Local authors series to kick off at Stissing House

PINE PLAINS — Stissing House, the local Pine Plains restaurant, will host a literary series this season with a number of discussions featuring local authors.Restaurant owner Patricia Jean explained that a few similar events had been held in years past and it was a great opportunity to take advantage of the wealth of authors with homes in the area.“The trick is finding a topic that will appeal to a broad base,” she said, adding that the talks, for now, will focus more on nonfiction works.The first author in the series is Michael Korda, a Salt Point resident who recently published a biography on T.E. Lawrence entitled, “Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia.” On Saturday, April 9, Korda will discuss Lawrence’s life as well as his impact on modern politics in the Middle East and world history.“The first few times we held this we brought in a moderator, but Michael is so dynamic I think he’ll be able to handle it,” Jean said, laughing.Following Korda on the list of scheduled authors are William D. Cohan and his book, “Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World,” and Susan Orlean’s biography of Rin Tin Tin. Dates have not yet been announced for those events.The April 9 event, which runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m., is free to the public, and books will be available for purchase at the talk. Jean said that the Cohan and Orlean discussions will likely be fundraisers for the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (in conjunction with Hammertown Barn) and the Good Dog Foundation.Each event is scheduled to be held on the top floor of the restaurant, which is not handicapped- accessible. Reservations are not required for the talk but will be for any dinner plans; the restaurant will be open downstairs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Stissing House is located on the corner of routes 199 and 82 in the center of Pine Plains.

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