BELFAST — Left Bank Books, in downtown Belfast, invites the public to a free talk and book signing by award-winning Maine author Shannon Bowring on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Bowring will be celebrating the release, on September 3, of her second novel, Where the Forest Meets the River, the follow-up to her debut novel, The Road to Dalton.

Told against the backdrop of Dalton, a small town in northern Maine, Where the Forest Meets the River captures the interior lives and secrets of townspeople who continue to struggle in the aftermath of the shocking loss of one of their own.

“Full of grace, empathy, and compassion, Bowring’s second novel offers a stunningly human portrait of small-town America,” said Left Bank Books, in a news release.

The characters who populated Road to Dalton, and who stole readers’ hearts, according to the news release, return in this sequel that takes place five years later, in 1995. Nate is raising his young daughter Sophie, who is full of questions about her heritage. Greg returns to town to work at the family store while searching for the words to tell his family the truth about himself. Trudy and Bev find themselves rocked when Trudy’s husband suffers a heart attack, bringing into focus all the guilt she’s felt about their empty marriage.

Bowring is one of the rising young literary stars in Maine, according to Left Bank. Road to Dalton won the prestigious Maine Literary Award for Fiction (2024) and Where the Forest Meets the River has been chosen as an Indie Next Pick for September. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a Best of the Net.

Bowring holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast Program, where she was editor-in-chief of the literary magazine. Born and raised in Aroostook County, she now lives in Bath.

Reservations are strongly recommended for this event. Call 207-338-9009 or email info@leftbankbookshop.com. Free parking is in front of the bookshop and in an adjacent city lot.