The Albany Public Library Foundation takes great pleasure in announcing Peter Golden, Lyn Lifshin, and Dan Wilcox as their 2019 Literary Legends honorees. The Library Foundation will celebrate their important contributions to literature and the city of Albany at the 6th annual Literary Legends Gala to be held on October 19, 2019, at the Albany Public Library’s Washington Avenue Branch.
Peter Golden is a novelist, historian, and award-winning journalist who lives in Guilderland, NY. He has interviewed world leaders including Richard Nixon, Shimon Peres, and Mikhail Gorbachev. He has written many biographies and novels, most recently Nothing is Forgotten, a thriller about the connection between the Holocaust and the Cold War, published in Spring 2018. Peter Golden was born in Newark, New Jersey and studied at SUNY- University at Albany.
Lyn Lifshin is a nationally recognized poet called “The Queen of the Lit Magazines.” Over 120 books and chapbooks of her work have been published. Lyn Lifshin was born in Barre, Vermont, raised in Middlebury Vermont, and moved to Schenectady in the 1970s. She studied at Syracuse University and University of Vermont. She currently divides her time between Niskayuna and Virginia.
Dan Wilcox is a poet and peace activist living in Albany, NY. He is a tireless champion of the Albany poetry community, and hosts the monthly Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, and the annual Poets in the Park series. He has photographed thousands of poetry readings & claims to have the “worlds largest collection of photos of unknown poets.” He studied English and Classics at Fordham University and SUNY- University at Albany.
Literary Legends is the Albany Public Library Foundation’s signature event. Literary Legends was created to showcase outstanding people of letters within our community.
Past Literary Legends
- 2014: William Kennedy, Paul Grondahl and Amy Biancolli
- 2015: Gregory Maguire, Barbara Smith (More info)
- 2016: Marion Roach-Smith, Dr. Leonard Slade (More info)
- 2017: Athena Lord
- 2018: Frankie Bailey and Alice Green
The purpose of Literary Legends is two-fold: to recognize outstanding local authors, illustrators and publishers for their extraordinary contributions to the art of letters and to raise needed funds for special programs and services provided by the Albany Public Library. Thank you for your support!
