2013 Thurber House Writer-in-Residence & Author Katrina Kittle
WEDNESDAY, August 7 ON THE THURBER HOUSE LAWN
6:00 pm Picnic Social (Optional) | 6:30 pm Main Event
You will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket with you.
NEW this year:
Kids’ Club: Parents/guardians: drop off your child/teen at Thurber Center (next door to Thurber House) to participate in fun activities while you enjoy the event! For more details, visit the “Kids’ Club” tab below.
New caterers: We’re mixing it up! This year, enjoy boxed meal options from old favorites Freedom a la Cart and Milo’s Catering, as well as new boxed meals from Apple Spice and City Barbeque. The Graeter’s Ice Cream truck will also make an appearance at our July 10 event with Connie Schultz.
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MORNING IN THIS BROKEN WORLD
From the bestselling author of The Kindness of Strangers comes a poignant and life-affirming novel about our connections to the past, and the promise for the future during the least promising of times.
Grieving but feisty widow Vivian Laurent is at a late-in-life crossroads. The man she loved is gone. Their only daughter is estranged and missing. And the assisted-living facility where her husband died is going into quarantine. Living in lockdown with only heartache and memories is something Vivian can’t bear. Then comes a saving grace.
Luna, a compassionate nursing assistant and newly separated mother, is facing eviction. Vivian has a plan that could turn their lives around: return to her old home and invite Luna and her two children to move in with her. With the exuberant eleven-year-old Wren in her hot-pink motorized wheelchair and Wren’s troubled older brother, Cooper, the new housemates make for an unlikely pandemic pack, weathering the coming storm together.
Now it’s time to heal old wounds, make peace with the past, find hope and joy, and discover that the strongest bonds can get anyone through the worst of times.
KATRINA KITTLE
Katrina Kittle is the author of four books for adults—Traveling Light, Two Truths and a Lie, The Kindness of Strangers, and The Blessings of the Animals—and one novel for tweens, Reasons to Be Happy. Her new novel Morning in This Broken World was an Amazon First Reads pick for August, and released in September of 2023. The Kindness of Strangers was the winner of the 2006 Great Lakes Book Award for Fiction.
Katrina teaches creative writing workshops for all ages, focusing on craft and motivation. She teaches online and in the Dayton-Cincinnati-Columbus area through Word’s Worth Writing Connections, and is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Dayton. She is a public speaker, most often leading her “Leap and the Net Will Appear” and “Happy Class” workshops.
Katrina lives south of Dayton with her fella, her spooky little weirdo cat Annie, her sweet beagle Serena, and her out-of-control garden. You can occasionally see her on stage in local community theatre productions, and she is always at work on another novel.
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‣ Picnic Social | 6:00-6:30 pm (Optional)
Enjoy a picnic dinner (ours or yours) and hang out on the lawn during this time frame (optional). Free tours of Thurber House will be available.
‣ Main Program | 6:30-7:30 pm
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the program! You will have the opportunity to ask the author questions after the event.
‣ Book Signing | 7:30 pm
Purchase books and get them signed by the author.
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‣ Full Summer Subscription for 2 (Event Only) | $210
($200 subscription, $10 Columbus ticket fee)
Perfect for couples and friends, this series subscription admits up to two (2) attendees to each of the six (6) Summer Literary Picnics (a $252 value!). *Does not include dinner, but you can add à la carte dinners using the “Dinner Upgrade” option.*
‣ Adult Admission (Event + Dinner) | $41
($20 ticket, $1 Columbus ticket fee, $20 dinner)
This ticket includes individual admission to the event, plus a catered boxed dinner with an entree, sides, and a drink. Regular, vegetarian, and vegan options are available; for menus, visit the “Dinner Menus” tab below.
‣ Adult Admission (Event Only) | $21
($20 ticket, $1 Columbus ticket fee)
This ticket includes individual admission to the event.
‣ 18 and Under Admission (Event Only) | $5.25
($5 ticket, $0.25 Columbus ticket fee)
This ticket includes individual admission to the event for attendees 18 and under. Note: this is a ticket to attend the event; Kids’ Club is a separate activity and is “pay what you can” (see below).
‣ Dinner Upgrade | $20
Add a boxed dinner to any 18 and Under ticket (or an Event Only ticket, if you change your mind later) for $20 per meal. You do not need to add a Dinner Upgrade if your ticket already comes with a dinner.
This upgrade includes one catered boxed dinner with an entree, sides, and a drink. Regular, vegetarian, and vegan options are available; for menus, visit the “Dinner Menus” tab below.
