Does Your Town Have a Twain Connection?

April 21, 2010 marks the Centennial of Mark Twain's passing and provides the residents of Connecticut with a great opportunity to showcase and celebrate Twain's life in Hartford and Redding, Connecticut throughout the year 2010.

Mark Twain (a.k.a. Samuel L. Clemens) called a number of places home over the course of his lifetime, however, his years in Connecticut came during very significant periods in his life. These years and the people and places that occupied them are the focus of a very special program Redding Historian Brent M. Colley is working on for 2010.

Having partnered with The Mark Twain Library and Portrait Artist Susan Durkee, Mr. Colley is currently securing funding in an effort to place exhibits in every public library and/or public place that wants to be a part of this celebration. The exhibits will include artwork, photos and information brochures about Twain's life, his work and his friends in Connecticut. These Exhibits will be free to the public and free to the libraries and public places that display them.

The Artwork:



"The most exciting feature in this project, to me, is the opportunity to explore the Friends of Twain and make connections to Twain in towns & cities across Connecticut. To date I've been amazed at the number of people and towns connected to his life and I cannot wait to make others aware of these people and their accomplishments." Said Mr. Colley in a recent interview.

Mr. Colley feels that merging information about Twain with information about the "Friends of Twain" in the exhibits of each town and city that has a Twain Connection is a great way to promote town pride and Connecticut tourism in the future.

"This project's objective is to promote and raise awareness of Clemens' time in Hartford and Redding, Connecticut. If we can do the same for the towns and cities connected with Twain that would be an amazing and welcomed bonus. I want to work with local historians and local historical societies to promote their resources and efforts. Making Connecticut a destination for Twain research is my ultimate goal."

Towns and Historians that would like to assist Brent in his efforts can contact him at 860-364-7475 or bcolley@colleyweb.com

Businesses and Individuals that would like to sponsor these exhibits can forward their tax deductible contributions to:

Mark Twain Library
P.O. Box 1009
Redding, Connecticut 06875
Attn: The Mark Twain Centennial Project

Mark Twain Centennial Collection Prints now available for online purchase...framed and unframed.