Novelist Charles Monagan
Author Charles Monagan to discuss his Waterbury-based novel on July 17 at the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum
Charles Monagan, an author and former editor of “Connecticut” magazine, will discuss his new historical novel about Waterbury’s Carrie Welton, on Sunday, July 17 at 1 p.m. at the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum at 52 Tolland Stage Road in Tolland.
The free talk is sponsored by the Tolland Historical Society, which operates the museum, and the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
As a Waterbury native, Monagan knew that Welton, a 19th-century resident of the city, had left the money in her will to install a large drinking fountain on the Waterbury Green that is topped with a bronze statue of her beloved stallion, Knight.
He knew she had died while climbing in the Rocky Mountains, but other that, he says, she was an enigma. In “Carrie Welton,” he has invented a series of high-wire adventures for 18-year-old Carrie, who he describes as “restless, unhappy, and ill-suited to the conventions of 19th-century New England.” Monagan writes that using her charm and a cunning scheme, she escapes the shadow of a cruel father and travels around the country, encountering Bohemian painters, singers, social crusaders, violent gang members and a group of female mountain climbers.
Monagan has been a writer and editor for more than 45 years. He’s the author of several books, including “The Neurotic’s Handbook,” “The Reluctant Naturalist,” “How to Get a Monkey into Harvard” and “Connecticut Icons.”
He was also editor of “Connecticut” magazine from 1989 to 2013 and also wrote the book and lyrics for a musical, “Mad Bomber,” in 2011.
For more information, call Tolland Historical Society President Kathy Bach at 860-872-7716.
