Rivera Sun Cook was born in Portland, and moved with her parents and four siblings to Auburn, when she was 3. Her formative childhood years were spent in the large, unruly yard of 450 Court St, the neighborhood playground, and the Auburn Public Library (to which her mother would donate every year to cover the overdue fines of five voracious readers who would check out over a hundred books a month).

At age 13, the family transplanted to an organic potato farm in the St. John Valley, where Rivera cultivated stories in her head to alleviate long hours of weed pulling and potato picking. As a teenager and young woman, she studied weaving and blacksmithing in coastal Maine while majoring in dance and theater at Bennington College in Vermont. She also had the opportunity to be the very first summer intern at Schoodic Arts For All!

The gifts of this varied and beautiful heritage of a Maine upbringing are evident throughout her writings which celebrate the earth’s richness, the hard work and joys, both, of growing up in a farming community, and the sheer love of literature and language.

“Maine is an incredible and very sensible state,” Rivera says, “I have lived and traveled throughout the USA and my admiration for my home state has only grown.”
Rivera’s twin and her younger sister run Crown of Maine Organic Cooperative, a family business that has supported and distributed Maine-made product and produce throughout the state for over fifteen years.   One of her brothers is a boat-builder in Bar Harbor, and the other works for Apple Computers in Portland.  Her mother, also born in Portland, ME, currently lives in Washington, D.C.
 Rivera is the Artistic Director of Rising Sun Dance and Theater, Inc., which produces and tours her performance work nationally.  Rivera’s first illustrated novel, “Hope at the End of the World” will be published this summer.

Dramatic reading, book signing

In accompaniment to the trilogy performances are a dramatic reading and book signing at the Lewiston Public Library at 7 p.m., Friday, May 25, along with performance art workshops at 7 p.m.,May 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Auburn and at 2 p.m., on Sunday, May 20.

UU Rising Sun Workshops

Cost- sliding scale $5-$45

More information:www.auburnuu.org

Unitarian Universalist Church

159 Pleasant St., Auburn

“Story In Your Heart”

7 p.m., Tuesday May 8

“Story In Your Heart” is a solo performance for everyone geared toward stretching the performer in you into an unlimited storyteller. Acting experience not necessary, enthusiasm required. Take the story in your head and heart and transcribe it from page to stage to embodied telling. Learn the techniques and tactics of dynamic character switches, vocal “toggling,” building an imagined world, and playing with invisible friends, all in a safe, every-experience-level-friendly environment. Wear loose comfortable clothes.

“Change Your Story, Change Your Life”

2 p.m., Sunday May 20

“Change your Story, Change Your Life” is centered around personal growth. Dropping folktales and fairytales of our past and future, learn to examine your collection of personal stories through exercises, discussion, retelling, and. . .revising! Then explore how to let them all go to simply be here now, free of story, totally present to the “True Story: Now”. A blend of story-telling, self-exploration, spiritual wisdom, and meditation, this workshop gives you a pantheon of every day techniques to take home that will change the entire story of your life. Bring notebooks, markers, pens, crayons. Wear comfortable clothes