Fivesparks will be closed January 5-13 for building maintenance and in preparation for our Artists in Residence Program, reopening Tuesday, January 14 on our regular schedule. Our Artists in Residence Program runs Saturday, January 18 through Saturday, February 22.
Fivesparks is delighted to welcome John Hanson Mitchell, celebrated author of The Sweet Revenge of Marcus Aurelius, a compelling novel inspired by the true story of a talented and ingenious slave who outwitted his master.
Join us on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at 7:30 PM for a captivating journey into the incredible saga of Marcus Aurelius—a courageous and resourceful man who defied the odds, pursued freedom, and claimed a victory that reshaped his life.
Through Mitchell’s masterful storytelling, experience the dramatic twists of plantation life, daring escapes, high-society intrigue, and even pirate adventures. This extraordinary tale of resilience, humanity, and justice will leave you inspired and deeply moved.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from an award-winning author and environmental visionary whose work explores the profound connections between human stories and the natural world. The book will be available for purchase by cash or check.
DESCRIPTION:
The Sweet Revenge of Marcus Aurelius is based on the true story of a talented and ingenious slave who sold his master. When he was still a young house boy, Marcus Aurelius was taught to read and write by the plantation owner’s rebellious twelve-year-old daughter, who also instilled in him a passionate desire for freedom. She even encouraged him to escape, which he did – three different times – thus setting in motion his ultimate and sweetest revenge.
His story, even without fictionalizing, is a wide-ranging, swash-buckling tale of a fittingly just revenge set against many venues: the cruelties and dehumanizing effects of plantation life, a year in a unique community of escaped slaves in the Great Dismal Swamp, Paris high society in the Second Republic, duels, an enduring love affair, bad dogs and violent slave catchers, crime-ridden New Orleans street life, and even a stint as a passenger on a pirate ship.
BIO:
John (Hanson Mitchell) has been working in the environmental field for most of his life, first as a naturalist and educator, and then as a writer for various environmental journals and magazines, and finally as an author.
For over 40 years he was the creator and editor of ‘Sanctuary’ , the award-winning journal of the Audubon Society of Massachusetts. In 1993, he was the winner of the John Burroughs Outstanding Natural History Essay Award for his ‘Sanctuary’ piece, Of Time and the River. His first book, Ceremonial Time: Fifteen Thousand Years on a Single Square Mile, was an ‘Editor’s Choice’ in the New York Times Book Review and set the stage for six more books, known as the ‘Scratch Flat’ series, which examine the interrelationship between human cultures and nature. In 2000, he was given the New England Booksellers Award for the body of his work.
Other books John has written deal with international travel, gardens, and the biography of Robert A Gilbert, a formerly unknown man John put on the map as the first African American landscape photographer. It was this book which led to John’s discovery of the man whose life became the source of Marcus Aurelius: the Slave Who Sold His Master.
Next spring, The Garden at the End of Time will be published. It will be the latest in John’s series of ‘Scratch Flat Chronicles’.
Learn more about John and his work at http://www.johnhansonmitchell.com/