New York Genealogical & Biographical Society Undaunted Book Talk with Kate Bolick —May 15, 2023

I decided to dress in the colors of the book to discuss Undaunted with the inestimable Kate Bolick, not only a magazine writer and author in her own right, but an exceptional former student of mine, now teaching creative writing at Yale and about the complete her next book. What a joy that was. We were at the new headquarters of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society in the Bar Association building on 44th Street. I got their early to have a minute with my dear friend Marie Rolf, in town from Rochester, where she has recently retired as graduate dean and to catch a glimpse of the society’s galactic archival scanner. Thanks also to my brother and sister-in-law, Randy Weinstein and Ellen Walterscheid, for coming, and to Dillon Henderson, another former student, who just finished his first year of law school. I know Sabahat Zakariya, another former student was in the audience online, but no one else announced themselves. If I know you, thanks to you, too.

We showed the mural of the women’s photographs that are in the book, made by my daughter, Brett Kroeger

and the 90-second version of the book trailer, which everyone admires, the work of Adam Vine.

Josh Taylor, the NYG&BS director, introduced us and Kate asked the questions. Here’s an mp3 of the 30-minute conversation, after which there was wine.

2023-5-15-NYGBS

The photos (thanks, Ellen!), left to right, show Jen Davis and Todd Hirsch of the NYGB staff; my guests (Marie’s the redhead; Kate is in black and speaking with Randy and Ellen); the women journalist mural, Josh Taylor introducing Kate and me; and a copy of the 1936 Ladies of the Press by Ishbel Ross held aloft. It represents the last time such a work about American women journalists was undertaken for general audiences.

Here is a better view of my sartorial Undaunted impersonation, which might just become my book talk uniform:

Here is the promotional material NYG&B created.

and one that I made for social media.