Girls Write Now mentee Ilana Drake and Anthology Committee member and mentor Patricia Rossi represented Girls Write Now at the Gold Coast Book Festival in Oyster Bay, sponsored by Theodore’s Books.
New York, NY – June 30, 2024
Girls Write Now mentee Ilana Drake and Anthology Committee member and mentor Patricia Rossi represented Girls Write Now at the Gold Coast Book Festival in Oyster Bay, sponsored by Theodore’s Books. They sold copies of Girls Write Now’s two new releases: On the Art of the Craft: A Guidebook to Collaborative Storytelling (HarperOne) and Here & Now: the Girls Write Now 2024 Anthology (Dutton). Mentee Ilana Drake read her poem, “from here, my mountain lakes, changed,” to a gathered crowd at a reading that took place on the third day of the book festival. Drake had the opportunity to present a copy of On the Art of the Craft to Carla Hayden, the first Black woman to serve as the Librarian of Congress.
“Meeting Carla Hayden was energizing and refreshing,” Drake said. “She has a great sense of humor and is able to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds. Before the event started, I met her backstage and she asked for my autograph. She saw the potential in me and others.”
This was the inaugural year of the Gold Coast Book Fair, which added a spectacular, three-day celebration for book-lovers to the Long Island literary scene. The keynote was delivered by bestselling author and historian Erik Larson, who discussed his new book, The Demon of Unrest. On Saturday and Sunday, a free and public market lined the streets as event goers were able to visit panels, book signings, vendors, book sellers, and more.
To close out the festival, Carla Hayden sat down with historian Alexis Coe and the founder of Theodore’s Books, Steve Israel, who spoke as a special guest at our Spring Awards this past May. Their conversation spanned the topics of American history, libraries, democracy, and our national future.
