will include insights on how their influences and experiences shape their process as writers. Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase at a reception following the event.   

Phuc Tran is a writer, tattooer, and classicist. His memoir “Sigh, Gone” won the 2020 New England Book Award for Nonfiction and the 2021 Maine Literary Award for Memoir. He has been a high school Latin teacher and tattooer for over 20 years, for which he has won no awards. His 2012 TEDx talk “Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive” was featured on NPR’s TED Radio Hour. His latest project is a children’s book series in collaboration with bestselling illustrator Pete Oswald entitled “Cranky.” 

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc's first collection of poems, “Death of a Ventriloquist” won the Vassar Miller Prize and was featured by Poets & Writers, and his second, “Deke Dangle Dive,” was published by CavanKerry Press in 2021. His poems have appeared in magazines including the New Republic, Tin House, Narrative Magazine, Poetry Northwest, and Orion. He has helped lead community arts organizations including The Telling Room, SPACE Gallery, and Hewnoaks. Fay-LeBlanc is the current Executive Director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.  

Midcoast Literacy is a non-profit organization based in Bath that has been providing free tutoring and other literacy programs to people of all ages in Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and northern Cumberland counties for more than 50 years. To find out more about getting help with literacy skills or to become a volunteer, go to: www.midcoastliteracy.org