‣ NEW: Kids’ Club | Pay What You Can
Parents/guardians: drop off your child/teen at Thurber Center (next door to Thurber House) to participate in fun activities while you enjoy the event!
Activities are open to kindergartners and up and the cost is “pay what you can.” Drop off time is between 6:00-6:20 pm at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Ave.). Once the main event concludes, your child(ren) will be escorted over to meet you.
Please note:
This program is only for children of those who have Thurber House event tickets.
A parent/guardian must be on site at the event at all times.
For allergy reasons, no food is permitted at Kids’ Club. Your child(ren) is/are welcome to eat dinner on the Thurber House lawn with you during the picnic social (6:00-6:20 pm).
Note: Some walk-in Event Only tickets will be available at the event (space permitting). However, we strongly encourage you to register in advance. All Event + Dinner tickets and Dinner Upgrades must be purchased at least several business days in advance.
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The caterer for this picnic is… Apple Spice!
If you’d like a boxed dinner for this event, make sure to select an Event + Dinner ticket when you order. Dinners must be purchased by 10am on August 5th for this event.
‣ Regular menu:
Southwest chicken wrap (grilled chicken breast, corn, black beans, tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and avocado with barbecue ranch dressing)
Potato salad
Potato chips
Dill pickle
Cookie
Choice of drink: water, pop, etc.
‣ Vegetarian menu:
Vegetarian sandwich on 13-grain bread (mushrooms, cucumbers, vine-ripened tomatoes, sprouts, roasted red peppers, and avocados on lettuce with cheddar cheese and pesto mayonnaise)
Fresh fruit
Potato chips
Dill pickle
Cookie
Choice of drink: water, pop, etc.
‣ Vegan menu:
Garden vegetable salad (lettuce greens with garden vegetables)
Fresh fruit
Potato chips
Dill pickle
Choice of drink: water, pop, etc.
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‣ NEW: Kids’ Club | Pay What You Can
Parents/guardians: drop off your child/teen at Thurber Center (next door to Thurber House) to participate in fun activities while you enjoy the event!
Activities are open to kindergartners and up and the cost is “pay what you can.” Drop off time is between 6:00-6:20 pm at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Ave.). Once the main event concludes, your child(ren) will be escorted over to meet you.
Please note:
This program is only for children of those who have Thurber House event tickets.
A parent/guardian must be on site at the event at all times.
For allergy reasons, no food is permitted at Kids’ Club. Your child(ren) is/are welcome to eat dinner on the Thurber House lawn with you during the picnic social (6:00-6:20 pm).
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‣ Location: All Summer Literary Picnics take place on the Thurber House lawn (77 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215).
‣ Rain site: In the event of rain, Summer Literary Picnics are held at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215), the building directly north of Thurber House.
‣ Free parking on Jefferson Avenue: Free street parking is available all along the Jefferson Avenue oval. Note: Only the spots along the one-way oval are free; the spots along the two-way ends of Jefferson Avenue (near Broad Street and Long Street) are not free.
‣ Free parking off N. 11th Street (behind Thurber House): Free visitor parking is also available in the small lot directly behind Thurber House, accessible off N. 11th Street and located here.
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For any questions that are not answered here, please contact Jess at jcox@thurberhouse.org or 614-412-5955.
‣ How will I receive my tickets? You will receive an email order confirmation containing your ticket(s). You can print or show your ticket(s) on your phone. If you are unable to do so, we will manually check you in.
‣ Can I order tickets by phone? Yes, although online orders are encouraged. To order by phone, call 614-412-5955.
‣ Can I purchase books and get them signed at the event? Yes, books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
‣ How do the picnic dinners work this year? If you order a ticket that includes a dinner or a dinner upgrade, your boxed meal comes with an entree, sides, and a drink. Regular, vegetarian, and vegan meal options are available. At this time, we cannot accommodate allergies.
‣ Is outside food/drink permitted? Yes! You have the option of bringing your own picnic dinner.
‣ Do I need to bring a chair with me? Please plan to bring your own lawn chair or blanket. A limited number of extra chairs will be available.
‣ Is there a bathroom? Yes, bathrooms will be available.
‣ Will Thurber House be open for free tours? Yes, the Thurber House museum will be open for free tours during the picnic social.
‣ What is your refund policy? All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.
‣ What is the Columbus ticket fee? The total ticket price includes the Columbus Arts and Culture Fee as required by the City of Columbus. The Arts and Culture Fee provides public funds to support artists and arts/cultural organizations like Thurber House that educate and engage audiences of all ages. Click here for more information.
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Disclaimer: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by event and program speakers in all mediums are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Thurber House, its affiliates, or its staff/board.