With the support of a grant from the Maine Community Foundation Hospice Fund, a performance with discussion of Eliott Cherry's A Finished Heart will be presented on Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Temple at Ocean Park, Maine (50 Temple Avenue). This event is a collaboration of Ocean Park Association, Cancer Care Center of York County, the Center for Grieving Children, and Hospice of Southern Maine. As part of the Ocean Park Summer Festival Series, the event is open to the general public, with a special invitation to family caregivers, health care professionals, students, volunteers, and youth.

When his husband of sixteen years became ill, author and composer Eliott Cherry cared for him at home. He also recorded their conversations in his diary. After Chris Chenard died in 2007, Eliott wrote poetry, prose, and music and combined these with his journal entries to create A Finished Heart.

Eliott Cherry will perform dramatic story and poetry accompanied by a musical score, with Martin Perry at the piano. The audience is invited to attend a post-performance discussion with the author, facilitated by the Bereavement Services Coordinator of the Center for Grieving Children. Participants will have a chance to share experiences and questions related to care-giving, dying, and loss.

A Finished Heart has been performed at the University of Maine, the University of New England, the University of Southern Maine, the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine, the public libraries of Rockland and Auburn, ME and Cambridge, MA, as well as for many faith congregations. The work has also been presented at the New England Consortium on Life Stories. Performances have received support from the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Humanities Council, and the JSL Foundation. Eliott Cherry, a composer and performer, is working to bring A Finished Heart to diverse audiences throughout Maine and beyond. Martin Perry, a freelance pianist and recording artist, specializes in music of the 20th century. For more information, please visit www.afinishedheart.com.

Founded in 1881, Ocean Park, known also as Chautauqua-by-the-Sea, is a retreat to the quiet of the pines and the beach offering lectures, workshops, family programs, and opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal in a non-denominational, inter-faith setting. Information can be found at oceanpark.org.