Book Events

One of the things I enjoy is sharing my writing. If it's my latest books of poems, how nice to have an opportunity to read them aloud. If it's a local history book, I not only get the chance to share how I researched and wrote it, but also to hear the group’s memories of my topic. My program includes a PowerPoint presentation and plenty of time for questions. Compensation for my programs can be either $50 or the purchase of books totaling that amount. I do not charge for mileage within Oswego County or the immediate Syracuse area. If you’re interested in having me present for your group, click on the "Contact" link at the top of the page to let me know.

Upcoming Readings and Book Signings

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 6:30pm
Baldwinsville Public Library
33 E Genesee St
Baldwinsville, NY 13027

I’ll be sharing my PowerPoint program on the Nestle factory in Fulton. Twenty-two years after it closed, the story of the first milk chocolate factory in North America is still powerful and meaningful. Come join us for images, stories and conversation!

Tuesday, March 4, 2025  6:30 pm
Beauchamp Historical Club
Van Buren Town Hall, 7575 Van Buren Road
Baldwinsville, New York  13027

I’ll be co-presenting with fellow author Tim Carroll. Tim and I have been working on a book, as yet untitled, that covers the full history of Lake Neatahwanta, located in Fulton, and the site of many memories made swimming, fishing and boating. We’ll be offering great photos and images of the lake over its life, as well as stories from those who love the lake.

Monday, April 28, 2025 7pm
Hannibal Historical Society
162 Oswego Street
Hannibal, New York

I’ll be co-presenting with fellow author Tim Carroll. Tim and I have been working on a book, as yet untitled, that covers the full history of Lake Neatahwanta, located in Fulton, and the site of many memories made swimming, fishing and boating. We’ll be offering great photos and images of the lake over its life, as well as stories from those who love the lake.

Looking for a program for your group or organization?

I enjoy providing programs based on my books. Here are some topics I offer:

1) Remembering our Biggest Snowstorms. After publishing Voices in the Storm, Stories from the Blizzard of ‘66, I continued to hear memories and recollections from folks who lived through major winter weather events in our area. Their stories were every bit as good as those in my Blizzard book, so I decided to research major snowstorms as far back as the late 1700s. The result is my newest book (published October 2022), Historic Snowstorms of Central New York. This program includes stories from folks throughout the region and PowerPoint photographs and images that stretch back as the late 1800s. As always, I’ll include time for members of the audience to share their snowstorm memories.

2) Camp Hollis, the children’s camp on Lake Ontario in the town of Oswego, has been making summers happier for boys and girls since 1946.  But its history goes back even farther. In 1928, the site became the home of a Health Camp for children at risk of contracting tuberculosis. By the time I attended as a camper, Hollis was a summer respite for Oswego County children and available to all families regardless of their financial resources. I worked at Hollis for many years, and over the years I’ve compiled its history by researching the founders’ paperwork and interviewing former staff and campers. My PowerPoint program, developed from my book, Oswego’s Camp Hollis: Haven by the Lake, features photographs and stories of the camp’s nearly century-long dedication to children.

3) For nearly 0ne hundred years, the Nestle chocolate factory in Fulton provided the United States with candy bars, chocolate chip morsels, and beverage-enhancing powders like Nestle’s Quik and Strawberry Quik. My book, Nestle in Fulton, New York: How Sweet it Was, covers how the Swiss-based company first came to the United States and its century of success in Fulton. As part of this Nestle program, I provide a PowerPoint presentation which includes an overview of the factory’s history, stories I collected from former Nestle employees and their families, and information about the invention and development of Nestle’s most successful products: The Crunch Bar, Quik, Toll House Morsels, etc.

4) Based on the research I conducted for my Blizzard of '66 book and biography of Oswego weatherman Bob Sykes, I have put together a one-hour program about Central New York winter weather as seen through the eyes of its longtime residents. Using some of the incredible stories about what happened to people during the blizzard and anecdotes about our area's most memorable meteorologist from his SUNY Oswego students and colleagues, I shine a spotlight on the hearty people who manage to survive winter after winter of our amazing weather. A PowerPoint presentation brings the stories and memories alive. The program concludes with a question and answer period.

5) I have developed a presentation for my latest book of poems, The Best of Fulton. Using the city of Fulton as a backdrop, I share my memories of growing up in rural Central New York during the 1960s. My poetry will explore life on muck farms, progressing through elementary school, the sights and smells of a town that had both a chocolate factory and a frozen vegetable processing plant.

6) It’s a joy to offer a slideshow of various locations in Central New York based on my book Of the Earth: Stories From Oswego County's Muck Farms. The book is a compilation of interviews with local muck farmers, their family members, neighbors and agricultural agency representatives. In the book I weave the interviews together to tell the story of how this unique type of farming got established in Oswego County, how it developed and prospered into a major industry and what the future holds for the mucks. After the presentation I introduce any muck farm families in attendance and take questions from the audience.

7) In July 1971, while vacationing with his family in the Adirondacks, an eight-year-old boy became lost. Despite a major search effort that drew nearly 1,000 people, the boy was never found. At the time, no organized search & rescue teams existed and as word spread about the boy's tragedy and the struggles to find him, a man in Fulton took action to address the lack of trained support in searches. Gathering a group of like-minded people, he started the first volunteer professional search & rescue team in New York State. They are the subject of my book Pioneers: The Story of Oswego County's Search and Rescue Team. My PowerPoint program includes stories of how the team developed their effective search techniques, descriptions of the high-profile searches they have participated in and information of how they continue to evolve and serve the families of those who go missing. Former and current members of the team often join me for these presentations.

In the last few years, I have had the pleasure of meeting people at:

 
The Fulton Public Library

Old Brutus Historical Society

Antiques Club of the Finger Lakes

Community Library of Dewitt & Jamesville

Bridge Street television show

Barnes & Noble, DeWitt

The Canal Walk Cafe

The Joe Kelly Show

CNY Arts Center

Jordan Historical Society

CNY Literacy Festival

The Jordan Historical Society

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County

The Red Creek Free Library

The New Haven Seniors

The Rome Historical Society

The Clay Historical Society

The Liverpool Library

The Marcellus Free Library

Cayuga Community College, Auburn and Fulton campuses

SUNY Polytech College, Utica, NY

Daughters of the American Revolution, Baldwinsville Chapter

Porchfest Oswego!

Morrisville College

Granby Town Hall

Syracuse Antique Club

Hannibal Senior Center (The Elderberries) 

Hannibal Historical Society

Phoenix Senior Nutrition Center

Alliance Church

Fulton Senior Nutrition Center

Scriba Historical Society

Volney Town Hall

Marcellus Historical Society

Town of Oswego Historical Society

Oswego Library Author program

Towpath Towers

Mill Apartments

Sterling Historical Society

Barnes & Noble, Clay

Fair Haven Artisans

The Fair Haven Arts Center

Fair Haven Hardware Cafe

Half-Shire Historical Society

Springside at Seneca Hill

The Niagara Mohawk Retiree's Organization

The Town of Minetto Historical Society

The Oneida County Historical Society

The Auburn Bookstore

The Singing Seniors of Trenton, New York

The Parish Library

The Pulaski Library

The Sandy Creek Library

The Central Square Library

Fulton Kiwanis Club

Fulton Lions Club

Fulton Sunrise and Noon Rotary Clubs

Parthenon Books

Beauchamp Historical Club

History on Tap at Steamers

Newark-Arcadia Historical Society

Jervis Public Library

Rice Creek Field Station

Brewerton Library

 If you know of a group or organization that would like to have one of my programs, please contact me by using the "Contact" link at the top of this web page or by calling (315) 402-6164.