Thomas
Beller’s critically acclaimed website, mrbellersneighborhood,
has attracted fine stories about New York City for some time, with many
now printed in Beller’s collection, Before & After: Stories from New
York. The site gained poignancy after September 11 and again with
the death of Mr. Rogers. But Beller is equally well-regarded for his own
collected stories, Seduction Theory, and his novel about a rootless
young man from age 6 to 30, Sleep-Over Artist (a New York Times
notable book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2000). He is
also the founding editor of Open City Magazine and Books.
Thomas
Beller played a role in the success of Amine
Wefali of Chappaqua, whose work he encouraged and whose debut
novel about her dissolving marriage, Westchester Burning, has been
a public and critical success.
“How haunting,” says National Book Award finalist, Anne Roiphe, about Wefali’s book. “This spare story is written with such clean lines that no one will be able to avoid its power. Here is a truly gifted writer who bores in where others might look away.”
Suggested Donation: $5 ($3 for members)
The readings at the HVWC are made possible in part by a grant from the Bydale Foundation; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts; and by Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government, corporations and individuals.