September 2011 Archives

I love the fall, and I particularly love directing The Writing Center at Hunter College CE where I offer cultural programs of my own choosing to the Hunter students, faculty, and friends in the community. You may remember  some of the highlights from last year. We presented a suspense panel in the fall with Mary Higgins Clark, her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, Alan Furst, and Lawrence Block; then there was the Best-Selling Author Series in the spring with Susan Cheever, Joseph O'Neill, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Francine Prose, and Jane Smiley. We introduced a new series "Great Thinkers Of Our Time," with Freeman Dyson, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczeck, Howard Gardner, and Carol Gilligan. Meeting Freeman Dyson in the flesh who in my estimation is one of the smartest men on the planet, and cutest, was an experience that no one who was there will ever forget. And then perhaps you attended the first Hunter Writer's Conference with keynotes Walter Mosley, and Nelson DeMIlle.  We had seventy luminous writers, editors, publishers, and literary agents there on 12 different panels . . .all who attended walked away smiling. Hunter is a great college, New York is a great city, and if you are smart you will take advantage of all that we offer. . . you cannot lose.

While I am at it I should mention that I published my new book "Favorite Words of Famous People," during the summer and if you haven't read it yet it would behoove you to do so. . . truly fun and enlightening. It's at bookstores like Rizzoli's in the city or Barnes & Nobles can get it for you or failing all else go on the internet. And while I am speaking about books Lucette Lagnado has just published her sequel to the brilliant "The Man in The White Sharkskin Suit," which appeared a year or two back to rave reviews from Kakutani in the New York Times and everywhere else. The sequel which is also garnering outstanding press is called "The Arrogant Years," and is published by Ecco Press an imprint of Harper Collins. In it Lucette thanks Grace Edwards one of the Writing Center's stellar fiction teachers with whom she has been studying for several years and President Jennifer Raab for establishing the Writing Center at Hunter with its potential to mold and encourage promising authors of different ages, backgrounds, and venues.  I should mention that it was Lucette who first trumpeted my arrival at Hunter last year when I moved here from Marymount Manhattan College. So onward and upward. . . 

Pete Hamill will be visiting us on September 22nd for the first of the beloved Tina Flaherty Irish Voices Series. It is free and open to the public and will be accompanied by a cookie and coffee reception and book signing. Pete will be followed by Barbara Leaming, New York Times columnist Dan Barry, and Iris Cornelia Love in succeeding months. Also in the fall the magnificent Bel Kaufman, now in her 101st year, talking about the humor of her grandfather the great Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem. Bel will hold forth on November 1st. On October 17th The Center will host Dr. Alan Manevitz one of the esteemed psychiatrists in New York who will be speaking about his new treatment for difficult to treat depressions which have eluded other methods. And on October 27th you might want to hear the "enfante terrible of Broadway," the redoubtable John Simon who will talk about his favorite subject, criticism. John is an erudite critic and seminal thinker who has also written books on music, and film, etc. In November I will moderate a panel of some of our most talented young writers namely, Stefan Merrill Block, , Alison Espach, Haley Tanner, and Benjamin Hale. These are the literary lights of our future. Alison who wrote the highly regarded "The Adults," will also teach a master class in fiction for us. Daphne Merkin who needs no introduction I'm sure will teach a master class in memoir.

I am so excited about the fall that I won't even talk about the Best-Selling Author Series in the spring of 2012 but it is truly fantastic as is our 2012 Great Thinkers Series. All in all I hope you join us this fall at Hunter for some of these truly high quality programs. . .  and if you haven't visited before perhaps this is your time.