Location: New York, USA

R. J. Palacio (Wonder)

R. J. Palacio lives in NYC with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. For more than twenty years, she was an art director and graphic designer, designing book jackets for other people while waiting for the perfect time in her life to start writing her own novel. But one day several years ago, a chance encounter with an extraordinary child in front of an ice cream store made R. J. realize that the perfect time to write that novel had finally come. Wonder is her first novel. She did not design the cover, but she sure does love it. (added from Random House)… (more)

Lurlene McDaniel (All the Days of Her Life, Always and Forever, Angel of Hope, Angel of Mercy, Angels in Pink: Holly's Story, Angels in Pink: Kathleen's story, Angels in Pink: Raina's Story, Angels Watching Over Me, A Rose for Melinda, A Season for Goodbye, As Long as We Both Shall Live, A Time to Die, Baby Alicia Is Dying, Breathless, Briana's Gift)

“I write the kind of books I write because I want to help kids understand that nobody gets to pick what life dishes out to them. What you do get to choose is how you respond to what life gives you. No matter what happens, life is a gift. And always worth living.”—Lurlene McDaniel Lurlene McDaniel is a recipient of the RITA Award and several of her works have received the IRA–CBC Children’s Choice Award.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Everyone loves a good cry, and no one delivers heartwrenching stories better than Lurlene McDaniel. But there’s more to her books than that. McDaniel has written over 40 novels about kids who face life-threatening illnesses, who sometimes do not survive. These are powerful, inspirational stories about courage, love, and strength in the face of overwhelming trauma. McDaniel’s books touch the hearts and spirits of the teenagers and adults who read them. Her following is a devoted group of appreciative fans. McDaniel says: “These are books that challenge you and make you think.” Some readers—and their parents—have wondered why McDaniel chooses to write about sad situations. “I tell them that sometimes tragedy hits people—kids, too. They want answers. They want to know ‘why.’ By using novels, I show ordinary kids confronting and overcoming great odds.” McDaniel’s books are ultimately optimistic and life-affirming. McDaniel began writing about young adults when her son Sean was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of 3. His illness changed the lives of everyone in her family forever. “I saw what life was like for someone who was chronically ill, and I experienced how it affected the dynamics of the family,” says McDaniel. She says she found that writing about the trauma and its effects was therapeutic. To make certain that her books are medically accurate, McDaniel conducts extensive research. She interviews health care professionals and works with appropriate medical groups and hospice organizations, as well as the Tennessee Organ Donor Services. “I study medicine and traditional grief therapy techniques to give the novels a sense of serious medical reality,” she says. “I also study the Bible to instill the human element—the values and ethics often overlooked by the coldness of technology.” Growing up, McDaniel lived in different parts of the country because her father was in the Navy. Eventually her family settled in Florida. She attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she earned a B.A. in English. She now lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition to her popular YA novels, McDaniel has written radio and television scripts, promotional and advertising copy, and a magazine column. She is a frequent speaker at schools, writers’ conferences, and conventions. McDaniel’s books have been named to several bestseller lists, including Publishers Weekly. Three of her novels were selected by children as IRA–CBC Children’s Choices: Somewhere Between Life and Death, Too Young to Die, and Goodbye Doesn’t Mean Forever. Six Months to Live has been placed in a literary time capsule at the Library of Congress, to be opened in the year 2089. The One Last Wish books focus on the interconnected stories of the residents and counselors of Jenny House—a group home for critically and terminally ill young girls. Through the kindness of a secret benefactor, each girl receives a cashier’s check for $100,000, to be used to make her last wish come true. Every One Last Wish novel is a compassionate story of triumph and inspiration that makes McDaniel’s dedicated fans come back for more. McDaniel’s works include To Live Again, one of the Dawn Rochelle books; Angel of Mercy, the companion to Angel of Hope; and How Do I Love Thee, three stories about young couples who are inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beautiful sonnet. In her novel, Telling Christina Goodbye, McDaniel shows that everything can change in the blink of an eye.PRAISE ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME “An interesting blend of romance, mystery, and problem novel. The characters are captivating and sensitively drawn and the plot is fast paced.”—School Library Journal DON’T DIE, MY LOVE “Touching scenes abound in this crisis novel. . . . Fans of tear-jerker teen romances will enjoy this offering.”—Booklist I’LL BE SEEING YOU “A satisfying story for those who like to take their romance with tears and gutsy characters who know what it means to live beyond the pale of ‘normal.’ ”—School Library Journal SAVING JESSICA “Readers of McDaniel will enjoy; it’s good to read positive stories about teens.”—VOYA SHE DIED TOO YOUNG “McDaniel has a way of getting you to look at the complicated emotions experienced by YAs with major medical problems. . . . Another winner in her One Last Wish series.”—KLIATT STARRY, STARRY NIGHT “The stories are absorbing, the characters are well developed, and the author does not resolve the girls’ dilemmas with pat solutions. . . . This has solid YA appeal.”—School Library Journal TOO YOUNG TO DIE and GOODBYE DOESN’T MEAN FOREVER “These companion novels . . . cast the events of high school into a meaningful perspective and allow for convincing character development. McDaniel’s writing is light and well suited to this refreshing and involving story.”—Publishers Weekly (added from Random House)… (more)

