July 25 preview event features ABC News Anchor and Chief National Correspondent Byron Pitts, as well as Authors Kathryn Buckley, Rachel Sherman, and Edward J. Carlson.

 
July 21, 2017, Jersey City, NJ – On Tuesday, July 25, 2017, the Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Cultural Affairs and English Departments will hold a preview of the “Twilight Tuesday” public reading program that will officially debut this fall.  The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the sixth-floor roof terrace of the College’s Library Building at 71 Sip Avenue in Jersey City – just across the way from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center. The event is open to the general public, and there is no charge for admission.
 
The “Twilight Tuesday” program will be held on Tuesday evenings throughout the fall. Wordsmiths, bibliophiles, and storytellers will celebrate the art of written and spoken word, while enjoying breathtaking panoramic views of the Jersey City and New York City skylines from the Library Building terrace.
 
The preview event has been coordinated by HCCC instructor and writer Kathryn Buckley, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from The New School.  Her writing has appeared in a number of publications and media, including From the Heart of Brooklyn Volume 2,The American, Ebibliotekos, 34th Parallel, Eclectica, Press Play, The Rumpus, and The Chaffey Review.
 
The featured guests on July 25 include:
 
Byron Pitts, the ABC News Anchor & Chief National Correspondent and a multiple Emmy award winning journalist who is known for his thoughtful storytelling, on-the-ground reporting and in-depth interviews. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he currently lives in Weehawken.  Mr. Pitts dreamed of becoming a journalist at a young age, but he faced two serious obstacles to his dream.  He was illiterate until the age of 12, and struggled to overcome a stutter.  His journey is chronicled in his 2009 memoir titled Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges.

Rachel Sherman, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University. Ms. Sherman’s short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, Fence, Open City, Conjunctions, and n+1, among other publications. Her first book, The First Hurt, was short-listed for the Story Prize and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and was named one of the “25 Books to Remember in 2006” by the New York Public Library. Her first novel, Living Room (2009), was commended for its “perfect pacing” by The New York Times Book Review.  Ms. Sherman teaches writing at Rutgers, Columbia and Fairleigh Dickinson Universities.
 
Edward J. Carlson, who is a New York shipping lawyer by trade. Prior to studying law, he edited magazines in San Diego; covered sports, religion, and music for Philadelphia newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer; and served as a liaison between city government agencies and immigrant communities in Philadelphia.  Mr. Carlson is currently writing a novel while working full-time in New York. He resides in Jersey City.
 
Additional information on this and other HCCC Cultural Affairs programs may be found athttp://www.hccc.edu/cultural-affairs/.
 

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