Left Bank of the Hudson: Year-End Reflections
On October 3, 2017, nearly three months ago, my first book, Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street, was published by Fordham University Press.
The publication marked the conclusion of a five-year effort and an achievement of a lifelong dream of becoming an author. You could say it was–and remains–a big deal.
Through the entire fall and early winter, I visited bookstores, worked at markets, and met readers in different cities and states. Every day, I did something to promote my book. By year’s end, I had events in two New York City boroughs, seven cities, and five states. Fifteen dates in total.
While touring, I mostly stayed with friends and family. This allowed me to catch up with them and share in their lives, if only for a day or two. An old friend even traveled to Buffalo, New York to hear my reading and later drove me to Pittsburgh for my next event.
I’m grateful to Fordham University Press for taking a chance on my book. I’m forever thankful to the bookstores, libraries, and small businesses that hosted me. I loved meeting people from Jersey City to Minneapolis and I hope to hear their thoughts on Left Bank of the Hudson.
This experience touched nearly every chapter of my life. I read at my hometown’s public library. My aforementioned friend and I stopped for lunch in Erie, Pennsylvania, the city of my birth. I appeared at events throughout Jersey City, my home since 2005.
The end of 2017 brings a sense of closure. The researching, the writing, and the editing are over. Left Bank of the Hudson sits in bookstores and libraries. Readers will decide if my book enjoys a short or long life.