The City That Never Sleeps

I'm off to New York City tomorrow to appear at two different and really exciting venues -- and if you're in town, come on by.

On Friday evening at 6:15 p.m., I'll be speaking at the Salmagundi Club, a hub for fine artists from New York and around the country. Originally formed as the New York Sketch Club in 1871, the Club's present name -- adopted a century ago -- is a nod to Washington Irving's satirical magazine, Salmagundi. I plan to talk about Irving's Salmagundi -- an ancestor of today's MAD magazine -- and a bit about Irving's life among artists.

And if I have time afterwards, I plan on sampling some of the club's famous Salmagundi Stew.

The Salmagundi Club is at 47 Fifth Avenue, in New York City. That's their famous stairway in the pic up above to the right. I'll try not to fall down it.

On Saturday at 2:00 p.m., I'll be the keynote speaker for National Library Week over at the New York Society Library. Irving used this library while researching his mock History of New York and was later, briefly, a Trustee. While it's changed locations several times in its history, it's still the oldest library in the city of New York.

I'll be giving one of my favorite talks, about Irving as the nation's first true literary celebrity. You can see the announcement on their website over here. The event will be held in the Members' Room -- a really neat old room. The NYSL is located at 53 East 79th Street, in the city.

As an added bonus, I'll be having dinner with my editor on Friday night (who keeps finding really interesting places to eat), and brunch with my editor and sure-to-be-jetlagged agent on Saturday morning. I'll have a trip report up here later.