Saturday, May 18, 2019 
10:00AM – 5:00PM

We are excited to once again present a full day of free programs and panel sessions for adults, teens and children! See the separate link for children’s authors and illustrators.

For the full schedule and program descriptions click here.

Dani Shapiro’s books include the memoirs, Hourglass, Still Writing, Devotion, Slow Motion and Inheritance, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her work spans diverse subjects from her tumultuous upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish community and the tragic death of her father to her explorations of spirituality and the nature of our deepest relationships. Dani’s New York Times best selling memoir, Inheritance, was recently published by Knopf.

Dani’s essays and journalistic pieces have appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Salon, n+1, Tin House, and Vogue, and have been widely anthologized. She contributes regularly to The New York Times Book Review and has been broadcast on This American Life. Along with teaching writing workshops around the world, Dani has taught at Columbia and New York University, and is the cofounder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. Read more about her at https://danishapiro.com/.

Writing is Maxine Paetro’s second career. She was in advertising from the 70s through the 90s and in the early 70s, she met James Patterson. Maxine has written many adventure articles for magazines, a primer on how to get into advertising that has been in print for 40 years, three novels of her own and over two dozen thrillers with James Patterson, including the best selling “Women’s Murder Club” series. She is married to John Duffy and lives in Amenia, NY.

Laura Sims is the author of Looker, a debut novel (Scribner, 2019), chosen by Vogue, Lit Hub, and Crime Reads as one of the “Most Anticipated” books of 2019, and as a “Best New Book” by People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and Cosmo UK. She has published four books of poetry, including, most recently, Staying Alive (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2016), and her first poetry collection, Practice, Restraint, was the winner of the 2005 Fence Books Ottoline Prize. In 2014, she edited Fare Forward: Letters from David Markson(powerHouse), a collection of letters spanning her seven-year correspondence and friendship with the celebrated experimental novelist. She has been the recipient of a US-Japan Creative Arts Fellowship and is an editor-at-large for The Scofield. Her poetry and prose have appeared in Boston Review, Conjunctions, Denver Quarterly, Gulf Coast, Fence, The New Republic, and other journals. Her web page is http://www.laurasims.net.

 

 

Dana Czapnik’s debut novel The Falconer was published in January with rave reviews from The New York Times, NPR, Kirkus, O Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and was a New York Times Editor’s Pick. Ann Patchett called The Falconer “a novel of huge heart and fierce intelligence.” Czapnik was awarded a 2018 Fellowship in Fiction from The New York Foundation for the Arts and in 2017, was an Emerging Writers Fellow at the Center for Fiction. She’s spent most of her career on the editorial side of professional sports including stints at ESPN the Magazine, the United States Tennis Association and the Arena Football League. A native New Yorker, she lives in Manhattan with her husband and son. Find her online at danaczapnik.com. 

Joanne Ramos was born in the Philippines and moved to Wisconsin when she was six. She graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University. After working in investment banking and private-equity investing for several years, she became a staff writer at The Economist. She currently serves on the board of The Moth. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children, and is online at  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600468/the-farm-by-joanne-ramos/9781984853752/.

Jean Michel started Megabrain Comics in 2009 as an indie publishing company in order to print his comic book American Dark Age. Ten years later, he and his wife have taken the Megabrain Comics name and elevated to one of the most respected and critically successful comic book retail stores in the Hudson Valley. Megabrain Comics is a comic book store and community space that fosters literacy, tolerance and cultivates an inclusive community for all. It is a safe space for students and families and a social club for nerds. Learn more about it at https://www.facebook.com/megabraincomicsrhinebeck/.

Alisa Kwitney is a former editor at Vertigo/DC Comics and the author of numerous novels and graphic novels. She has an MFA from Columbia University’s Fiction Writing program, and her thesis, Till the Fat Lady Sings, was listed as a New York Times New and Noteworthy paperback. Her first Young Adult title, Cadaver & Queen, was highly recommended by the School Library Journal, and her YA graphic novel, Mystik U, made 109’s list of best comics of 2017. Her newest book, Corpse & Crown, is a companion novel to Cadaver & Queen and was just released Feb 12. Alisa teaches writing at The Art Effect in Poughkeepsie and Manhattanville’s MFA program in Purchase, NY, and is online at www.alisakwitney.com.

Akiko Busch writes about design, culture, and nature for a variety of publications. The Incidental Steward, her essays about citizen science and stewardship, was published by Yale University Press in 2013 and awarded an Honorable Mention in the Natural History Literature category of 2013 National Outdoor Book Awards. She is also the author of Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live, The Uncommon Life of Common Objects: Essays on Design and the Everyday, and Nine Ways to Cross a River: Midstream Reflections on Swimming and Getting There from Here.

