Essay in THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2018;
(cited in BAE 2015, 2016, 2020); PUSHCART poetry finalist
Solstice Lit Mag Night Riffs:
A Zoom Reading and Music Series presents:
Virtual Book Party for
Home Front Lines
by Brenda Sparks Prescott
Friday, May 21, 7-8pm ET
STUNNING DEBUT OFFERS HISTORICAL FICTION ILLUMINATING LIVES OF FAMILIES ON BOTH SIDES OF CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
In 1962 tensions are rising between the United States and the Soviet Union. But it is the everyday tensions of home, family, and military life that are top of mind for military spouse and African American Betty Ann Johnson in D.C. and Cuban Lola Montero who is asked to cook for the Soviet troops amassing on her island. At a time when many Americans feel unsettled and fearful of nuclear war, these women harness their agency to prepare their families for the worst in Home Front Lines by Brenda Sparks Prescott [March 16, 2021, Bedazzled Ink Publishing].
Photo credit: Justine Martin
Brenda Sparks Prescott lives and writes in Eastern Massachusetts and Southern Vermont. Prescott is the co-editor of Solstice Literary Magazine and her writing has appeared in publications such as The Louisville Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Portland Magazine. She also serves on the advisory board for the Solstice MFA in creative writing program, and is a founding member of Simply Not Done – a women’s writing collaborative. Brenda’s family has a long history of military service, with records stretching back to the Civil War.
Featured Musical Guests
Roy Nathanson & Aidan Scrimgeour
Roy Nathanson has had a varied career as a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, poet, actor and teacher. After playing with the Lounge Lizards, Nathanson co-founded the Jazz Passengers, with whom he has toured and recorded for over 30 years. Roy will read from his second book of poetry, Conversations and Other Songs, recently published by Madhat Press.
Aidan Scrimgeour is a musician based in Brooklyn, NY who is influenced by a mix of jazz, American roots music and Celtic music. He attended the New England Conservatory and has performed at venues throughout the East Coast. He currently performs with Boston-based acoustic quintet Pumpkin Bread, country band Lissy & the Jacks, and his own jazz trio.
Duo Paloma
Composer, classical and jazz trumpeter, Longineu Parsons has been hailed by critics internationally as being one of the world’s finest trumpet players. He has performed in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and recorded with such greats as Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, and many others. He teaches at Florida A&M University.
Soloist and chamber musician, Joanna Sobkowska has performed on the concert series of the Warsaw Philharmonic, Poland, at the Festival Internacional del Piano in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, the FSU Festival of New Music in Tallahassee, Florida, and CASMI International Summer Program in Prague, Czech Republic. She teaches at Florida A&M University.
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