Acclaimed Authors Rupert Holmes And Roxana Robinson

Will Both Lecture At The Next AAUW Benefit Luncheon

RIDGEFIELD — Area residents have a rare opportunity to hear two nationally acclaimed authors when Rupert Holmes and Roxana Robinson visit Ridgefield as guest speakers at the American Association of University Women’s Education Foundation benefit luncheon on Saturday, April 9, at Bernard’s Inn.

Rupert Holmes — the first person to solely win Tony awards for Best Book, Best Music, and Best Lyrics for his Broadway hit The Mystery of Edwin Drood (which also won the Tony for Best Musical) — will present his new novel, Swing.  Debuting later this month, Swing has been called ”A tour de force of style and erudition” by Publisher’s Weekly in advance reviews.

Set in San Francisco at the brink of World War II, Swing combines suspense, intrigue, history, and the era’s inimitable music, against the backdrop of a looming war and a series of mysterious murders surrounding the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition. Accompanying the book is a CD of original music composed by Mr Holmes, whose fully orchestrated songs provide clues to the novel’s mystery.

A two-time recipient of the coveted Edgar Award, Mr Holmes also created and wrote the Emmy Award-winning series Remember Wenn; arranged and conducted Barbra Streisand’s album Lazy Afternoon; and recently authored the Tony-nominated Broadway hit Say Goodnight, Gracie.

Mr Holmes’ previous novel, Where the Truth Lies, is currently being adapted for the screen, starring Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth. Mr Holmes lives in Westchester County.

Renowned writer Roxana Robinson’s most recent book, Sweetwater, was a starred selection of Publisher’s Weekly as well as a New York Times notable book. Set in New York City, London and the Adirondacks, Sweetwater follows the journey of a young widow as she embarks on a second marriage and a new life. The story gives voice to the universal joys, struggles and intricacies inherent in social and personal human relations.

Ms Robinson will also highlight selections from A Perfect Stranger, an upcoming collection of short stories which includes several works previously published in Best American Short Stories. Referred to as “John Cheever’s heir apparent,” by The New York Times Book Review, and as “One of our best writers” by The Washington Post, Ms Robinson has been compared to Edith Wharton and Henry James as a chronicler of the complexities of social and family relations, delving beneath the surface of seemingly ideal lives.

Ms Robinson is the author of two previously-acclaimed novels, a biography, and two short story collections. Four of her books have been named Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times, and her biography, Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life (1989) was short listed for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

She has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper’s and Vogue, and her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories. Ms Robinson has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the MacDowell Colony.

Both authors are residents of Westchester County.

Tickets for the luncheon (salad, entrée and dessert) and program are $50 ($25 of which is tax deductible).

Last year’s event sold out; early registration is recommended. For registration information, send email to ADunnAAUW@aol.com  or call 203-431-3292.