Woodbury Writes

Chris Belden was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. He is the author of Shriver, a satirical novel soon to be a major motion picture titled A Little White Lie, starring Michael Shannon and Kate Hudson. He attended the University of Michigan, where he received a BA in Film & Video Studies. After college, he worked lousy day jobs for several years while playing drums in the band The Slang. He later moved to New York City, where he worked in the publishing industry and started writing fiction in earnest. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including American Fiction, SN Review, and Skidrow Penthouse. He is coauthor of the feature film Amnesia, and has also written extensively for the stage. He received an MFA from the Fairfield University MFA Program, and has taught writing at Fairfield University, as well as at such nontraditional venues as senior centers, soup kitchens, and a maximum-security prison. Belden lives in Connecticut with his family.

Katie L. Carroll is an award-winning author who has published seven novels over the past 10 years. Her young adult fantasy Elixir Bound was the winner of the 2019 Connecticut Indie Author Project award. She is a Library Board member, and she loves to present writing and publishing workshops to students and adults. Her books are Elixir Bound (Elixir Chronicles book 1), Elixir Saved (Elixir Chronicles book 2), Pirate Island, Witch Test, Mommy's Night Before Christmas, The Bedtime Knight, and Selfies From Mars: The True Story of Mars Rover Opportunity (releasing in February 20223). You can purchase her books there as well as from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.

Jennifer Covello is an award-winning author with more than 30 years of marketing and communications expertise in the development and execution of integrated marketing communications, copywriting, editing, and strategic marketing. Jennifer holds a B.S. degree in Management Information Systems from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. in Marketing Management from Pace University (NY), and a bachelors in Theology from Life Christian University. A native of Long Island, New York, Jennifer resides in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Host Sandy Carlson visits with best-selling author Helene Stapinski and co-author Bonnie Siegler of The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman, and Marilyn Monroe. Family lore had it that author Bonnie Siegler’s grandfather Jules crossed paths in Midtown Manhattan late one night in 1954 with Marilyn Monroe, her white dress flying up around her as she filmed a scene for The Seven Year Itch. Jules Schulback had his home movie camera with him, capturing what would become the only surviving footage of that legendary night. Bonnie wasn’t sure she quite believed her grandfather’s story...until, cleaning out his apartment, she found the film reel. That discovery would prompt her to investigate her grandfather’s seemingly tall tales —and lead her in pursuit of a remarkable, poignant piece of forgotten history bridging old Hollywood, the birth of the comic book, and the Holocaust. The journey began when Siegler contacted reporter Helene Stapinski in 2017, which led to a viral internet hit in The New York Times -- “The Lost Footage of Marilyn Monroe.” Stapinski and Siegler connected instantly and spent years researching and hand-crafting The American Way. The result is a colorful, vivacious story of two very different men both striving to make their way in New York – their lives intersecting with a glittering array of luminaries, from Billy Wilder and Joe DiMaggio to Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. The American Way is a kaleidoscopic tale of hope and reinvention, of daring escapes and fake identities, of big dreams and the magic of movies, and what it means to be a real-life Superman.

Author Thomas Tessier has been a journalist and publishing director. Born in Waterbury, Conn., Tom lived in Dublin for six years and in London for seven. Over the course of his career, he has written novels, novellas, short stories, poems, and plays. His books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ebay, Audible, and Apple Books. 

Jackson Kuhl is a writer and author specializing in American history, biography, and historical fiction. His novel A Season of Whispers (Aurelia Leo) is a gothic mystery set in a 19th-century utopian commune. Kirkus Reviews called it “a slim but delightful tale of terror set in transcendentalist New England.” Kuhl’s first book, Samuel Smedley, Connecticut Privateer (The History Press), is a biography of the American Revolution’s most daring sea captain. Kuhl has spoken about pirates and privateers at bookstores, libraries, historical societies, museums, and private clubs. Kuhl has written for Atlas Obscura, Electric Literature, Journal of the American Revolution, National Geographic News, the New York Post, and other publications. For more than a decade he contributed to a pair of children’s magazines about archaeology and history. He also wrote a regular column on dinosaurs. Kuhl lives in coastal Connecticut. He has contributed to local outlets such as Connecticut Magazine, Fairfield County Weekly, Fairfield Minuteman, and the Stamford Advocate. His historical fiction has appeared in Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology, Love Letters to Poe, and other anthologies. Kuhl has also ghostwritten a number of memoirs and worked as a freelance web producer in the field of education. Jackson’s work is available on his website, Goodreads, where you can find alternative retailers such as Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, IndieBound, and more. He will be appearing with other members of the Connecticut chapter of the Horror Writers Association at events throughout Connecticut.

