Frank McCourt's journey as an Irish-American writer and Connecticut resident perfectly embodies the 2009 International Festival of Arts & Ideas theme of Global Identities/Local Heroes. McCourt exploded onto the international literary stage with his searing, heartbreaking, and Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, and his revelations continued in ‘Tis and Teacher Man. Frank is joined by poet, photographer, human rights activist, and good friend Rose Styron. It is with tremendous gratitude and honor we share this tribute to Frank McCourt. The Festival was fortunate to host this rare and intimate conversation between two dear friends—Rose Styron and Frank McCourt. The magic of that encounter on June 20 at the Yale University Art Gallery was evident to all of us who were lucky enough to be there. The humor, insights and sheer love of life in their exchange perfectly represented what we have come to know from them both as artists and humanitarians. If you love Angela’s Ashes, this dialogue will give you enlightened perspectives on the life, love and family that made for one of the greatest memoirs of all time. While we immersed ourselves in the joy of being in the room with Frank McCourt that afternoon, we could not have imagined that this would be one of his last public appearances. As Frank taught his students that our lives are collections of memories, this was one of those definitive moments that is at the same time unexpected and life changing. So we invite you to savor this experience time and time again, and carry the memory in yourself like a treasure for as long as memory serves. Less