Aspiring writers and book-publishing enthusiasts seeking inspiration and helpful information in the publishing world need look no further than Writers@Work, the alumni writers-in-residence series at Fredonia, that will bring New York Times Best Selling author Wendy Corsi Staub and her editor at HarperCollins to campus, Thursday through Monday, Nov. 9 to 13, to discuss careers in publishing and beyond in a variety of settings.
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Ms. Staub, an English major who graduated in 1986, and Lucia Macro, executive editor at HarperCollins, will participate in a craft talk, a career workshop (for seniors of all disciplines) and a master class (on working with an editor) and also conduct open office hours, where Fredonia students can receive professional tips.
The residency coincides with the hardcover release of Staub’s “Dead of Winter,” the third installment of her Lily Dale mystery series. Staub will participate in several book signings on- and off-campus for both “Dead of Winter” and her Spring 2017 release in the Mundy’s Landing series, “Bone White.”
Writers@Work events, which are free and open to the public, include:
Office Hours Thursday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 5 p.m., Fenton Hall Room 127. During this informal time, students will be able to drop in for a cup of coffee and an opportunity to discuss their own writing (if submitted in advance), the publishing trade, working with an editor and much more.
Public talk and book launch party and signing – Thursday, Nov. 9, beginning at 6 p.m., Williams Center Room S204. Real and fictional locations in Western New York will be the focus of the program. English Professor Emeritus Macolm “Mac” Nelson will introduce Staub and Macro. A book launch reception and signing for “Dead of Winter” and “Bone White” will follow at 7 p.m. in the Pucci Room, also in the Williams Center.
Live interview on “High Noon Friday” – Friday, Nov. 10, at noon. The venerable public affairs program on student radio station WDVL, 89.5 FM, will focus on the author and book publishing.
“You’re Hired!: Landing a Job after Graduation” – a career workshop for students of all majors, on Friday, Nov. 10, from 3 to 4 p.m., in Fenton Hall Room 105. Tips for avoiding common missteps, on crafting documents and evoking a professional image will be explored in the session. Pizza will be served.
Book launch and signing Friday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pucci’s, 112 W. Main St., Fredonia. Featuring “Dead of Winter,” to be released on Nov. 7.
Fredonia Open House Saturday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m., King Concert Hall. Staub and Macro will be among featured speakers who will address accepted and prospective students and their parents during the event sponsored by the Office of Admissions.
Book Launch and Signing – Saturday, Nov. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m., Bookstore, University Commons. “Dead of Winter” and “Bone White” will be featured.
Office Hours – Monday, Nov. 13, from 1 to 3 p.m., Fenton Hall Room 127. Staub and Macro will hold informal office hours. Students will be able to drop in for a cup of coffee and an opportunity to discuss the craft of writing and careers in either the creative world or corporate publishing world.
Master Class – Monday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., Kelly Family Auditorium, Science Center. In “Crafting Stories, Crafting Relationships,” Staub and Macro will describe their working relationship, how a manuscript becomes a finished book and the difficulties and triumphs that inevitably happen along the way. Refreshments will be served.
Staub, an award-winning author of more than 90 books, is best known for single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books — and the women’s fiction she writes under the pseudonym Wendy Markham — have also appeared on USA Today, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookscan best-seller lists.
A Dunkirk native, Staub’s ties to her alma mater are strong. She was the keynote Commencement speaker in 2008 and a Convocation speaker in 2011 and has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences. Her late mother, Francella Corsi, and her sister, Lisa Corsi Koellner, are graduates of Fredonia, and her niece and nephew, Hannah Koellner (Communication Disorders and Sciences, Class of 2018) and Leo Koellner (Business/Finance, Class of 2021), and a cousin, Victoria Pucci-Schaefer (Public Relations, Class of 2021), are currently enrolled at Fredonia.
Macro has made her mark editing smart, commercial, women’s fiction including international-bestselling writer Hazel Gaynor, author of “The Girl from The Savoy” and “The Girl Who Came Home.” Macro also edits the historical novels of New York Times best-selling author Karen Harper. She enjoys the wonderful challenge of working with debut novelists and received the Vivian Stephens Industry Award from the Romance Writers of America (RWA), given to a non-writer who has contributed to the genre or to RWA in a significant and/or continuing manner.
Macro’s nephew, Jaret Belschwinder (History, Class of 2019), also attends Fredonia. He is the Sports Director at Fredonia Radio Systems and won the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems Award for Best Hockey Play-by-Play in March 2017.
