Where
The Ferguson Library
One Public Library Plaza
96 Broad Street
Stamford, CT 06904
CrimeCONN 2022
The End of the World
As We Knew It
Saturday, June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Main Library, DiMattia Building
(Doors open at 8 a.m.)
Also available to attend as a virtual event via Zoom webinar.
(Virtual event on Zoom will begin at 9 a.m.)
The Friends of the Ferguson Library and the Mystery Writers of America/NY chapter present CrimeCONN 2022, a one-day writers' and mystery lovers' conference.
This year, authors and crime experts take stock of the literary life in the midst of COVID, cultural upheaval and Russia's war on Ukraine. How do we keep creating and finding beauty amidst the turmoil?
$50 per person
$45 per person for MWA members, Friends members, seniors and students
(Light breakfast and lunch included at the in-person event.)
Also available via Zoom (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
$25 per person (Register HERE to attend the virtual program on Zoom)
CrimeCONN 2022 Sessions
(Schedule subject to change.)
Panels and Interviews
Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes. What's different now for writers, what will revert back and what will stick for good. No one knows which recent changes will endure post-pandemic, and during Russia’s war on Ukraine. Writers living through it all speculate.
Moderator: Deborah Goodrich Royce: Author of Finding Mrs. Ford and Ruby Falls, thrillers that examine puzzles of identity.
Panelists:
George Dawes Green: Founder of The Moth, and internationally-celebrated author of The Caveman's Valentine, The Juror and Ravens.
Chandra Prasad: Author of young adult novels Mercury Boys and Damselfly.
Shari Randall: Author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series, which is set in a thinly-veiled version of Mystic, CT. She also writes the Ice Cream Shop mysteries as Meri Allen.
The Eve of Destruction. Is this really the end or just a nasty speed bump? There's a lot of commentary that we're in apocalyptic times. Some scoff at the idea. How are writers reacting to it all? Can crime writing address some of the dystopian mood?
Moderator: Chris Knopf: Author of the Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery Series, Arthur Cathcart thrillers and Jackie Swaitkowski mystery books.
Panelists:
Reed Farrel Coleman: New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two novels including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series.
Jill Fletcher: Avid reader, author, book editor, professional manuscript review
Wendy Walker: Bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten, Emma In the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look for Me, Hold Your Breath, and American Girl.
Forever Young. How young adult authors navigate unprecedented times.
Kids today face a world that no other generation has lived through. How does fiction recognize the challenges while sustaining hopes, dreams and aspirations – and still have fun doing it all?
Moderator: Desmond Hall: Screenwriter and author of Your Dark Corner, a YA novel that was a finalist for the New England Book Award.
Panelists:
Emily Arsenault: Author of several novels for adults and young adults, most recently the young adult psychological suspense/ghost story When All the Girls Are Sleeping.
Lorien Lawrence: Author of the middle grade horror series, Fright Watch.
Laurie Faria Stolarz: Author of several popular young adult novels including the Dark House series, the Touch series, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series.
Lunch Break/Writing Workshop
Enjoy lunch in the auditorium with our CrimeCONN authors or grab your lunch and head over to a writing workshop with Desmond Hall. (Reserve your spot for the writing workshop when you register. Seating is limited. Workshop is available to in-person attendees only. )
Psycho Killer. Law enforcement in the age of derangement.
When the times get weird, the weird turn pro. Tales and commentary on all the crazy thinking and behavior rising up around us.
Moderator: Michelle Clark, Medicolegal Death Investigator for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s in Connecticut.
Panelists:
Bridget Brisnahan: Recently retired from the New Haven Police Department where she spent 22 years fighting crime - the last 16, fighting crime with science in the detective bureau.
Bruce Coffin: A former detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement, he is also the award-winning author of the Detective Byron mystery series.
Joaquim (Jack) DeOliveira: After twenty-plus years of service, Jack retired from the Naugatuck Police Department and recently accepted a job at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as a Medicolegal Death Investigator.
I'll Be There For You. Discovering and building stronger communities and relationships. Isolation, deprivation and threats to world peace can actually bring us closer together. How have recent times brought writers a renewed love of community and human connection?
Moderator: Charles Salzberg, Author of the Henry Swann mystery series and over 20 non-fiction books.
Panelists:
Alison Gaylin: A USA Today and international bestselling author, her 12th and latest book, The Collective, was nominated for the L.A. Times Book Prize and has been optioned for development as a TV series.
Wendy Corsi Staub: The award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than 90 novels, she is best known for the single-title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. She also writes women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham.
Doctor My Eyes. Experiencing Covid and observing war through the lens of a physician and best-selling author.
Interviewer: John Valeri: Book critic, author, and host of the web series Central Booking, he has written for numerous publications.
Keynote: Tess Gerritsen: An international bestselling author, her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series "Rizzoli & Isles," starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.
BOOK SALE AND SIGNING.
$25 per person (Register HERE to attend the virtual progarm on Zoom)