Author Michael Korda leads impressive lineup for 10th Millbrook Literary Festival
Renowned author Michael Korda is the honorary chairperson of this year’s 10th Anniversary Millbrook Literary Festival, set from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, at Millbrook Library. Korda, author of the current best-sellers, “Alone – Britain, Churchill and Dunkirk: Defeat Into Victory” and “Catnip: A Love Story,” will lead the strongest list of award-winning authors in the history of the festival.
Korda joined Simon and Schuster as an assistant editor in 1958, and subsequently became Managing Editor, Executive Editor, and Editor in Chief. Over nearly five decades, his authors have included presidents Carter, Reagan, and Nixon; Charles De Gaulle, Henry Kissinger, Mayor Ed Koch, the Duchess of York, and such stars as Cher, Kirk Douglas, Shelley Winters, such media figures as Phil Donahue and Larry King, historians such as David McCullough, Richard Rhodes, Michael Beschloss, novelists Larry McMurtry, Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins, Mary Higgins Clark, James Lee Burke and Stephen Hunter.
Korda’s books include the #1 bestseller “Power,” the bestselling novels “Queenie” and “The Fortune,” a widely acclaimed book about his family, “Charmed Lives,” and more recently “Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia,”, “With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain,” “Ike: An American Hero,” “Country Matters,” “Another Life,” “Horse People,” “Ulysses S. Grant” “Journey to a Revolution,” and “Clouds of Glory: A Biography of Robert E. Lee.”
Additional authors headlining this year’s list include Jennifer Donnelly (Fatal Throne), Bradford Morrow (The Prague Sonata), and Andrew Revkin (Weather: An Illustrated History: From Cloud Atlases to Climate Change). Poet Jessica Cuello (Hunt), and Native American authors Evan Pritchard (No Word for Time) and Joseph Bruchac (Chester Nez and The Unbreakable Code) will also be presenting. Children’s authors such as Marian Grudko (Lucinda Snowdrop), Tania Guarino (Meet the Quackers), and Susanna Leonard Hill (When Your Lion Needs a Bath) will be giving readings, and additional authors such as G. Stuart Smith (A Life in Code) and John Essick (Last Respects) will be signing their books under a tent on the library lawn.
The Festival began in 2008, inspired by Merritt Bookstore founder Scott Meyer, who sought to engage the local community, share his love of books and encourage writers. Every year, the Festival features nationally recognized authors and promotes talented local and regional writers, with panels that are accessible and interesting to all ages.
This year’s Scott Meyer Award will center on poetry. The first prize of $300 will be presented to the best judged unpublished poem. Two runners up will be awarded $150 each. The winning poem will be selected from among finalists by 2017/18 Dutchess County Poet Laureate Bettina “Gold” Wilkerson. Poet Gold is a spoken word performance artist, poet, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. She is the recipient of the 2016 Dutchess County Executive’s “Artivist” Award, the 2016 Dutchess County Athena Award Honoree by The Chamber Foundation, Inc., and the 2016 recipient of the Exempt Firemen’s Association Black Heritage Committee’s “Outstanding Community Service Award” for Extraordinary Contribution and Dedication.
The Young Writers Showcase will also center on poetry and is designed for children ages 8-18. The deadline for entries for both the Scott Meyer Award and the Young Writers Showcase is April 15.
For more information or to enter a poem, visit millbrookliteraryfestival.org or follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
