On Friday, November 1st, the Jaffrey Civic Center will present the second speaker in this season’s “Stories to Share” series. Mel Allen, Editor of Yankee Magazine, will speak on the subject of ‘People I’ve Known, Places I’ve Seen: Yankee Magazine Editor’s Most Memorable Stories.” The program will begin at 5:00 PM and will be followed by a reception. We encourage you to reserve your seat by registering for a free ticket to the event on our website: https://jaffreyciviccenter.com/stories/

Mel Allen’s first byline appeared in Yankee Magazine in 1977. He joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor and writer. He went on to become Executive Editor and in 2006 became Editor, the fifth person to hold that position since the magazine’s beginning in 1935. Mel’s career in journalism has exposed him to a wide variety of events, people, and places, many of which he will recount in his Stories to Share talk. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with Ted Williams, and profiled astronaut Alan Shephard. He even helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market.

Mel’s career as a writer had its roots as a public-school teacher who had to capture and hold the attention of 29 fourth graders. He went on to teach magazine writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and still teaches in the MFA creative nonfiction program at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. In 2018, Mel was inducted into the Folio Hall of Fame for Editorial Excellence.

Joseph Steinfield, “Stories to Share” founder, will serve as moderator for the talk. The program is free of charge, but to help support this event and others like it, donations are appreciated. The program will be available as an in-person event at the Jaffrey Civic Center as well as via YouTube a week after the event.