Escape to Northern Virginia’s wine country for a new event series presented by 1455 and Kalero Vineyard, showcasing local and international storytellers as they present their work and share insight into the creative process, inspiration, and the person behind the pages.
1455 is proud to partner with Kalero Vineyard, in Purcellville, VA, to celebrate storytelling, coupled with amazing wines. Our next event is June 12, 2022, 2-3pm, featuring a reading from The Ladies of the Secret Circus. Constance Sayers will read an excerpt from her novel, and then speak with 1455’s Executive Director Sean Murphy about her career and the literary industry. Audience interaction encouraged!
Next EVENT DETAILS:
Wine & Words: Featuring Constance Sayers
June 12, 2022 – 2-3pm
ABOUT THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS
From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to present-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus.
Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder-a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family’s strange and magical circus, it’s the only world Cecile Cabot knows-until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything.
Virginia, 2005: Lara Barnes is on top of the world-until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations.
Buy the book at bookshop.org
ABOUT CONSTANCE SAYERS
Constance Sayers is the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling novel, A Witch in Time (2020 Redhook/Hachette) as well as The Ladies of the Secret Circus (2021 Redhook/Hachette) that received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. A finalist for Alternating Current’s 2016 Luminaire Award for Best Prose, her short stories have appeared in Souvenir and Amazing Graces: Yet Another Collection of Fiction by Washington Area Women as well as The Sky is a Free Country. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She received her master of arts in English from George Mason University and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She attended The Bread Loaf Writers Conference where she studied with Charles Baxter and Lauren Groff. A media executive, she’s twice been named one of the “Top 100 Media People in America” by Folio and included in their list of “Top Women in Media.” She lives outside of Washington DC. Like her character in The Ladies of the Secret Circus, she was the host of a radio show from midnight to six.
Website: constancesayers.com
Twitter: @constancesayers
Instagram: @constancesayers
Facebook: facebook.com/constancesayersbooks
ABOUT 1455
At 1455, storytellers are sacred, and we’re dedicated to showcasing the written word and other forms of creative expression. Curating community through year-round free programming, 1455 connects art and audience via intimate conversations and the promotion of diverse voices. Taking our name from the year Gutenberg’s printing press helped democratize content on a global scale, 1455 continues the tradition of using technology to advance an understanding and appreciation of impactful storytelling. 1455 exists to serve anyone who appreciates the arts and is interested in the sort of community commonly found only in academia or online book clubs. Every day, 1455 will augment the passion for the literary and creative arts in adults and young people through programs that sponsor expression, education, and sharing of stories.
Website: 1455litarts.org
Twitter: @1455litarts
Instagram: @1455litarts
Facebook: facebook.com/1455litarts
ABOUT KALERO VINEYARD
Kalero Vineyard is a beautiful 130-acre farm nestled on Short Hill Mountain in Western Loudoun County. The property was bought in 2015 with the ambitious intention of starting a vineyard, making wine and opening a tasting room for the public to enjoy. The farm was home to an old barn that still had great bones, but had been neglected for ages. The former owners, the Potts Family, shared that a cornerstone on the barn has the year 1834 carved into it with the initials of their ancestors – AC (Andrew Copeland) and JP (John Price). This barn managed to survive the infamous burning raids of Loudoun County during the Civil War.
Website: kalerovineyard.com
Twitter: @KaleroVineyard
Instagram: @KaleroVineyard
Facebook: facebook.com/KaleroVineyard
