Last week, in honor of the holiday, I spent four days removing odd-colored kernels from ears of Indian corn, after which I glued them on construction paper in the shape of a turkey.

I'm good at stuff like that.

Unfortunately, whilst out of the office for the Thanksgiving Break, I missed an email from the honorable James Merrill Writer-in-Residence Program.

It seems November's honoree, Gimbiya Kettering, is reading at 5:30 p.m. TONIGHT -- this is Monday, Nov. 26 as I type this -- on the top floor of the Merrill House, 107 Water St., Stonington Borough.

Yes: this is tragically late notice — but all of your Black Friday voodoo is over and your relatives have returned home and this is a terrfic opportunity to meet and hear the work of an immensely talented young writer.

Kettering has already charmed area folks at a recent appearance by Wally Lamb at the Arts Café — Mystic. Lamb hosted a sort of impromptu trivia contest based on his own works and Kettering not only volunteered to compete, she dazzled with her charm and deep knowledge of Lambian minutiae.

Kettering has spent her time at the Merrill House working on her first novel, Love in the Time of Democracy — early drafts of which have already earned the author numerous awards and grants. Expect excerpts from the manuscript, as well as possible selections from her short fiction; Kettering's stories have been published in such prestigious periodicals at the Kenyon Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and the Florida Review.

Time is tight, but do your best to make it to the Merrill House tonight to meet and hear Kettering. Methinks it will be time well spent.