By Arlene McKanic
The second Rockaway Literary Festival will be held June 7-8 at Fort Tilden in Far Rockaway, in sTudios 6 & 7. The brainchild of author Stuart Mirsky, it will again feature panels of writers and filmmakers and Mirsky promises a bigger, better event this time around.
“Last year we had a bit more than 30 writers of various types participating, including screenwriters,” Mirsky said. “This year we have over 40 fiction and non-fiction authors alone.”
There will be 46 participants on various panels, as well as readings from poets and local playwrights and musical performances, some of which will be introduced by radio DJ Pete Fornatale.
Meet-the-writer panels begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and continue until 6 in the evening, covering a wide range of topics, including suspense, women in literarture and local journalism (in the interest of full disclosure, this writer will be moderating that one).
Brooklyn journalist and writer Ben Gibberd will discuss his new book “New York Waters: Profiles from the Edge.” He'll be joined by Tom Phelan, an Irish author who now lives in America but writes of Ireland and has won numerous awards for his fiction.
Historical fiction author Stephanie Cowell will talk about her newest book, “Marrying Mozart,” which has already been translated into seven languages and been optioned for a film production. Mystery writers include Alan Gordon, author of the Fools' Guild mystery series; Thomas O'Callaghan (the Lt. John Driscoll series); and suspense writers K.J.A. Wishnia (“23 Shades of Black”) and Aileen Baron (“A Fly has a Hundred Eyes”). At the end of the day, a copyright attorney will conduct a workshop on copyright law.
This year's festival will also feature an expanded film component. “The screenwriting symposium that we did last year, concurrently with the book panels, has been promoted to a mini film festival screening five feature-length, and three short, films over two evenings before and after the Sunday book festival,” Mirsky said.
Movies that will be shown in the evenings of both days include Hollywood director Brett Morgen's “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” about the career of Robert Evans, producer of “The Godfather” and “Chinatown.” Morgen, an award-winning director, recently moved to Rockaway, where he plans to put down roots.
His film will be joined by Debra Eisenstadt's “The Limbo Room,” Robert Sarnoff's “Dispatch,” Kevin Breslin's “The Other Side of the Street,” Rockaway indie filmmaker Yisrael Lifshutz's “The Jewish Basketball Hall of Fame,” Pamela Popeson's “Musical Chairs,” Josh Coyne's “Three Commercials” and Mark Street's “Hidden in Plain Sight.”
The festival will once again be sponsored by the Rockaway Music and Arts Council, the Rockaway Artists Alliance and the Rockaway Theatre Company. “These three organizations have been instrumental in creating an artistic renaissance in south Queens, just across Jamaica Bay. But none of this, of course, could have happened without the vigorous cooperation and support of the Gateway folks, themselves, and we owe them a tip of the hat, too,” said Mirsky, referring to the Gateway National Recreation Area, a federal park that includes Fort Tilden and other parkland around Jamaica Bay and New York Harbor.
The festival and the screenings are free, as is the parking at Fort Tilden. Food and drink will be available at the Moon Stage from Rockaway Seafood, a local restaurant, and there will also be an arts and crafts center for kids, which should keep them busy while their parents attend and enjoy the festival.
If You Go:
Rockaway Literary Festival
When: June 7 and 8
Where: Gateway National Park, Fort Tilden, Rockaway
Cost: Free
Contact: 718-318-4300
