Best-selling Author Alice Hoffman Headlines Adelphi's Inaugural Writers & Readers Festival

Garden City, NY (03/04/2024) — On April 5 and 6, Adelphi University will welcome fellow book lovers for a free celebration of storytelling, literature and the power of the written word-featuring Adelphi alumna and best-selling author Alice Hoffman, who founded and inspired the two-day festival. The first 200 people to register will receive the latest book by one of the festival's featured authors (limit one book per registrant) and a festival branded tote bag.

The inaugural Writers & Readers Festival will include panels and keynotes with bestselling authors as well as professional development workshops and interactive conversations with literary agents, book editors and writing coaches. In addition to Hoffman '73, '02 (Hon.), festival attendees will have the chance to meet and hear from well-known authors including: Mona Awad, Kevin Baker, Lisa Belkin, Ada Calhoun, Rebecca Chace, Liana Finck, Kim Coleman Foote, Robin Gow, Julie Klam, Jacqueline Jones LaMon, Ann Leary, Charles Leerhsen, Matt Pasca, Adam Powell and Laura Zigman.

On Friday, April 5, the festival will open with a welcome lunch, hosted by former New York Newsday publisher, Steven Isenberg, remarks by Hoffman and presentation of the Axinn Writing Awards to authors and poets who are changing the literary landscape. The first Elaine Markson '51 Award for Excellence in Publishing will be presented to Pantheon/Schocken Books publisher Lisa Lucas.

The lunch will be followed by concurrent sessions throughout the afternoon on topics ranging from breaking into publishing to fiction writing to finding mentors, and an evening keynote discussion with author Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling, which was recently adapted as a limited series for AppleTV. The day's events will conclude with the presentation of the first Elaine Markson '51 Award for Excellence in Publishing to Pantheon/Schocken Books publisher Lisa Lucas.

On Saturday, April 6, the program includes a morning keynote conversation with Hoffman and her good friend, bestselling author and book-podcaster Adriana Trigiani; a discussion on "the art of the memoir," a networking break and lunch; panel discussions on writing and teaching, young adult literature and transitioning from journalism to book-length narrative non-fiction; and a closing keynote conversation with Lauren Grodstein, author of We Must Not Think of Ourselves, presented by Long Island Lit Fest.

Adelphi faculty members-including Rene Steinke, director of Adelphi's new low-residency Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program, Rob Linne, Director of the Young Writers Workshop, as well as Maya Marshall, Igor Webb and Jan-Henry Gray-will also lead discussions and share readings.

Attendees will have a chance to learn from authors and industry insiders about the art of writing and the business of publishing.

"Attending Adelphi University was a life-changing experience for me and I've been a big supporter of the school ever since," said Hoffman, who inspired and founded the festival. "I'm so excited to bring the writers and readers festival to Adelphi this spring. I think we're going to make literary magic."

Adelphi's Writers & Readers Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 5, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 6, at the University's Garden City campus. The first 200 people to register will receive the latest book by one of the festival's featured authors (limit one book per registrant) and a festival branded tote bag.

Registration for the event is limited and is now open. Register for the Adelphi's Writers & Readers Festival at adelphi.edu/registration-writers-readers

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university in the United States with a personalized approach to higher learning

Adelphi University, New York, US, is a highly awarded, internationally ranked and powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives. It is recognized for small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training at the undergraduate and graduate level with particular strength in its 'Core Four' academic areas: the Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.

Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves more than 7,250 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.

More than 119,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities, and the world.

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On April 5 and 6, Adelphi University will welcome fellow book lovers for a free celebration of storytelling, literature and the power of the written word—featuring Adelphi alumna and best-selling author Alice Hoffman, who founded and inspired the two-day festival.