Sunday, May 19, 11:00 AM Baby Story Time: The Good Ms. Padgett

On Sunday mornings, children's performers keep babies and toddlers under 3 years old entertained with stories, songs, and interactive play. This Sunday Greenlight welcomes The Good Ms. Padgett, founded by Brooklyn music teacher Anna Padgett by and dedicated to performing songs and stories that are wise, joyful, and never condescending, enjoyed by children and parents alike. Their new album, The Good Ms. Padgett Sings The Little Red Hen and Other Stories, was created as away to actively engage her preschool and Kindergarten students in the magic and drama of these favorite tales, and the story/songs are funny, original, earnest and whimsical. Today at Greenlight Anna and the band present stories and songs from the new CD, which are sure to delight the littlest booklovers and their parents! Ages 6 weeks to 3 years.

Location: Street: 686 Fulton Street City: Brooklyn, Province: New York Postal Code: 11217 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Sunday, May 19, 11:00 AM Baby Story Time: The Good Ms. Padgett

On Sunday mornings, children's performers keep babies and toddlers under 3 years old entertained with stories, songs, and interactive play. This Sunday Greenlight welcomes The Good Ms. Padgett, founded by Brooklyn music teacher Anna Padgett by and dedicated to performing songs and stories that are wise, joyful, and never condescending, enjoyed by children and parents alike. Their new album, The Good Ms. Padgett Sings The Little Red Hen and Other Stories, was created as away to actively engage her preschool and Kindergarten students in the magic and drama of these favorite tales, and the story/songs are funny, original, earnest and whimsical. Today at Greenlight Anna and the band present stories and songs from the new CD, which are sure to delight the littlest booklovers and their parents! Ages 6 weeks to 3 years.

Location: Street: 686 Fulton Street City: Brooklyn, Province: New York Postal Code: 11217 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Sunday, May 19, 11:00 AM Baby Story Time: The Good Ms. Padgett

On Sunday mornings, children's performers keep babies and toddlers under 3 years old entertained with stories, songs, and interactive play. This Sunday Greenlight welcomes The Good Ms. Padgett, founded by Brooklyn music teacher Anna Padgett by and dedicated to performing songs and stories that are wise, joyful, and never condescending, enjoyed by children and parents alike. Their new album, The Good Ms. Padgett Sings The Little Red Hen and Other Stories, was created as away to actively engage her preschool and Kindergarten students in the magic and drama of these favorite tales, and the story/songs are funny, original, earnest and whimsical. Today at Greenlight Anna and the band present stories and songs from the new CD, which are sure to delight the littlest booklovers and their parents! Ages 6 weeks to 3 years.

Location: Street: 686 Fulton Street City: Brooklyn, Province: New York Postal Code: 11217 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Third Sunday Poets Our featured poets all have books published by the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets Sunday, May 19th, 4pm Since its inception in 1975, the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets is one of the most important publishing projects of its kind, winning praise from critics and poets alike. Previously published books include works by figures such as Susan Stewart, Robert Pinsky, Ann Lauterbach, Jorie Graham, and Jay Wright. Now relaunched under the editorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and New Yorker poetry editor Paul Muldoon, the series continues to publish the best work of today's emerging and established poets.

