Union Church in Biddeford Pool will be hosting two speakers in August, both successful authors and each further distinguished by their towering and wildly divergent accomplishments: Barbara Walsh won a Pulitzer Prize in investigative journalism. Lincoln Peirce has for over 30 years drawn the hugely successful comic strip, Big Nate, now an animated TV series.

This summer’s events are sponsored by F.O. Goldthwaite’s/Pool Lobster, Fernleaf Bakery, Mann Memorial Veterinary Clinic, Mobile Studio Design, Paquin & Carroll Insurance, Tulu Salon & Spa, and Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the two events will benefit the church’s community outreach projects, including the Biddeford Food Pantry, Saco Meals Program, Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, APEX Youth Connection, Ever After Mustang Rescue, and local families and individuals in need.

Thursday, August 3, 7:00 p.m. Barbara Walsh

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and Maine author, Barbara Walsh, will talk about her journalism career as well as her books, some focusing on Maine’s extraordinary characters, such as The Lobster Lady: Maine’s 102-year-old Legend; one, Sammy in the Sky, inspired by her family’s first dog and illustrated by renowned artist Jamie Wyeth; and August Gale: A Father and Daughter’s Journey into the Storm, an epic, true “sea story” and a poignant, multi-layered story of “the ties that bound her own family despite death and desertion.” (Kirkus Reviews) Walsh was awarded the Pulitzer for her reporting on convicted killer William Horton Jr. and Massachusetts’ flawed prison program that allowed killers unsupervised, weekend furloughs. Her reporting over the years has also earned national, state, and regional awards, including the Yankee Quill Award for journalism excellence, commending her personally for being “a feisty project reporter who writes about important public matters … and [who] has changed society for the better.”

Thursday, August 17, 7:00 p.m. Lincoln Peirce

The hugely successful cartoonist and New York Times Bestselling author will engage in a lively discussion and live drawing demonstration. His comic strip, Big Nate, about a spirited and rebellious sixth grader, was syndicated in 1991 and currently appears in over 400 newspapers worldwide. Peirce is also the author and illustrator of a series of New York Times Bestselling, hilarious novels based on his comic strip. Big Nate books and compilations appear in 33 different languages and have sold over 20 million copies. In 2018 Peirce created Max & the Midnights, a NYT bestselling comedic adventure trilogy set in the Middle Ages. His books have been honored by the American Library Association, the Children’s Book Council, and the American Booksellers Association. An animated Big Nate television series premiered on Paramount Plus in 2022.

EAch event takes place in-person only, at Union Church, 3 Stonecliff Road, Biddeford Pool. The events start at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM. All guests must register in advance. For tickets go to unionchurchme.com at “Special Events.” Tickets for each event are $20 for adults, $10 for children under 12. FMI contact Debbie Lamb, 207-475-8505