Diane Lechleitner’s poems and short stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines. “Faron Goss,” a debut  novel by Diane Lechleitner, is a Gold Winner of the Foreword Indies Award for Fiction. Join us at the Southport Memorial Library Thursday, Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m, - meet the author and hear an excerpt from her novel.  Refreshments will be served

Synopsis from the author’s website: When the body of Alison Goss washes up on Menhaden Island, in the Gulf of Maine, the working class fishing community of hard-hewn ways and salty perspectives is faced with handling the future of her unusual son, Faron. They soon discover how different he is, in strange but endearing ways, including his fascination with moths and his stunning artistic talent. Bound together by weather and sea, Menhaden neighbors with good hearts and blunt opinions overlook Faron's peculiarities. But their nurturing embrace cannot completely erase his troubled past, which eventually morphs into a life-changing event and forces him to confront lingering memories.

Faron faces that which haunts him, works as a sternman on a lobster boat, and paints in his studio. When he meets a bird-watching woman who has returned to Menhaden to live in her grandparents' house, his life takes another unexpected turn.When the body of Alison Goss washes up on Menhaden Island, in the Gulf of Maine, the working class fishing community of hard-hewn ways and salty perspectives is faced with handling the future of her unusual son, Faron. They soon discover how different he is, in strange but endearing ways, including his fascination with moths and his stunning artistic talent. Bound together by weather and sea, Menhaden neighbors with good hearts and blunt opinions overlook Faron's peculiarities. But their nurturing embrace cannot completely erase his troubled past, which eventually morphs into a life-changing event and forces him to confront lingering memories. Faron faces that which haunts him, works as a sternman on a lobster boat, and paints in his studio. When he meets a bird-watching woman who has returned to Menhaden to live in her grandparents' house, his life takes another unexpected turn.

Southport Memorial Library is at 1032 Hendricks Hill Road in Southport. For more information, visit www.southportlibrary.org or call 207-633-2741. The library is open  9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; and 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays.