By Wendy Carlson

The fate of Arthur Miller’s one-room studio, where the Pulitzer Prize-winning author wrote many of his famous works, rests in the hands of a newly-formed local nonprofit. Last spring, the Arthur Miller Writing Studio began raising funds to restore the 300-square-foot shingle structure and move it from its temporary location behind the Roxbury Town Hall to a permanent location next to the Minor Memorial Library.

To commemorate Miller’s birthday, the organization partnered with the Arthur Miller Society to present a free event, “Guilty Until Proven Innocent: False Confession and Wrongful Conviction,” on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. at Minor Memorial Library. Educational programming is part of the group’s $1 million campaign to sustain Miller’s legacy as a writer and activist in Roxbury.

Marc Olivieri, board member, said the event will raise awareness about the studio’s connection to the town. “The intellectual history of Roxbury can evaporate if we don’t preserve icons that represent it. And that’s what this is. An icon,” he said. 

The event will focus on Miller’s support of Peter Reilly who was wrongfully convicted for the murder his mother in Canaan, CT in 1974. In parallel, it will explore the contemporary experience of New Haven resident and author Gaylord Salters, who was wrongfully convicted of a shooting. Panelists include Reilly and Salters, attorneys Peter Herbst and Alex Taubes, and Connecticut ACLU board member Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman. Actor Jack Gilpin will read Miller’s short essay “Luck and the Death Penalty” and from Miller’s unpublished book.