Join us for the first of two author panels.  Meet local, published authors and hear about their process, publishing and more.  Moderated by library staff with time for questions and answers from the audience.  Books will be available for purchase from individual authors afterwards. 

Lady Slippers by Melissa Bini and Bernice Dietrich

• A charming memoir of the extraordinary ordinary life of 102 year old Bernice Dietrich. A first hand account of growing up during the Great Depression and WW2 to vast technology and medical enhancements over the 102 years to follow. Reads like fiction; full of drama and wit.
• Melissa Bini embarked on the writing scene determined to share her late Grandmother's memoir, Lady Slippers. She currently resides in West Caldwell, New Jersey, with her wife and children.

Sometimes by Melissa Brady Petrillo

• "My name is Samantha. I am eight years old. I do not have brothers or sisters but I have a loving mom and dad". So begins the children's book Sometimes- a story about Samantha's perspective of her world, how she communicates her feelings, and how Samantha sometimes feels differently every day. Highlighting the importance of friendship, empathy and inclusivity in the modern world, Sometimes offers ways to understand and support their peers, including individuals with autism.
• Melissa Brady Petrillo is an educator in New Jersey with a passion for promoting empathy and inclusivity in her classroom. Melissa earned her education, English, and educational leadership degrees from Caldwell University. In college, when Melissa completed a research project about how children’s ability levels are portrayed in literature, she implemented her research to write a book from a child’s perspective. Her goal is to help students and families understand that everyone encompasses a unique mindset that must be valued in our world today.

Brothers' War by David Paul Emma

• Set in the tumultuous war between the Jews and Romans, 66 AD. Jerusalem is destroyed, the hero Nathan escapes, and traverses the Empire to put his life back together again. Love, friendship, loyalty, war, loss, death, hope, politics, cultural exchange, adventure, faith, and food: they all play a major part in this story.
• Born in the hippie era in NJ, grew up with immigrants & the news, was drawn to write about history, politics, & culture since childhood. Been on an archaeological dig in Israel, studied abroad in China, visited relatives in Sicily, have a trilingual wife, interesting sons, and a career teaching history.

Hoops of Steel by Marion Goldstein

• What happens when your longtime friend wants to recruit your talented son to run the family company? What are the risks for an outsider and a lifelong friendship? Hoops of Steel begins in 1950's Brooklyn & ends in Princeton, a half century later. Told by a narrator who doggedly tries to uncover what family & faith mean, the novel looks at a maturing friendship and trying to survive disappointment, secrets & subterfuge.
• Marion Goldstein is a psychotherapist from New Jersey. She has published two memoirs, Hard to Place and Embracing the Sign, plus a poetry collection, Architecture of the Unpronounced, all with North Star Press. Her recent novel, Hoops of Steel, was published in 2024. Her poetry and essays appear in literary journals including Ars Medica, The Watershed Review, America, Friend’s Journal, Adanna, Memory House, The Christian Science Monitor, Presence, and Tiferet.

Lands of Sins and Promises by Jay G Grubb

• A barely royal outsider running from scandal, confronts a young America convulsed by race, class, sex and gender; all while trying to answer the ultimate question - Who Am I? America's Gilded Age as you've never experienced it before - the good, bad and ugly.
• Jay G. Grubb is an entertainment attorney working in music, film, and publishing. He is also a professor teaching the history of jazz, blues, and pop. He was a columnist for Script Magazine (Final Draft), and received an Achievement Award in Writing from the National Council of Teachers of English.

Strong, Beautiful, Brave & Smart by Taryn Lagonigro

• This children’s book tells the story of a mother who receives a Down syndrome diagnosis for her daughter. While she initially experiences fear and uncertainty, she and her daughter recite empowering mantras: "I am strong," "I am beautiful," "I am brave," and "I am smart." Taryn, an advocate for the disability community, shares this heartfelt narrative inspired by her experiences with her youngest daughter, Rhea, who has Down syndrome.
• Taryn Lagonigro's life changed in 2019 when she learned her fourth daughter would be born with Down syndrome. As a disability advocate, Taryn collaborates in a number of ways to nurture individuals, create inclusive spaces and amplify voices. She has authored and published multiple works, as well as founded Four Clovers Publishing, to elevate authors telling unique stories.

How Did I Get Here So Fast? by Charles Vanyo

• This memoir will resonate with anyone who grew in up Northern New Jersey (specifically the Caldwells) during the sixties and seventies, as well as anyone who has had to care for aging parents. And if anyone has reached the age of seventy and wondered how they got there, this is the book for you.
• Charles Vanyo is a Jersey Boy who hopes that someone might take pleasure in his tales of growing up in the Garden State. He has worked in government, human services, health care, and retail, with varying degrees of success, but derives lasting satisfaction from his literary and musical endeavors.