Keynote Speaker of "N.J. Women Speak Their Minds" Is Alison Larkin, Best-selling Novelist, Screenwriter, Sitcom Writer and Comedienne.

Hackettstown, N.J., March 1, 2010 – Centenary College is providing those who are interested in creative writing, publishing one’s work or the literary world in general an opportunity that is not to be missed!  On March 29, 2010, in recognition of Women’s History Month, the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center will present an event, entitled "New Jersey Women Authors Speak Their Minds" in conjunction with the 2010 Women’s History Month theme of "Write Women Back into History," from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. in the Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building.  Alison Larkin, comedienne and bestselling author of The English American, A Novel, will serve as keynote speaker and will deliver a presentation on "How My Personal History Inspires My Art – And How Yours Can, Too!"  This event is free and open to the public.

"Attendees will have the privilege of meeting a group of women who are leaving their mark on history by writing and publishing their work," says Dr. Deborah Diamond Fisch, Director of the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College.  "Some of the guests are novelists, some have written autobiographies, some are historians, and some have written books to help us live more fulfilling lives."

The schedule for “New Jersey Women Authors Speak Their Minds” is as follows:

10 a.m. - How to Begin the Process - Lorraine Ash, Author of Life Touches Life: A Mother’s Story of Stillbirth and Healing

10:15 a.m. - Honing Your Writing Skills - Lois Winston, Author of Talk Gertie to Me

10:30 a.m. - How to Get Published - Patricia Diesel, Author of A Simple Guide to an Organized Life

10:45 a.m. - How to Publish Academically - Diane Lang, Author of Creative Balance & Finding Happiness

11 a.m. - The Changing World of Publishing  - Maryann McFadden, Author of The Richest Season

11:15 a.m. - Publishing in a Digitized World - Deborah Lev, Associate Professor of Communication at Centenary College

11:30 a.m. - Q & A Period

12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Lunch Break

12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  - Keynote Speaker – Alison Larkin, Comedienne and Best-selling Author of  The English American, a Novel

1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. - Meet the authors and book signing.

Other authors who will be signing their books are as follows:

Carol Binkowski – More than Petticoats: Remarkable New Jersey Women

Helen Coronato – Eco-Friendly Families

Valentine Dmitriev – Lori, Runaway Wife

Naomi Drew – Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids

Amy Edelman – Manless in Montclair

Janet Pfeiffer – The Secret Side of Anger

Marcia Ivans – Over Easy

During the book signing, information will be available on the Firefly Foundation, which is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving positive literary practices.  The founder of this organization believes in fostering a balanced approach to literacy.

Please call (908) 852-9365 for more information about the day’s events.

About The Keynote Speaker

A Vogue “Most Powerful Book of the Season”, Family Circle’s “Best Beach Read” and Redbook “Book Club Pick of the Month,” Alison Larkin’s best-selling novel, The English American,  is under contract to be turned into a major motion picture with Larkin writing the screenplay.  In her speech, Alison will talk about how she draws from her personal history in her fiction – and how attendees can, too!

Alison was adopted at birth and moved from England to New York City to become a stand-up comic after meeting her birth mother in Tennessee.  She appeared regularly at The Comic Strip in New York City and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Comic Relief.  She has appeared on Broadway and spent three years under Hollywood development contract to ABC and CBS to star in her own sitcom.  Her internationally acclaimed one-woman show from her novel has been seen in concert performance all over the world.  The audio book of The English American, narrated by Larkin, is no. 2 on Audible.com’s list of all-time great author-narrated books, above President Obama and Garrison Keillor!  She lives in Morristown, New Jersey.

For more information about Alison Larkin, visit her Web site at www.alisonlarkin.com.

About the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College

The New Jersey State legislature established the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College in 1987 to provide educational and counseling services to women, men and their families in Northwest New Jersey, which includes Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex and Warren counties.  The Center is a private, nonprofit organization.  The main location is Centenary College in Hackettstown with service locations throughout the four-county area.