Applause for Silver Birch Press Author Merrill Farnsworth

Merrill Farnsworth is one of the most gifted artists we’ve ever encountered. (She’s pictured at right in New York City, June 2012, at the venue where her play Jezebel’s Got the Blues was performed as part of The Puzzle Festival of New Works.) Merrill is an award-winning playwright and songwriter, actor, short story writer, and poet (and probably a few more things I’ve forgotten). Silver Birch Press was honored to publish her play Jezebel’s Got the Blues, which has received many 5-star reviews on Amazon.com, available here. Here’s one of my favorites:

5 stars: “Jezebel” has got style and class,” by Thomas Neilson: These monologues and dialogues are spiritual, profound, irreverent, funny, and thought-provoking. I loved all these tales, although my personal favorite was the story of Noah’s Ark told from the perspective of the rat on board. The author — Merrill Farnsworth — has a way of turning a traditional bible story on its head, bringing it alive, and making it meaningful and profound in a new way. I highly recommend this book.

Praise for Silver Birch Press Author, Merrill Farnsworth

In June 2012, Silver Birch Press released Jezebel’s Got the Blues…And Other Works of Imagination, a collection of performance pieces by Merrill Farnsworth. The same month, Merrill took the show to New York City, where it was among a select few featured in The Puzzle Festival of New Work. Merrill recently received a letter from one of the attendees and was kind enough to share it (see below — emphasis mine!).

TEXT OF LETTER: Encountering something familiar from another angle may give us insights attainable in no other way. Merrill Farnsworth uses this approach in her ingenious collection of monologues and dialogues inspired by the Old Testament. In her hands, these well known stories come off the page and into the hearts and imaginations of those who witness her skill. By giving voice to the rouge on Jezebel’s face, we are prompted to see the woman who is so much more than her calling-card name. By giving voice to the scissors that cut off Samson’s hair, we are invited to see the frivolous dimensions of one who relies on brute strength to navigate the world. These and other personifications open windows to meanings often missed in these great pieces of the Biblical record. For anyone who wants to probe the power of the stories of our faith, Jezebel’s Got The Blues is a find. Get it and be ready to laugh loud and hard and to weep some tears of sweet recognition.”

The Reverend Susan Blackburn Heath, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Columbia, South Carolina)

Find Jezebel’s Got the Blues at Amazon.com here.

Author Spotlight: Merrill Farnsworth

Merrill Farnsworth (second from left) during a performance of her full-length drama JEZEBEL’S GOT THE BLUES…AND OTHER WORKS OF IMAGINATION at Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, Tennessee, on 9/17/11. 

Silver Birch Press is honored to publish the work of the multi-multi-multi-talented Merrill Farnsworth — Nashville-based poet, dramatist, fiction and nonfiction writer, lyricist, actress, therapist, and visual artist.

Born among the Texas tumbleweeds, Merrill came of age reveling in the sights and sounds of Puerto Rico’s Afro-Caribbean culture. The cadences of South Carolina left their mark on her, as did melodies reaching from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta. She is a published poet and award-winning lyricist, and recently collaborated with Phil Madeira (pictured above, left) on the Americana release, Mercyland.

Jezebel Hits New York City on June 27, 2012

   (Photo: Rebecca Wilson)

New York City’s Marble Collegiate Church (above left) is located in the heart of Manhattan, near the Empire State Building (above right). Merrill Farnsworth’s stage work JEZEBEL’S GOT THE BLUES will receive its New York debut in The Puzzle: Marble’s Festival of New Work (2012). Let’s hope some inspired producers attend the performance and book the show for an Off-Broadway run! 

HERE’S SOME INFORMATION FROM THE MARBLE WEBSITE: 

Jezebel’s got the Blues .. and Other Works of Imagination by Merrill Farnsworth

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at  7:30 pm (Bay Hall, 1 West 29th St.)

This full-length play is a collection of stories and paintings inspired by characters and stories from the Old Testament — with improvised blues.

This year, 112 submissions were received from 17 states and Canada. Ten dramatic pieces and a dozen pieces of spoken word were carefully chosen to receive staged readings by professional actors and directors. These pieces originate from New York, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Canada.  Admission to the performances in The Puzzle is free. Produced by Brian Hampton, with Marya Spring Cordes returning as Artistic Director. Marble Collegiate Church 5th Avenue & West 29th Street New York, NY 10001-4596 (212) 686-2770 marblechurch.org

Our Latest Release: Jezebel’s Got the Blues

Jezebel’s Got the Blues … And Other Works of Imagination is a series of performance pieces that puts a new spin on stories from the Old Testament. In Merrill Farnsworth‘s inspired telling, Jezebel, Cain, Noah, Delilah, Lot’s wife, and other denizens of Bible history reveal themselves as people with very modern stories to share. Jezebel and her friends are true originals — taking readers (and audiences!) on a creative, thought-provoking, insightful ride.

Official release date: June 8, 2012

Available on Amazon, where the book is garnering impressive reviews.

ISBN-13: 978-0615653501