Book Signing with Mother Dolores Hart at Hickory Stick Bookshop

Mother Dolores Hart will sign copies of her new book, The Ear of the Heart, at The Hickory Stick Bookshop located on 2 Green Hill Road in Washington Depot on Saturday, July 13th at 2 pm.

Lavishly illustrated with 64 pages of photos, Dolores Hart's biography, The Ear of the Heart, tells the story of the two remarkable and vastly different lives of Dolores Hart.

Dolores Hicks came from a complicated and colorful Chicago family. Her relationship with her mother was a difficult one, and her father was often absent. Her parents troubled marriage, their divorce, and remarriages resulted in Dolores shifting between living with her mother and her grandparents. Dolores was a bright and beautiful college student when she made her film debut with Elvis Presley in 1957. The debut was a successful one leading to acting roles in nine more movies with other big stars such as Montgomery Clift, Anthony Quinn and Myrna Loy. She also performed in the Broadway play The Pleasure of His Company for which she received a Tony nomination.

A new chapter in her life began in 1962. While playing Saint Clare in the movie Francis of Assisi, which was filmed on location in Italy, Dolores met Pope John XXIII, who was an instrumental force in her life-changing decision. She was at the height of her career and engaged to be married when Dolores Hart left it all for good in 1963. She became a nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. The title of her book, The Ear of the Heart, comes from a quote by St. Benedict meaning to listen with the "ear of our heart" to the voice of God inviting us to follow him.

About the author…

Influenced by her grandfather who had a motion picture operator's license, Dolores would go into the booth with him and spend days as a youngster watching movies. She always wanted to be an actress. After her successes on screen, however, Dolores began to think life had a bigger meaning for her and that making movies might not be her true calling in life. In 1963 she entered the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut while at the peak of her career. Today, 50 years later, The Reverend Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., is Prioress of the   Abbey, but she remains a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Mother Dolores has been granted the rare privilege of traveling outside the cloister for a short time to talk about the book. With a similar privilege in 2012, she became the only contemplative nun ever to walk the red carpet and attend the Oscars because an HBO documentary about her life, God Is the Bigger Elvis, was a nominee for "Best Documentary Short Subject." She remains the only Oscar-voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who is a nun.

 This event is free and open to the public. If you are unable to attend this event, you may call to reserve a signed copy. For more information call 860-868-0525 or visit www.hickorystickbookshop.com.