OVERVIEW:  What was it like to grow up on Nantucket and what does it mean to come home to a place that has changed so much in such a relatively short period of time? The answer to that is probably unique to almost everyone, but two of Nantucket’s own, Ethan Philbrick, a renowned cellist and author, and Gabriella Burnham, a critically-acclaimed novelist, will discuss how their hometown of Nantucket shaped them as artists. Join us for an evening of conversation, a cello performance by Ethan, and a reading from Gabriella’s most recent novel, Wait, which is set on Nantucket.

This presentation will be followed by a signing and cash bar in the Harborview Room and Deck. An introduction to the presentation will be given by Anne Kuszpa, executive director of Housing Nantucket. An information table with literature and resources from Housing Nantucket will be available at the signing.

Memberships allow the Dreamland to stay open year round.  Members pay no service fees, receive discounted tickets, early access to purchase special event tickets, free popcorn and free entry to special screenings and events. Become a Dreamland Member today!

General Public: $33 (includes a $3 Service Fee)
Annual Dreamland Members & Summer Pass Holders: $25 + No Service Fee

About:

Gabriella Burnham is the author of Wait and It Is Wood, It Is Stone, which was named a best book of the year by Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. She holds an MFA in creative writing from St. Joseph’s College and has been awarded fellowships to Yaddo and MacDowell, where she was named a Harris Center Fellow. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar. She and her partner live in Brooklyn, New York, with their two rescue cats, Galleta and Franz. 

Ethan Philbrick is a cellist, performance artist, writer, and curator. He holds a PhD in performance studies from New York University and has taught performance theory and practice at Pratt Institute, Muhlenberg College, New York University, Wesleyan College, Yale University, and The New School. He is currently curator-in-residence at The Poetry Project in New York City. In 2023, Philbrick published Group Works: Art, Politics, and Collective Ambivalence with Fordham University Press. He is part of the musical-theatrical project DAYS and has presented solo and collaborative performances at The Kitchen, NYU Skirball, Wesleyan Center for the Arts, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and Grey Art Museum. J.W. McCorkmack called his musical performances “overwhelmingly beautiful” and “extremely strange” in The Nation and Laura Nelson referred to his writing as “rich and fascinating" in e-flux. https://ethanphilbrick.com