Barbara Cantalupo 'Introducing Author Emma Wolf (1865-1932), Jewish-American Author

The first three events in Eastport Arts Center’s annual winter Sunday series will be held instead at the Eastport Port Authority building, while work is underway on restoring EAC’s floors.

On January 19 at 3 pm, English professor and scholar Barbara Cantalupo will present on author Emma Wolf, who wrote turn-of-the-century novels about interfaith marriage and the aftereffects of ‘passing.’

Widely regarded in her day (1865-1932), Wolf is considered by some to be the ‘mother of Jewish American fiction. Her vivid stories penetrated the struggles of women and people of faith, particularly Jews, as evidenced by Other Things Being Equal (1982), and Heirs of Yesterday (1900). She published three other novels and numerous short stories, many of which were published in the New York magazine, The Smart Set, a precursor to The New Yorker.

When Cantalupo was given the task of writing an essay for a book on Jewish-American writers in 1992, she discovered Wolf only in encyclopedia references listing merely the titles of her five novels and the fact that she was from San Francisco. Subsequently, Cantalupo, Emerita Professor of English at the Pennsylvania State University and founding and current editor of The Edgar Allan Poe Review, has embarked on Wolf scholarship, which she’ll share at the talk.

Sunday series programs are offered by donation, with no one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds will be shared between the presenter at the EAC, committed to sustaining programs like these. The series will run through April; January programs will be offered at the Eastport Port Authority building.

The series will run at 3 pm each Sunday, January 12 to April 27 (no program on April 20, Easter). An Eastport winter tradition, the series features diverse, interactive and casual presentations, offered by donation, with no one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds will be shared between the presenter at the EAC, committed to sustaining programs like these. A series snow date of April 13 has been reserved for any program requiring rescheduling. The schedule is a mix of popular returning presenters and new faces.

Programs are as follows:

JAN. 12: Woody Gillies—Wintering Birds of Downeast Maine

JAN. 19: Barbara Cantalupo—Introducing Jewish-American Author, Emma Wolf (1865-1932)

JAN. 26: Brian Beal—Climate Change from a Downeast Clam’s Perspective

Please note: January programs will be held at Eastport Port Authority building while floors are refinished at EAC

FEB. 2: Ellis Zipperer-Sánchez and Robert Sánchez—Jazz!

FEB. 9: Richard Klyver—Talking About His Work

FEB. 16: Danny Holt—Music & Conversation: Behind the scenes of a concert program

FEB. 23:  Stage East—The Identity Project

MAR. 2: Brian Altvater—the History of the Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberry Co.

MAR. 9: Anna Maria Baeza, Joachim Woitun and Gregory Biss—clarinet, cello and piano concert

MAR. 16: PAUL COX with CHRIS BARTLETT—Scalloping in Cobscook Bay

MAR. 23: Lubec/Campobello Community Theatre—Dramatized Reading

MAR. 30: Gregory Biss—Harpsichord Hour

APR. 6: Mark DeVoto—Music Talk

APR. 27: Jane Crosen—On her new edition of Colby’s 1881 Atlas of Washington County