She was a contributing editor at Metropolis magazine for twenty years, and her essays have appeared in numerous national magazines, newspapers, and exhibition catalogues. Currently she is on the faculty of the MA Design Research program at the School of Visual Arts and is a visiting teacher at Bennington College where she teaches environmental writing. Her work has been recognized by grants from the Furthermore Foundation, NYFA, and Civitella Ranieri. She lives in the Hudson Valley and makes it a point to swim across the Hudson River once a year. Find her online at https://akikobusch.com/.

 Andrea Barnet is the author of Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters Changed Our World, a finalist for the 2019 PEN/ Bograd Weld Award for Biography and a Booklist 2018 “Editor’s choice for Biography” selection. Her previous book, All-Night Party: The Women of Bohemian Greenwich Village and Harlem, was a finalist for the 2004 Lambda Literary Awards. She was a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review for twenty-five years and her journalism has appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, the New York Times and The Toronto Glove and Mail, among other publications. She lives in the Hudson Valley and is online at www.andreabarnet.com.

April Eberhardt is literary change agent and author advocate passionate about helping authors be published in the most effective and satisfying way. After 25 years as a corporate strategist and consultant, Ms. Eberhardt joined the literary world, where she saw strategic opportunity to play a role in the changing world of publishing. Ms. Eberhardt advises and assists authors worldwide, as they choose the best pathway to publication for their work, be it indie or traditional, digital or print, and serves as a consultant to new publishing startups. April holds an MBA from Boston University in Marketing and Finance, a BA from Hamilton (Kirkland) College in Anthropology and French, and a CPLF degree from the University of Paris. She divides her time between San Francisco, New York and Paris. Visit her online at http://www.aprileberhardt.com.

Emma Sweeney is president and owner of a small boutique agency in New York City which she formed in 2006. Prior to that, she’d been an agent at Harold Ober Associates and Curtis Brown as well as rights director at Grove. She first a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives and the Women’s Media Group, where she served as president in 2003. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA in English Literature. Emma is also a writer whose own books include Tulipa (Artisan, 2000) and As Always, Jack (Little, Brown, 2002; Back Bay Books, 2003; Axios Press 2012).

 Karen Kaufman Orloff is the author of 11 books for children, including the popular “I Wanna” series (“I Wanna Iguana,” “I Wanna New Room,” “I Wanna Go Home.” “Some Days” is her most recent book. A 12th picture book, “Dudley’s Day At Home” will be out in 2020. Karen lives in the Hudson Valley and is a frequent visitor to schools and is online at www.karenkaufmanorloff.com.

 Della Ross Ferreri is a teacher and children’s book author. Della lives in Hyde Park with her husband, three children and two guinea pigs. In her free time, Della enjoys reading, movies, traveling, leisurely walks and cheering for her family at running races, and basketball and baseball games. Learn more about her at www.dellarossferreri.com/.

 John Ebbert is an exhibiting artist, writer and illustrator. He holds an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute. He spent more than 20 years consulting, designing, rendering and implementing toy store displays and environments in New York City, for clients such as: FAO Schwarz, Toys″R″Us Times Square, and The Scholastic Book Store. John is currently writing and illustrating novels–from middle grade to adult–under the name E.B.Quib. He is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Hudson Valley Writers Workshop and is online at www.dooleyglot.com/.

 Mison Kim is an exhibiting artist and illustrator. Her intricate drawings and paintings have garnered her quite a following and her years as a fashion illustrator, a motif and pattern designer for clients such as Tory Burch, Talbots, and Aeropostale among many others, has proven her unmatched skills over and over again. Mison has more recently turned her attention to children’s book illustration. She insists upon a clarity of design where color and pattern strike a particular balance that serves to keep her books fresh, exciting and challenging while maintaining a clear focus on the subject at hand. Learn more about it at www.dooleyglot.com.

Additional Authors Signing Books From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Under the Book Tent:

Krystyna Poray Goddu is author of the middle-grade biographies Becoming Emily: The Life of Emily Dickinson and A Girl Called Vincent: The Life of Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, winner of the SCBWI 2017 Golden Kite Honor Book for Nonfiction. She has also written a picture-book about Alicia Markova, An Unlikely Ballerina, and a collective biography, Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play, and is co-author, with Krystyna Mihulka, of Krysia—A Polish Girl’s Stolen Childhood During World War II: A Memoir. She loves visiting schools and talking about the subjects of her books and is online at  www.kpgoddu.com.

Doug Miller is a writer of long-form fiction, short stories and humor in a variety of formats, including essays, columns and cartoons. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, covering everything from politics to business and entertainment, dabbling in editorial writing and humor columns along the way. He has written four books – Girl Scouts (a novel); Secret Shorts; Jack Pipe, Plumber and Personal Counselor; and Cherry Farcical – and has originated five humor columns, three for newspapers and the wire service, and two for the internet. Miller also is an expert provider of corporate communication services, and is online at  www.booksbymiller.com.