Sylvia Crunden, who has been teaching for 21 years at Colebrook Consolidated School, is a first-grade teacher. She holds degrees in psychology, early childhood education, and elementary education. Sylvia, whose family and friends are very important to her, has volunteered as a firefighter for 13 years and is a certified EMT. She has many hobbies, including playing volleyball and softball and helping her florist friend by creating floral designs. Her books include Please Don't Pop My Bubble and Bullying is Never Okay! Find out more about Sylvia on her website, where she posts her schedule of fairs and other appearances. Join her on Facebook at Sylvia Crunden and Instagram @SylviaCrundenBooks. Her books are available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Carl Baker is a media operator in the television industry. His books include Bliss and Her Friends, Better Than Toys, and  Carl and His Friends. Read more about his work on his website. Purchase his books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as from his website.

Dr. William Steele (Willie) is a professor of English and editor of NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture. He is also co-director of the NINE Spring Training Conference.  Willie, formerly a cross country and track coach, was featured in the Fox Sports documentary If You Build It: 30 Years of Field of Dreams.  He is working on a book about baseball in the aftermath of 9/11 in Portland, Oregon. His works include A Member of the Local Nine: Baseball and Identity in the Works of W.P. Kinsella (McFarland Books); Going the Distance: The Life and Works of W.P. Kinsella (Douglas & McIntyre).  Find out more about Willie on his website.  His books are available on Amazon.

Paul Hensler worked for many years in information technology.  A lifelong Connecticut resident, Paul is a baseball enthusiast of the period from the 1960s to the 1980s. His publications include Pride of the Greyhounds: Ray Legenza and 64 Straight Wins By Connecticut’s Best High School Baseball Team (2022);  Gathering Crowds: Catching Baseball Fever in the New Age of Free Agency (Rowman & Littlefield 2021); and “Swagger Comes to Town: The Evolution of Attitude at Shea Stadium in the 1980s,” in David Krell, ed., The New York Mets in Popular Culture: Critical Essays (McFarland Publishers 2020), Bob Steele on the Air: The Life of Connecticut's Beloved Broadcaster (McFarland Publishers 2019); “Mr. October: Cheers, Reggie! Everybody Knows Your Name!,” in David Krell, ed., The New York Yankees in Popular Culture: Critical Essays (McFarland Publishers 2019); The New Boys of Summer: Baseball's Radical Transformation in the Late Sixties (Rowman & Littlefield 2017); and The American League in Transition, 1965 – 1975: How Competition Thrived When the Yankees Didn’t (McFarland Publishers 2012). His books are available on Amazon.

Stephen G. Bowling runs a non-profit organization called The Prometheum Foundation that has a high school program called the Franklin Forum. The program teaches civility in civil discourse and the ability to disagree and still be agreeable even in a passionate exchange of views. Steve's children's books are Calvin the Christmas Tree, Simon's Tree Party, Simon's Search for the Scary Dragon, and Simon's Rocket to the Moon. Steve’s next book, Grandma’s Haunted House, is coming out soon.

Poet, author, artist, and professor Steven Parlato has taught all levels of English and writing at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Connecticut, for more than 20 years. He also teaches Intro to Drawing at the school, where he started as a teacher of graphic design. He has two gritty, realistic young adult novels, The Namesake and The Precious Dreadful. He has also had poetry published by several journals, including Freshwater, Peregrine, Borderlands, and Margie. His collage series, They Are Not Disposable, has been exhibited in Connecticut and Ohio. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Steve lives in Middlebury with his wife, artist and writer Janet, and his grown children, Ben and Jillian. Steve has been involved in theater productions throughout Connecticut, playing roles ranging from the Scarecrow to Macbeth. His novels are available through Simon & Schuster and can be purchased via most online booksellers.  Steve will be the February Artist of the Month at Waterbury’s Silas Bronson Library, where his collage series will be displayed during Black History Month. He will be offering a program at the library on February 8 at 6:00 pm.  Steve is always looking for opportunities to exhibit his artwork and to facilitate writing workshops or book discussions throughout Connecticut.

Gioia Diliberto of Woodbury, CT, is the author of three historical novels, four biographies, and a play. Her writing, which focuses on women's lives, combines rich storytelling and literary grace with deep research to bring alive worlds as varied as Jazz Age Paris and 19th century Chicago, Belle Epoque Paris and disco era Manhattan. Her books have been translated into several languages, and she has been a judge for prominent literary contests. As a journalist, Gioia has written for many publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, Town & Country, and Vanity Fair. She also teaches writing and has taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design and DePaul and Northwestern Universities. Learn more about Gioia's work at her website.  Her books are available on Amazon.

John Opalenik has released four books, including the novellas The Primeval and The Primeval II, The Blue Beneath the Mountain, and Among the Willows & Other Strange Tales, a collection of horror western short stories. John is an active member of the Horror Writer's Association. Outside of writing, he is a teacher and lives with his wife, their dog Zoey, and their son Ben. Order his books online or in person through River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury and West Hartford, CT, as well as on Amazon. Visit his website to learn more about his work and to find links to his various social media presences, and even listen to the first chapter of The Primeval II. Stay tuned: John and the HWA are working on a few events, including some halfway-to-Halloween events. 