Anthony Carelli studied at the University of Wisconsin?Madison and New York University. In 2011 he was awarded a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University. His poems have appeared in various magazines, including the New Yorker. His first book of poems, Carnations (Princeton, 2011), was named a finalist for the 2011 Levis Reading Prize. Anthony lives in Brooklyn, New York and teaches expository writing at New York University.

Jessica Greenbaum is the author of two collections of poetry: Inventing Difficulty, which won the Gerald Cable Prize in 2000, and The Two Yvonnes, a 2012 selection in the Princeton University Press Series of Contemporary Poets. She is the poetry editor for the annual upstreet, and facilitates a poetry reading-and-writing group for older adults at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Her poems and personal essays have appeared in journals from The Alaska Quarterly Review to Zeek, and from The New Yorker to Poetry London. Gary J. Whitehead is the author of three books of poetry, the most recent of which is A Glossary of Chickens, published last month by Princeton University Press. His work has appeared in the New Yorker and has been featured on Garrison Keillor's public radio program the Writer's Almanac. Whitehead teaches English at Tenafly High School in New Jersey and lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

Location: Street: 54 Fairfield St. City: Montclair, Province: New Jersey Postal Code: 07042-4137 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Debbie Dadey Bailey School Kids and Mermaid Tales Monday, May 20th, 4-5pm Debbie Dadey, widely beloved author of the now classic, Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, introduces us to her newest series, Mermaid Tales, featuring the fun adventures and friendships of the third grade merkids at Trident Academy. Debbie Dadey taught first grade before becoming a librarian. It was while teaching that she first realized how much she wanted to write a book for reluctant readers. Her first book, Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots, with fellow teacher Marcia Thornton Jones, was the result of a very bad day. Since then, Debbie and Marcia have collaborated on more than 125 books, including the best-selling Bailey School Kid series. Debbie lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband, three dogs, and three children.

Location: Street: 54 Fairfield St. City: Montclair, Province: New Jersey Postal Code: 07042-4137 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Come to Chelsea and celebrate Heather Christo's new cookbook with complimentary wine and yummy goodies on Monday evening May 20th.

Heather Christo, the younger generation’s entertaining doyenne, relates to the challenges facing her busy readers, women who may juggle marriage, family, careers and budgets, but who still wish to host beautiful, unique get-togethers for the people closest to them. Heather has spent a year chronicling the special occasions that season her family’s life—wedding showers, baby showers, holiday celebrations, family birthdays and many wonderful meals shared with people they love—everyday celebrations that many families observe, and which many readers would like to be better prepared for. This is where her experience as a working mom of young children and her expertise as a chef and entertaining expert come together. Generous Table is more than just a cookbook. It is easy to find vast collections of great recipes. But how do you turn them into great meals, great experiences? Especially parties, of any size, where there is always added pressure to be organized, for things to look beautiful, and, of course, for the food to be completely delicious!

Location: Street: 75 9th Ave Additional: Chelsea Market City: New York, Province: New York Postal Code: 10011 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Come to Chelsea and celebrate Heather Christo's new cookbook with complimentary wine and yummy goodies on Monday evening May 20th.

Heather Christo, the younger generation’s entertaining doyenne, relates to the challenges facing her busy readers, women who may juggle marriage, family, careers and budgets, but who still wish to host beautiful, unique get-togethers for the people closest to them. Heather has spent a year chronicling the special occasions that season her family’s life—wedding showers, baby showers, holiday celebrations, family birthdays and many wonderful meals shared with people they love—everyday celebrations that many families observe, and which many readers would like to be better prepared for. This is where her experience as a working mom of young children and her expertise as a chef and entertaining expert come together. Generous Table is more than just a cookbook. It is easy to find vast collections of great recipes. But how do you turn them into great meals, great experiences? Especially parties, of any size, where there is always added pressure to be organized, for things to look beautiful, and, of course, for the food to be completely delicious!

Location: Street: 75 9th Ave Additional: Chelsea Market City: New York, Province: New York Postal Code: 10011 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun, The Thing Around Your Neck, The African Trilogy)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grew up in Nigeria, where she attended medical school for two years at the University of Nigeria before coming to the United States. A 2003 O. Henry Prize winner, Adichie was shortlisted for the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing. Her work has been selected by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the BBC Short Story Awards, and has appeared in various literary publications, including Zoetrope and the Iowa Review. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, and longlisted for the Booker. She now divides her time between the U.S. and Nigeria. (added from Random House)… (more)