McCourt to speak at Packard Music Hall

WARREN — Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Angela’s Ashes,” will speak at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at W.D. Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. N.W., as part of Trumbull Town Hall’s celebrity series.

Refreshments will be offered at 9 a.m. in the lobby. McCourt will sign copies of his books, and answer questions after the lecture.

Tickets are $25, with a group rate (10 or more) of $15. Students are $5. Call (330) 373-1900.

McCourt was born in New York, but raised in Limerick, Ireland. He returned to the United States at age 19 to attend New York University’s School of Education and became a New York public high school teacher.

After retiring in 1996, he wrote “Angela’s Ashes,” a memoir of his childhood. “Angela’s Ashes” was on the New York Times’ best-seller list for 117 weeks and later made into a feature film. In 1999 he published “’Tis,” and for a period of time both “’Tis” and “Angela’s Ashes” were No. 1 in hardcover and paperback sales, respectively. McCourt’s 2005 novel “Teacher Man” also peaked at No. 1 on the Times’ best-seller list. His other works include a musical, “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” and a play, “A Couple of Blaguards.”

McCourt is a contributing editor for Life magazine. He lives with his wife, Ellen, in Connecticut and New York City.