Shore Lit, Flying Cloud Booksellers, and the Talbot Historical Society invite the community to join author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson for a book talk on her award-winning biography of Maryland-born fashion designer Claire McCardell at the Ebenezer Theater on Sunday, September 13.
Though Claire McCardell has largely been erased from history, much of what women wear traces back to her ingenious, rebellious mind. The inventor of ballet flats, spaghetti straps, and mix-and-match separates, she built an empire at a time when women rarely made the upper echelons of business.
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson brings McCardell’s story back into the light in writing that is relentlessly compelling, reaching well beyond the interests of style. “In the hands of Dickinson, this is more than just the biography of a fashion revolutionary,” writes the New York Times: “It is a story of the fight for women’s identity and, incidentally, the birth of an American industry.”
The biography was named one of The New York Times’s 100 Notable Books of 2025 and was hailed as a best book of the year by NPR, Time, Kirkus, The Washington Post, Library Journal, New York Post and others. Claire McCardell was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, selected as an Amazon Editor’s pick for Best History, and chosen by the Maryland Center for the Book, in partnership with the Library of Congress, as its Great Reads selection for the 2026 National Book Festival.
The program will begin at 2pm, when Dickinson will offer a presentation on McCardell before joining Shore Lit Founder/Director Kerry Folan in conversation about the book. Copies of Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free will be available for sale on site via Flying Cloud Booksellers, and a book signing will follow the talk. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required via shorelit.org.
Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson’s writing encompasses cultural criticism, narrative nonfiction, investigative journalism, short fiction, and memoir. She’s been widely published in places like The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper’s, and The Southern Review. Her nonfiction earned recognition in The Best American Essays anthology and she’s a two-time recipient of the Independent Artist Award in fiction from The Maryland State Arts Council. She was a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow and in 2023, Elizabeth became the first literary artist to win Maryland’s prestigious Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, given in recognition of artists who demonstrate excellence in mastery of craft, depth of artistic exploration, and unique vision. Elizabeth teaches graduate-level writing and lives in Baltimore with her family and a very opinionated corgi named Buddy.
Shore Lit is based in Easton, Maryland, and aims to enhance local cultural offerings with free literary events open to the public. Shore Lit’s programs are designed to explore relevant ideas, foster literary conversation, build inclusive community, and create experiences of joy and connection around stories and reading. For updates, sign up for our monthly newsletter at shorelit.org.
Flying Cloud Booksellers is an independent bookshop offering a curated collection of fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, biographies, literary classics, books about design, food and wine, and the natural world. Our children’s and young adult collections have been hand-selected to appeal to readers of all levels and temperaments, from the reluctant reader to the avid. Experience the world with Flying Cloud!
Talbot Historical Society is a civic and educational organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Talbot County’s rich history. We offer a place where the community can connect with the past, deepen historical understanding, and strengthen our shared sense of identity.
For questions about accessibility for this event, please contact Shore Lit Director Kerry Folan at easternshorelit@gmail.com.