Bruce Coffin is the author of The Long Light of Those Days, which since its first publication in 2005 has become a New England classic, and Among Familiar Shadows.  He was raised in Woodstock, Vermont, and enjoyed a long career as a teacher in independent schools in England and America.  For many years, until his recent retirement, he was a member of the English department at Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut.  He is married with two grown children, and he divides his time between Connecticut and Vermont.  Read more about Bruce’s book at Swallowtail Press and on Amazon.

Bruce Coffin is the author of The Long Light of Those Days, which since its first publication in 2005 has become a New England classic, and Among Familiar Shadows.  He was raised in Woodstock, Vermont, and enjoyed a long career as a teacher in independent schools in England and America.  For many years, until his recent retirement, he was a member of the English department at Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut.  He is married with two grown children, and he divides his time between Connecticut and Vermont.  Read more about Bruce’s book at Swallowtail Press and on Amazon.

Waterbury resident Chase Taylor writes and illustrates his books featuring the “Letter Critters.”  He also hosts the podcast The Social Chase and can be found reading and sharing his work in area schools.  His website contains resources to support learning from his books.  Find out more about Chase on LinkedIn.  His books are available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Connecticut writer Sivan Hong writes the Super Fun Day Books series, which she writes, illustrates, and publishes independently. The books are written and illustrated for  neurodivergent children based on Sivan’s experiences both as a student and as a parent. Find out more about Sivan at her website. Her books are available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Connecticut writer Mary Doucette is fascinated by Anne Boleyn and the world of the English Renaissance from which she emerged.  Mary’s research and her novel draw attention to Anne’s influence over Henry VIII, a power that’s easy to overlook, considering Anne’s fate.  Mary’s novel The Ghost of Anne Boleyn is available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Barbara Connery of Woodbury is a lifelong educator who is passionate about creating supportive, engaging learning environments for all students by building understanding among teachers, students and families.  Her book Just Like Me, available on Amazon, offers rich insights into what it means to have dyslexia. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Local writer Avye Andonellis left Ohio to raise her family on a Greek island, where she taught English as a second or other language and established an organic feta cheese plant. She spent eight years writing The Marionettist, a novel that acknowledges life as a complex spiritual reality we only dimly understand.  Find out more about Avye at Xifos Press and on Amazon, where her book is available. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Woodbury resident Mark Hehl is a management consultant, writer, and public speaker who is passionate about his family’s history as well as sharing his experiences as a world traveler in his role of engineering consultant. He has written Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture in America, An Immigrant's Dilemma, and Amusing Confessions of an International Consultant. Mark's books are available on Amazon. Find out more about Mark on LinkedIn. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Woodbury resident Deb Holman is a genealogist and the keeper of her family’s story about fleeing the Holocaust and starting life in the United States.  Currently Deb is writing her great-grandfather’s story based on her research.  You’ll find Deb on Facebook and LinkedIn. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Entrepreneur and career coach Claudia Fox of Southbury describes herself as a connector of people who has built a successful life and career by making the most of opportunities that come her way.  Claudia’s book Degrees of Success is a collection of stories about people who, like her, have succeeded in business without a college degree.  Find out more about Claudia and her efforts to teach others how to succeed without a college degree on her website.  Her book is available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Poet Deborah Nash Ott co-authored the collection of poems titled Twin Soul with friend Heather Joy Gatley.  The poems are reflections about love, lost time, travels, dreams, and the search for home. Deborah's writings have been published in small presses and at memoirst.org. A retired English teacher, Twin Soul is available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Local writer Cindy Eastman, author of Flip-flops After 50 and Other Thoughts on Aging I Remembered to w\Write Down, is also a teacher who runs writing workshops. Find out more about Cindy and read writing samples on her website.  Flip-flops After 50 is available on Amazon. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

Lin Northrup of Woodbury is a retired educator who has taught both children and adults.  She continues to hold writing workshops in the area.  Her novel Leela and the Forest of Light is imbued with her love of nature and concern for the environment.  Visit Lin's Amazon page. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

A primary care physician for 35 years, Watertown resident Charles McNair began writing after serving as a medic in Vietnam and has now self-published two war novels, Soldiers of a Foreign War and In a Dark Wood. He is working on his third historical novel. Visit Charles's Amazon page. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host.

In this episode, host Sandy Carlson (www.sandycarlson.net) speaks with Ed Edelson, a former first selectman of Southbury and a retired businessman and innkeeper, about Lois’s Story, Ed’s self-published book for children that tells how the people of Southbury kept the Nazis from building a military training camp in the Kettletown area in 1937.  This is a story of civic engagement that Ed has worked doggedly to put in the public eye and keep it there. The story is part of the Region 15 curriculum for fourth graders, and curriculum resources are available from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Check out resources about the book, the curriculum, and the time in history that the book recounts. Woodbury Writes is a production of Woodbury Public Library. Marla Martin and Ron Fairchild are the executive producers. Sandy Carlson, poet laureate of Woodbury, CT, is the host. 

Learn about some of the resources available at, and through, Woodbury Public Library in this conversation with Ron Fairchild, reference librarian.

Learn about some of the resources available through Woodbury Public Library with Marla Martin, adult librarian and program coordinator.