Tonight's Salon is a TONY Critics Pick

That's right. Tonight's Literary Magazine Salon is a Time Out New York critics pick. So you don't want to miss it, do you?

6:30 p.m.
Members' Room
$10 with advance registration/$15 at the door

Louis Auchincloss, 1917-2010

All of us at the Library are extremely saddened by the news that one of our longest term members, Louis Auchincloss, died yesterday, as reported in the New York Times.

Mr. Auchincloss was a member of The New York Society Library for more than 50 years and had served the Library as a trustee from 1954 - 1966. He was a prolific writer of short stories and novels, and his work became a chronicle of the upper classes of New York City. His most recent novel, The Last of the Old Guard, was published in 2008.

Publishing in the Age of Blah Blah Blah

Not that I'm trying to divert attention from the Library's own very terrific event tonight (member Hannah Pakula on her new book), but I wish I could attend this talk too. As an old (never mind how old) book lover, a relatively new librarian, and a new Nook owner (thanks, Mom), I'm all conflicted about e-books. What do you think?

Publishing in the Age of Blah Blah Blah
What do authors think about e-books?
January 27, 7 pm
Melville House Bookstore
145 Plymouth St, at Pearl St
DUMBO, Brooklyn
$5 at the door/Wine, beer and snacks will be available

Two members, One publication

The Drawbridge is a quarterly UK publication with articles around a theme (Memory, Silence, Horror, you get it) and with an impressive roster of contributors: Umberto Eco, Jose Saramago, JG Ballard, Isabel Allende, Mario Vargas Llosa.

So it happens that not one but two Library members are contributors for the Winter 2009 issue. I had just finished reading a great article by Tracy Quan about falling in love with A.A. Milne after discovering Chloe Marr, and blaming the New York Society Library in the process (ok, so our collection is just too good to resist). Then I went on to discover an equally absorbing article by member Gini Alhadeff about first love.

Oh, and catch Tracy on Radio 3 Hong Kong's "Morning Brew" with Phil Whelan tonight at 11:10 pm.

Members this week

TONIGHT at 7 pm: Lorraine Diehl at Barnes & Noble's 86th & Lexington store for a reading and signing for her new book Over Here! New York City During World War II

SUNDAY at 7pm: Simon Van Booy (with Jami Attenburg) at the KGB Bar's Sunday Night Reading Series
85 E. 4th St.

Member Publications - Dec/Jan

We're getting towards the end of the month, so here's a round-up of the books published by members in December 2009 and January 2010. If I'm missing anyone's books, please let me know!

Irene Aldridge - High-Frequency Trading: A Practical Guide to Algorithmic Strategies and Trading Systems (John Wiley & Sons)

Lorraine B. Diehl - Over Here!: New York City During World War II (Smithsonian Books)

Gretchen Rubin - The Happiness Project (HarperCollins)

Margaret Sheffield - The Expressive Edge (Charta)

Mark Alan Stamaty - Shake, Rattle, and Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me and Mom (Alfred A. Knopf)

Winners...we love winners

especially when they're associated with us in some way.

Congratulations to member Kekla Magoon, who was recently awarded the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award for her book The Rock and the River. The Steptoe New Talent Award is given to a black author or illustrator each year to "affirm new talent and to offer visibility to excellence in writing."

Congratulations Kekla!

A Visit with Willa Cather

The Metropolitan Playhouse presents "When the World Broke in Two: A Visit with Willa Cather", a play written and and performed by member Toni Schlesinger about another famous member of our wonderful Library.

Toni's play was created for the Metropolitan Playhouse’s festival of plays inspired by 19th century women writers.

January 22 - January 26
Metropolitan Playhouse
220 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10009-7425
Tickets

The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers

Check out member Thomas Fleming's new book (the main selection of the History Book Club for December 2009)and hear him dish about the intimate lives of the founding fathers at the historic Fraunces Tavern Museum.

Thursday, January 21
Beginning at 6:30pm in the Nichols Dining Room
Fraunces Tavern Museum
Cost: $8/ free for FTM members, Includes light refreshments

Gretchen Rubin #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List!

Congratulations to member Gretchen Rubin! Her new book The Happiness Project debuted at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list in the Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous category.

Gretchen will be discussing how she turned her popular blog, also called The Happiness Project, into a bestselling book in Social Networking for Writers, the Library's April talk in The Writing Life daytime talk series.

Fiction Writers Groups meeting this week

Fiction Writers groups are meeting tonight and tomorrow. Bring a page to read for feedback. Please note that these sessions are open to Library members only.

Tuesday, Jan 19, 5 pm - 6:45 pm (Whitridge Room)

Wednesday, Jan 20, 11 am - 1 pm (Whitridge Room)

Things to do this weekend...

The Poetry Society of America is celebrating its centennial this year. Check out the terrific exhibition "Portraits of Poets, 1910-2010,” an exhibition presented by the PSA at the National Arts Club. Member Rob Casper is PSA's Program Director.

Got kids? The Middle Country Public Library has mounted an exhibit of member Lynne Barash's books. On Saturday, January 16 at 1 pm, Lynne will present her new book, "First Comes the Zebra" and talk about being an author and illustrator. For children in grades K - 5th.

Print and Digital Piracy

...is scary. On Tuesday, Maria Danzilo and Patrick Murphy of John Wiley & Sons gave a great talk in the Whitridge Room about how the rise in pirated content (and the proliferation of peer to peer networks) is impacting the market for published work.

Email me at writers@nysoclib.org if you'd like a copy of the handout with the self help tools that Wiley & Sons put together and has made available for the use of all authors.

Head First

So I'm just going to dive right in. This is a blog for and about member writers of The New York Society Library - but I sure hope it will appeal to anyone who has an interest in writers and writing.

But I need good stuff to post! Because just like The Writing Life daytime talk series* at the Library (browse through our Calendar of Events), I hope this will be a great collaborative effort between the Library and its fabulous member writers. So tell me what you're publishing, where you're reading, and what you're up to.

*the Writing Life series in 2010 is now generously underwritten by Jenny Lawrence. Thank you Jenny!