Prescott  was declared Arizona's official Christmas City by Gov. Rose Mofford in 1989, but it was the perfect place for an old-fashioned family Christmas long before that. With its lovely Victorian houses and charming town square set in lights for the season,  it's easy to go back in time. In December of 1935, during the Great Depression, Hannah Grace Meadows was just short of eleven years old. Her papa was a ranch hand, coming home to his family of seven every weekend he was able to get away from the  job. Still, money was very tight, so Hannah came up with what she thought was a clever plan to help Santa out a bit. That's when things got worse. Join Hannah on a Prescott style Christmas adventure.

 

To purchase a book:

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Or, if you live near Prescott, AZ, get your book at Peregrine Book Company or The Purple Cat.

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Hannah’s Heart is a sensitively written and illustrated  account of a family struggling in Prescott’s years of experiencing a national Depression, which affected small and large communities in many different ways.  Diane Iverson has tenderly depicted a loving, struggling family in an historic setting which survived those terrible years and thrives today because of all the gallant folk who choose to live here and make our town unique.

Elisabeth F. Ruffner, born before the Depression, and here today to assert that Diane got the story right

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Downtown Prescott is the very special place where I get to work every day.  Often, while walking among historic buildings, I wonder what life would have been like in Prescott long ago.  Hannah’s Heart took me to depression era Prescott by capturing the timeless beauty of our wonderful town.  A story for all ages about a very special Christmas,  ‘Hannah’s Heart’ is sure to capture yours. 

Rev. Dan Hurlbert, Senior Pastor, Prescott United Methodist Church

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It's a Play!

Hannah's Heart is part of the Christmas tradition in Prescott, Arizona. If you are traveling to Prescott for the annual festivities, don't miss the play. Playwright, Melanie Ewbank, has adapted the book for live theatre. She is also directing.

To purchase tickets: www.hannahsheartaz.org.

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About the Playwright

Melanie Ewbank is an award-winning playwright and actress. Her plays have been produced in festivals in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Idaho, and several of her longer one-acts toured LA area prisons, juvenile detention centers, and assisted living facilities. A staged reading of her full-length play, I Found Baby Jesus in the Cat Box, was produced by Pasadena Playhouse, and her one-act play, Platitudes of Perfect-ness, took first place in Knoxville Writer’s Guild’s 2012 writing contest. As an actress, Melanie has won an LA Weekly Award, a Charlie Award, and has been twice nominated for the prestigious Garland Award. Her play, Hannah's Heart, premiered in Prescott in  2018.

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