Authors Night

Inside the big doors of the Riley Avenue Gymnasium were twins, authors and retired teachers Sheila and Letty Sustrin enjoying the enthusiasm of their reading public--in this case elementary students from the Riverhead School District. One enthusiastic reader of their book "The Teacher Who Would Not Retire," filled out an order form.

With their books in hand, the children handed them over to the authors to get them autographed and signed. The children tugged on their parents as they excitedly traveled from author to author to look at the authors' displays of books and to talk to them about their own favorite books and literary characters. The Sustrin twins were just two of about 15 authors who attended this year's Annual Authors Night. The 15 Long Island children's book authors spent the evening chatting with parents and children about the books they had written.

Two of the children's book authors had just recently been in the schools as an author in residence and a visiting author. Brian Heinz was just at the Riverhead Middle School conducting his writing workshop entitled "The Opening Page", and Kathleen Bart spoke recently with children at the Aquebogue Elementary School about her book "A Tale of Two Teddies," a children's book about the origin of the teddy bear. Probably the best known author at Authors Night was Ellen Talmage, Riverhead resident, well known author of children's gardening books, local horticulturalist, science workshop leader, garden designer and a Riley Avenue parent.

Behind each author was a huge banner that revealed the work and anticipation of this event that had already taken place in the classroom. There were illustrations, book reports and huge graphic re-creations that captured the spirit of each of the books of the writers who attended this year's Authors Night.