Local Author Day (Hybrid)

Join us on Sunday, October 15th from 1-4pm for local author signings and panels on children's books, poetry, fiction/mystery, sustainability and more!

About the Moderator: Theresa Agostinelli is the child of two librarians and holds degrees in Studio Art, English Writing Arts, and Library Science.  She currently works as an academic librarian and ESL instructor.  Theresa has planned and moderated numerous panel discussions and conferences at the state and local levels. Books from thrift shops, book stores, and libraries often find their way home with her. Theresa is happiest when she is sitting with a cup of tea surrounded by good reads.

Panels:

1:00pm: Poetry Writers and Performers

Joyce Fisher

Born and raised in England, poet Joyce Fisher is both a writer and an artist. Her paintings have been exhibited in juried art shows and her creative nonfiction piece about growing up in war-torn London was published in the Home News. In her debut anthology "The Bird's Last Song and Other Poems", Joyce speaks in the language of lyricism to explore both personal and socially relevant issues.

Joseph Reuben Fuller

Joseph Reuben Fuller is a juxtaposed mind inside of an enigmatic brain protected by a simple skull.  Filled with content, character, charisma, and a courteous nature to use his surroundings as tools to get his point from A to B and back to A again.  A member of the 2008 and 2009 NJ Slam teams, a published author and overall lover of the combination of sounds and words. Joseph walks the tightrope with loose screws as he is his own driver on the highway of life.

Beth Portnoy

Beth Portnoy (she/her/they/them) is a poet, writer, and overall book-lover. A current high school senior, she published her first poetry anthology in 2022 at age 15. Their latest poetry book, Rough, is an innovative project to repurpose the sometimes distant-seeming art of poetry for the modern world. When not writing, reading, or catching up on schoolwork, Beth can oftentimes be found swimming or enjoying a wide variety of food.

1:50pm: Authors for Children (and the People Who Love Them)

Katie Germain

Katie Germain is a two-timed self-published author of The Honey Bees Series. Her vibrant children's books teach families how to express their need for rest and how to use teamwork. She is a local mom of two and an occupational therapist, certified in perinatal mental health. She uses her personal and professional experience to help create her stories.

Kelly Russell Jaques

Kelly Russell Jaques was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. She graduated from St. Michael's College in Vermont with a B.A. in English literature, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a M.A. in English literature with a concentration in creative writing. She lives in Metuchen, New Jersey, with her husband,Jim, and has three (mostly) grown children. She used to have a trampoline in my backyard, but now has a hammock, just waiting for a tired tortoise!

Amar

Greetings, fellow seekers of stories! By day, Amar steers innovation as a dedicated product lead, and her true passion comes alive when she weaves tales that inspire and delight. As the creative force behind Oxie the Otter and Pixie the Pig, Amar bridges the gap between entertainment and education. With each turn of the page, her stories whisk young minds away on whimsical adventures. Through Oxie and Pixie's escapades, she nurtures curiosity, courage, and camaraderie. These stories are not just entertainment – they're life lessons wrapped in laughter and imagination.

2:35pm: Environmental Authors

Kayla Harris

Kayla Harris, deeply rooted in her connection with nature since her upbringing on the Jersey Shore, later pursued her passion for English at the University of Delaware. She wears multiple hats as an artist, activist, and environmentalist, with a career at TerraCycle, a global innovator in sustainable solutions, and her own venture, The Imperfect Eco, dedicated to promoting accessible sustainable products. In her leisure, she enjoys writing poetry, beach outings, and actively contributing to social causes as the Secretary of the Bordentown Township Environmental Commission and the Poetry Editor for NJ Indy.

Shrenik & Daivik Patel

Shrenik & Daivik Patel are graduates of East Brunswick High School, where they co-authored, “ The Essential Guide to Understanding Sustainability” with environmental activist Kathryn Nguyen.  It is a much-needed book that describes the issue of unsustainable practices and coins a vocabulary that can be used to begin essential discussions and reform.   

3:20pm: Tackling Challenging Topics

Brooke Beyfuss

Brooke Beyfuss is a freelance writer from Woodbridge, New Jersey, and the author of two critically acclaimed novels. Her debut, After We Were Stolen, was featured in Bustle magazine, Booklist, the New York Journal of Books, Buzzfeed, and selected as a Fall ’22 Hoopla Book Club pick. Her second release, Before You Found Me, was featured in Booklist and chosen as Bookmarked for Book Club’s August ‘23 selection.

Aparna Parthasarathy

Aparna Parthasarathy is a high school senior passionate about remedying structural inequalities, closing educational gaps and representing Generation Z’s values to shape legislation with elected officials. Aparna is a literary advocate and author of Tales of the Invisible, a book that addresses the intersectionality of feminism and the importance of representation. She utilized her interest in reading and writing to increase awareness about the levels of oppression and inequality that occur around the globe. An author, her book titled "Tales of the Invisible" was published last Fall and rose to become a best seller in its category within a month of release. This book not only explores the hardships of women across the world but to celebrate their strength and to find the one thing that unites us all. Hope. 

Shirley Russak Wachtel

Shirley Russak Wachtel is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  She holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and for the past thirty years has taught English literature at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey.  The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to three precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick with her husband, Arthur.