The Art Spy: Author Talk with Michelle Young
In this webinar, author Michelle Young spoke about her new book The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland. Based on troves of previously undiscovered documents, The Art Spy chronicles the brave actions of the key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazi’s art looting headquarters in the French capital. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, been written out of the annals, despite bearing witness to history’s largest art theft. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland, his undercover adversary, secretly worked to stop him.
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The Cities We Need: Author Talk with Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani
The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places is an expressive book of prose and photographs that reveals the powerful ways our everyday places support our shared belonging.
In this webinar, author Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani shares images and excerpts from the book.
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Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance (Author Talk with A'Lelia Bundles)
In this webinar, author A'Lelia Bundles shares photographs and highlights that went into her new book Joy Goddess, a thoroughly researched biography of the author's great-grandmother A’Lelia Walker. The League's Director of Communications Katy Peace moderated the Q&A following A'Lelia's presentation.
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Language City: Author Talk with Ross Perlin
“…in whatever way in your life, in your work, kind of add the lens of language to how you're seeing environments and situations… we live in still a fundamentally multilingual world, very much a multilingual city and state, and of course it can seem like it's a challenge but also it's a huge opportunity — something to kind of embrace and value and wonder at. So I I hope some sense of wonder also kind of emerges through Language City.”
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Read, Watch, and Experience Black History This Month — And All Year
Since Black History Month falls in February, and since it is cold and snowy in New York, we thought in addition to rounding up a few places to experience Black history, we’d also pair those places with a book or a documentary for anyone less inclined to brave the elements. It’s also a good reminder that Black history exists all the time — so check out some books from your local library and support your local PBS station this winter, and then make sure to visit the places that are promoting this history through the year. There are countless places around New York State doing incredible work to preserve and celebrate Black history and it is always a good time to support them.
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The Slip: Author Talk with Prudence Peiffer
The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever details the story of an obscure little street at the lower tip of Manhattan and the remarkable artists who got their start there. An ambitious and singular account of a time, a place, and a group of extraordinary people, The Slip investigates the importance of community, and makes an argument for how we are shaped by it, and how it in turns shapes our work. In this webinar we were joined by author Prudence Peiffer who discussed her research and highlights from the book.
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Spiritualism's Place: Author Talk with Averill Earls & Elizabeth Masarik
In Spiritualism's Place, four friends and scholars who produce the acclaimed Dig: A History Podcast, share their curiosity and enthusiasm for uncovering stories from the past as they explore the history of Lily Dale. Located in western New York State, the world's largest center for Spiritualism was founded in 1879. Lily Dale has been a home for Spiritualists attempting to make contact with the dead, as well as a gathering place for reformers, a refuge for seekers looking for alternatives to established paths of knowledge, and a target for skeptics. In this webinar, two of the book’s authors, Averill Earls and Elizabeth Garner Masarik, give an overview of their research and how the book came together.
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Preservation Book Club Author Talk with Alyssa Cole
In this webinar, we were joined by New York Times Bestselling author Alyssa Cole who spoke about her recent thrillers, When No One is Watching and One of Us Knows. Following her presentation, Alyssa was joined in conversation by k. kennedy Whiters, RA, whose initiative Black in Historic Preservation co-hosted this event.
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Announcing Our 2025 Winter Author Series
The Preservation League of NYS will welcome five authors as part of our ongoing Preservation Book Club program in early 2025. These virtual author talks will take place via Zoom and are free and open to the public.
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Stand in My Window: Author Talk with LaTonya Yvette
In this webinar, author LaTonya Yvette talks about her new book Stand in My Window: Meditations on Home and How We Make It. Buy the book here.
Through essays with stunning photography, the beloved multimedia storyteller and author of Woman of Color shares the powerful lessons she's learned about creating a home that honors the past and celebrates the future. “Home is a reflection of what we inherit.” Following LaTonya's presentation, she was joined in conversation by Katy Peace, the League's Director of Communications.
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A Vanishing New York: A Conversation with Photographer John Lazzaro
New York is filled with forsaken buildings, each ravaged by the exploits of modernization, each having fascinating histories. A Vanishing New York, published in 2022, explores over 40 of the most evocative abandoned sites in the Empire State and puts their individual stories in the larger context of New York’s historical legacy. Photographer and author John Lazzaro traveled the state over a three-year period, capturing what’s left of such places before they are swept away by time. Divided by region, these sites, ranging from the Catskills’ once-vibrant vacation destinations to Long Island’s melancholy psychiatric centers, reveal deeper social, cultural, and political changes that lead to their decay. These abandoned hospitals, schools, churches, railways, and estates offer us a view into a past rapidly dissolving before it disappears completely.
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Every Woman Her Own Architect: Author Talk with Kelly Hayes McAlonie
As America's first professional female architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune broke barriers in a male-dominated profession that was emerging as a vital force in a rapidly growing nation during the Gilded Age. Yet, Bethune herself is an enigma. Due to scant information about her life and her firm, Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs, scholars have struggled to provide a complete picture of this trailblazer. Using a newly discovered archival source of photographs, architectural drawings, and personal documents, Kelly Hayes McAlonie paints a picture of Bethune never before seen. A comprehensive biography of the first professional woman architect in the United States, who was also the first woman to be admitted to the American Institute of Architects, Louis Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect serves as an important addition to New York and architectural history.
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Brownstone Boys: For the Love of Renovating
For the Love of Renovating: Tips, Tricks & Inspiration for Creating Your Dream Home by Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, is the inspiring, game-changing book every fixer-upper needs, whether the project is budget remodeling or a full gut renovation. In this webinar, Barry and Jordan talk about how they first began their restoration journey with their own Brooklyn brownstone, plus examples from some of their historic renovations around the borough.
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The Borscht Belt Revisited
In her talk, Photographer Marisa Scheinfeld discusses the rise, fall, and impact of the Borscht Belt along with the deeper, more layered meaning she finds in her series, as well as her current work with the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project.
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Cheap Old Houses Book Talk with Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein
The League was thrilled to host Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein for a Preservation Book Club author talk in support of their new book Cheap Old Houses: An Unconventional Guide to Loving and Restoring a Forgotten Home. In this webinar, they discuss the process of putting the book together and the importance of everyday old home stewardship.
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Sleeping with the Ancestors: Author Talk with Joseph McGill, Jr. and Herb Frazier
In this Preservation Book Club webinar, we were joined by Joseph McGill Jr., founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, and his co-author Herb Frazier. They discussed their book Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery. This book is the personal account of one man's groundbreaking project to sleep overnight in the countless oft-overlooked former slave dwellings that still stand across the country, the fascinating history behind those sites, and how he has used the experiences to shed light on larger issues of race in America.
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America Redux: Author Talk with Ariel Aberg-Riger
In this Preservation Book Club presentation, author Ariel Aberg-Riger discussed her brand new book America Redux: Visual Stories From Our Dynamic History. Ariel did a reading from the book and detailed the behind-the-scenes process of how a chapter was put together. Following her presentation, she was joined in conversation by Katy Peace, Director of Communications for the Preservation League of NYS.
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Pride Month Book Recs
Just a few Pride Month book recommendations for you. Some of these we’ve already read and others are still on our TBR. Which have you checked out?
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We love books. Maybe you do, too?
…If what resonates with people is just the book recommendations, maybe there’s a better way to do that. So we’re going to spend the summer experimenting with a new format. Preservation Book Club, but make it Instagram.
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American Chinatown
Bonnie Tsui’s book American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods shines a spotlight on Chinatowns across the country — from New York City to Honolulu, Hawai’i — interweaving the stories of the people she meets with her own personal narrative.
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