On March 11th, join The Porch for our third annual fundraiser: an evening of song and story like no other. Mercy & Magic will feature an intimate conversation between and performances by New York Times #1 bestselling author Wally Lamb and one of Americana music’s most admired artists, Mary Gauthier.

Mary and Wally have been friends and fans of one another's art since appearing together at a festival in New Orleans years ago. Now they'll take the stage together once more to share from their work and reveal the stories behind its creation. Both know the transformative power and truth-seeking nature of art. Togther they'll reflect on the ways in which literature and music have made a crucial difference in their lives.

Lamb is the author of four New York Times best-selling novels: Wishin’ and Hopin’, The Hour I first Believed, I Know This Much is True, and She’s Come Undone and was twice selected for Oprah’s Book Club. Honors for Wally Lamb include a National Endowment for the Arts grant, the Connecticut Center for the Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2010 Arts and Letters award from the YMCA of New York City. He was the 1999 recipient of the New England Book Award for fiction. I Know This Much Is True won the Friends of the Library USA Readers’ Choice Award for best novel of 1998, and the Kenneth Johnson Memorial Book Award, which honored the novel’s contribution to the anti-stigmatization of mental illness. She’s Come Undone was a 1992 “Top Ten” Book of the Year selection in People magazine and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Best First Novel of 1992. I’ll Fly Away was a 2008 Connecticut Book Award Winner for non-fiction.

Gauthier’s second album, Drag Queens in Limousines won best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song at the Independent Music Awards. It was also nominated for three Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards (GLAMA) and won best country artist of the year. Her first major label release, Mercy Now, was on the top 10 list for the year in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News, and Billboard Magazine. She has had her songs recorded by numerous artists, including Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Bill Chambers, Mike Farris and Candi Staton, Amy Helm and Bettye Lavette. Her short stories have been published in several books and magazines, including the book Amplified, released by Random House, and The Blue Rock Review. Her songs have appeared on the playlists of Wally Lamb, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan. She has a book deal with Yale University Press, and is currently writing a book about the Art of Songwriting. She’s a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, and currently resides in Nashville, TN.

Proceeds for the event benefit The Porch Writers’ Collective. VIP tickets will include a meet-and-greet reception before the show with wine, beer, a signature cocktail, and heavy hors d'oeuvres.

Mercy & Magic: An Evening with Mary Gauthier and Wally Lamb