On Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m, at the Waldoboro Public Library, Waldoboro author Philip Austin will present a workshop on the tools and philosophy of DIY publishing. All writers and readers are welcome.

Austin, who moved to Maine in 2021, is the author of twelve books, spanning the genres of historical fiction, poetry, memoir, and narrative nonfiction.

Growing up with parents who were artists and voracious readers, he attributes his early love for literature from their eclectic collection of books and Saturday morning field trips to a wondrous big city library in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was born. At the encouragement of his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. White, at the age of ten he mailed his first short story off to the New Yorker magazine. He’s anxiously awaiting their reply. 

Austin’s first novel, On Bethel Ridge, a Christmas fable published in 1998, was hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as ‘a sharply etched tale reaching across cultures with a universal spirituality’ according to a news release His newest book, How Boys Learn, is a coming-of-age story about 1970s America. He’s also been a travel writer for the Boston Globe, a small-town newspaper columnist, a theater critic, and still produces an online blog, Crowtalking, available on Wordpress. He’s recorded his original music and formed a Boston-based jazz and blues band, somehow finding time to be a Native American Rights activist and professional cabinetmaker. At the height of the Covid pandemic, inspired by the famous story of Anais Nin’s printing press, Austin created an independent book press, Crowsongs Publishing, and continues to produce and market his own books and assist writers at all levels on their journey from passionate writer to published author. 

    This program is free and open to the public. The Waldoboro Public Library is at 958 Main Street in Waldoboro. For more information, please call 832-4484.