‘Moby Dick’ readathon returns in-person to New Bedford Whaling Museum

NEW BEDFORD, Mass- — “Moby Dick” enthusiasts gathered in New Bedford for the annual, live-reading marathon of the Herman Melville classic this weekend.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum’s Moby Dick Marathon was back in-person for the first time since 2020.

The novel begins in New Bedford and Melville did considerable research there before writing the book, which is a point of pride for the city and the museum.

It was read live by more than 200 readers, in its entirety, over 25 hours this weekend.

Actress Taylor Schilling, best known for her role in Orange is the New Black and whose father lives in New Bedford, kicked off the event.

“I have said to people, as adults, when do we have a story read to us, right,” said Amanda McMullen, President & CEO of the museum. “So there’s a magic about just sort of sitting back spending an hour, or 25 if you want to do all of it, and just let a story be read to you.”

McMullen called it a bit of respite from all we’ve been enduring over the last couple of years.

Boston 25 News Anchor and Investigative Reporter Kerry Kavanaugh was also a reader to help kick off the event.

It began Saturday at noon, went straight through the night and wrapped up Sunday afternoon.

This was the museum’s 27th anniversary of the annual readathon.

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