Mar 25, 2019 3 min read

It is rare that the reclusive writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, makes an appearance, especially outside of his native New England. Nevertheless, the Mount Pleasant Public Library is very pleased to have Mr. Hawthorne as our guest for a Dinner in the Stacks fundraiser on Friday, April 5 at 6 p.m. at library.

Mr. Hawthorne, who died in 1864 and is best known for his novels The Scarlett Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, and his Twice-Told Tales, will share his stories in person.

“His short tales are well-suited to various audiences,” says first-person in-character interpreter Rob Velella, who will be portraying Nathaniel Hawthorne. He said his hope is for modern audiences to better understand Hawthorne’s brilliance through this presentation.

Rob Velella is an American Literary scholar who maintains “The American Literary Blog” about 19th Century American Literature. He has traveled to 14 states portraying Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Rob portrayed Edgar Allan Poe last October for the first Dinner in the Stacks fundraiser, where the library was transformed into an elegant dining venue, amongst the books.

Velella proudly served as the chairperson of events marking the 150th anniversary of Hawthorne’s death in 2014, which culminated in a recreation of his funeral using the same hearse that carried Hawthorne’s coffin in 1864.

“We are realizing what creative things we can do with our library’s available space. It’s exciting to turn it into this unusual venue,” said Stacy DiPasquale, of Mount Pleasant. She is the board member who co-organized this and the Edgar Allan Poe dinner, and who organizes the library’s monthly Sunday Salons for 21+ with music and art.

Dinner in the Stacks with Nathaniel Hawthorne is sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank. Tickets are $25 for the public and $20 for Mount Pleasant Library Association members. Purchase tickets online at nathanielhawthorneatmplibrary.brownpapertickets.com or at the library. Association members must purchase the discounted tickets at the library. Doors open at 5:30 and dinner begins at 6 p.m. on April 5.

A duet from the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will graciously provide live music that evening.

The Mount Pleasant Free Public Library is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, celebrating 80 years of serving the Mount Pleasant community. The library’s mission is to promote literacy, advance life-long learning, and serve as a gathering place for the development of an active and informed community. The library has a variety of programs to continue, “Lighting the Path to Literacy,” a campaign supported by the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund.

For more information on Dinner in the Stacks or other programs, contact the library at 724-547-3850, mountpleasant@WLNonline.org, www.mountpleasantPAlibrary.org or visit the Facebook page @mplibrary15666.