Picture from: ghost ship the-nicest-pictures.blogspot
Looking for a shot of seasonal spine-chill? You can’t beat deep sea specters and ghost ships for getting into the spirit. That’s why two local libraries are hosting a richly illustrated presentation by cruise ship lecturer, Ann Payton Williams. “Hair Raisers from the Deep: Ghost Ships, Kraken, Sharks, and Worse” will air at Florence’s John C. Fremont Public Library and the Cañon City Public Library on October 21st and 25th respectively.
“Hair Raisers from the Deep” recalls stories of sea monsters like Kraken that haunted early sailors. The terrifying Kraken of old are now called squid, but they’re still monstrous, voracious, and armed with the stuff of nightmares.
Photo from: popculturezoo.com
News from a growing wave of shark-huggers lightens the vibe. It seems jaws aren’t so bad. That tendency to sever an occasional leg is nothing personal, but Ann shares tips for avoiding lost limbs.
“Hair Raisers from the Deep” is part of a “Sea Secrets” presentation collection that Ann developed for cruise ship audiences. To add colorful details and personal involvement to the talks, she participated in shark tagging expeditions, whale watching cruises, dolphin research, educating guests at the Denver Aquarium, and other adventures.
Ann assisting in a shark tagging operation.
“I was blessed with a gig teaching creative writing on the Holland America Cruise Lines World Tour which took us down the east coast of South America into Antarctica and across the South Pacific to Australia. We had so many enthralling experiences, watching moray eels, turtles, whale spouts, flying fish, and penguins swimming underwater. It was so crazy to see the waves break and bunches of penguin heads pop out.”
Before tackling Sea Secrets, Ann coordinated the Pueblo Community College science lab, taught biology, and created the Kids Chemistry Kits program to make science activities easily available to community groups. She also assisted in writing lab manuals, which led her to take up travel writing on the side. Her articles were published in magazines and newspapers around the country.
“Hair Raisers from the Deep” will be offered at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 21st at the John C. Fremont Public Library, 130 Church Avenue, Florence. It is also scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 25th at Cañon City Public Library, 516 Macon Avenue, Cañon City.
Ann will return to the Cañon City Public Library from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on November 1st for the Local Author Sale event. Along with her two novels and family biography, she’ll display hands-on science novelties to highlight Mile High Lab Rat, a mystery novel set in a science lab based on her experiences at Pueblo Community College.
Ann’s mystery novel