Next week at Maine Crime Writers there will be posts by Maureen Milliken (Monday), Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson (Tuesday), Vicki Doudera (Wednesday), Lea Wait (Thursday) and Barbara Ross (Friday).

In the news department, here’s what’s happening with some of us who blog regularly at Maine Crime Writers:

This coming Thursday, May 28th, the Maine Literary Awards will be presented at the Space Gallery in Portland. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the ceremony starts at 7. MCW will be represented by Vaughn Hardacker and Kate Flora and alum Paul Doiron. This is a fun event celebrating the talents of Maine writers.

John Clark‘s retirement party will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 30th at the Hartland Library. Sweets and snacks and a sad farewell and a chance to meet the incoming librarian.

Brenda Buchanan is kicking off a little library tour to talk about her debut mystery, Quick Pivot, with a stop at Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham at 6:30 on Wednesday, May 27, and a noontime chat at Portland Public Library on Friday, May 29. Last week she launched Quick Pivot, with a convivial party at RiRa, an Irish pub on the Portland waterfront. Here’s a photo of Brenda with some of the other Maine Crime Writers who came to raise a pint to the success of her book.

Chris Holm, Katrina Niidas Holm, Brenda Buchanan, Ken Cohen and Kate Flora at Ri Ra

Last week, Kate Flora threatened you with a rhubarb…a rhubarb recipe, that is. So here, for those of you who have a rhubarb patch and can’t wait for a sweet version of this venerable spring tonic, is:

Rhubarb Strawberry Pudding Cake (heat over to 400 and butter 8″ square baking dish)

1/4 c. water, 1 1/2 t. cornstarch, 1/3 c. sugar. Stir together in saucepan and add 2 c. chopped rhubarb.

Bring to a boil*, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 c. chopped strawberries.

Whisk together 1 c. flour, 1 3/4 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 c. sugar in a bowl.

In large bowl, whisk together 1 large egg, 1/2 c. milk, 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, and 1 t. vanilla. Then whisk in flour mixture.

Reserve 1/2 c. fruit mixture. Pour the rest into baking dish and pour batter over it. Drizzle remaining fruit over batter. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

From Gourmet, April 2007

*original recipe says bring to simmer. Kate says bring to boil, then simmer. Your choice.

And some sources say that rhubarb was first introduced to the new world by someone from Maine. http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/history

From Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson: For those who remember my blog on the town of Wilton needing to establish itself as a “slum and blight” in order to qualify for grant money (see http://mainecrimewriters.com/?s=slum+and+blight), there is good news. It worked. For the whole story in our local online newspaper, you can click here Daily Bulldog

An invitation to readers of this blog: Do you have news relating to Maine, Crime, or Writing? We’d love to hear from you. Just comment below to share.

And a reminder: If your library, school, or organization is looking for a speaker, we are often available to talk about the writing process, research, where we get our ideas, and other mysteries of the business. Contact Kate Flora: mailto: kateflora@gmail.com