Jodé Millman is the author of the best-selling SEATS: NEW YORK Theatre guidebooks, and her debut thriller novel, “The Midnight Call,” will be released by Immortal Works Publishing on May 14, 2019. “The Midnight Call” was short-listed for the 2014 Clue Award and received the First Place Blue Ribbon as “Best Police Procedural” by Chantireviews.com.

She received her BA and JD from Syracuse University, her MA in English Literature from Eastern Michigan University, and has taught at Detroit Mercy Law School and Marist College. Jodé co-hosts and co-produces the Backstage with the Bardavon Podcast, which interviews artists appearing at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York. The podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify and GooglePlay. She is a regular contributor to The Sisters in Crime Quarterly, and is online at www.jodesusanmillman.com.

Deborah Oswald is a fifth grade teacher with the North Salem School District. She’s been researching and writing about Putnam County history for twenty five years. Her first YA local historical novel, The Girls of Haviland, was published in September of 2017. The sequel, Beyond Haviland, was published in December 2018. Oswald gives presentations at local middle and high schools, as well as libraries, on research she conducts using archival issues of local newspapers to inspire her novels, which take place one hundred years ago in Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac, and Manhattan. While her stories explore the local impact of the First World War and the Women’s Suffrage movement, she also tackles issues such as teen suicide, teen pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse, which resonate with contemporary YA readers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and is online at www.deborahraffertyoswald.com.

David Rocco retired from an eighteen-year career as a carpenter for the New York City Housing Authority. Since then, he has been actively involved as a volunteer for cultural and environmental initiatives in the Hudson Valley and New York City area, including a major role in the successful development and eventually success of the Walkway Over the Hudson project. Additionally, David has worked with the Mount Beacon Fire Tower Restoration project, the Beacon Sloop Club’s “Woody Guthrie” sloop, Friends of the FDR State Park, the Yorktown Community Dog Park, the Yorktown Depot, SPCA of Briacliff Manor, New York and the Co-founder of Friends of the Mt. Beacon Eight. Because of David’s involvement in the Mt. Beacon Eight, he discovered that Navy legend Dixie Kiefer was one of the eight victims. He was compelled to write a book about his findings, which resulted in a partnership with Don Keith in writing Dixie Kiefer’s story,   . David’s photographs have been published in many magazines, newspapers, websites, calendars, brochures and many other venues. 

 Jesse Saperstein is an author, speaker, and autism advocate who knows a lot about living with Asperger’s. Diagnosed at the age of 14, Jesse has struggled, triumphed, flubbed, soared, educated, and inspired. Along the road to adulthood, he has learned many lessons the hard way. In his honest and engaging books, he offers a guided tour on what he’s learned about getting along with others, managing emotions, succeeding in school and work, building relationships, and more. Read more about him at www.jessesapersteincom. 

Actor/director Roger Hendricks Simon is the artistic director of The Simon Studio in NYC since 1978. He played Bernie Jacobs opposite Michael Douglas in Oliver’s Stones Wall St: Money Never Sleeps. A graduate of Yale School of Drama and a founder of The  Yale Repertory Company, Roger was elected to Notable Names in American Theater for directing, acting and producing for Yale Rep, Joseph Papp’s NY Shakespeare Festival, London’s Royal Court Theater, Lincoln Center, BAM and many more. Roger is representing the book Locked Out, by his wife, author and musician Sarah Levine Simon, who passed away in 2017, blackopalbooks.com, www.thesimonstudio.com.

Elaine Stock is an award-winning author of Women’s & Inspirational Fiction to uplift with hope of better tomorrows. Her novel, Her Good Girl, received the Outstanding Christian/Religious Fiction in the 2018 IAN Book of the Year Awards, 2018 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal in Christian Fiction and the 2018 American Fiction Awards in the Christian Inspirational category.

Elaine is a member of Women’s Fiction Writers Association, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Romance Writers of America. For fun and occasional eyebrow lifts of amazement, she hangs out on Twitter and Facebook, and of course, Goodreads.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Elaine has been living in upstate, rural New York with her husband for more years than her stint as a NYC gal. She enjoys long walks down country roads, visiting New England towns, and of course, a good book. Learn more about her at https://www.elainestock.com.

Keith Willis was raised in Georgia and studied English Lit at Berry College. He married his college sweetheart and they transplanted to upstate New York, finally putting down roots in the Southern Saratoga area. He began writing seriously in 2008, when the voices in his head got too annoying to ignore. When he’s not making up swashbuckling fantasy/romance stories in the Knights of Kilbourne series, he manages a group of database content editors at a global information technology firm. Keith’s interests include reading sci-fi/fantasy and classic mysteries; camping and canoeing; and cutthroat games of Scrabble and is online at www.keithwillisauthor.com.

Patrick Wing is a fine artist from Millbrook, New York. He received his bachelor degree from The California Institute of The Arts. Wing has exhibited in galleries and museums in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., and his work is represented in private collections nationwide. His paintings have been sold by Sotheby’s. Wing lives and works in Dutchess County, N.Y., patrickdwing.com