RI Author to Speak on Keepers of the Light in the Age of Sail
A story that might have been lost to time now emerges in Tales of the Sea, a new historical novel by Cynthia Elder of Barrington, RI. The two books in the series, The Journey Begins and The Drumbeats of War, are based on hundreds of pages of previously unpublished ships’ logs, letters and journals from a Cape Cod family in the mid 1800s.
The Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse invite the public to join them for a presentation by Cynthia Elder on Keepers of the Light in the Age of Sail, on Monday, September 14 at Weaver Memorial Library, 41 Grove Avenue, East Providence. A reception will be held at 6 pm, followed by the program at 6:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend, but seating is limited.
The role of lighthouses and keepers are a continuing thread through Elder’s books. She will draw parallels between the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse and the Sandy Neck Lighthouse in West Barnstable which figures prominently in Tales of the Sea. Both lighthouses were erected in the same time period and saw a succession of keepers from the same family, including women who took over the duty after the death of their husbands,
Tales of the Sea reveals the inner lives of three generations from the Jenkins and Fish families of West Barnstable, MA, during the final chapter of the Age of Sail and the tumultuous years leading up to and through the Civil War. Through their own words, Tales of the Sea elevates the voices of men and women who braved years-long sailing voyages aboard great wooden ships and those who stayed behind to watch over the ships at sea. The plot intersects with the stories of soldiers and enslaved people as the United States split apart at the seams. Her books will be available for signing and purchase at the event.
Elder earned a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Roger Williams University and a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. She serves as executive director of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, a local nonprofit dedicated to preserving open space and educating the public about our natural resources. For more information about Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse or to become a member, visit the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse website at pomhamrockslighthouse.org.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3780859-0
