One of My Favorite Authors Lives in Harlem

In this Saturday's New York Times Real Estate section there was an article about a family living in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem. I soon realized that family was the Kogans and Deborah Copaken Kogan, the mother, photographer and writer in the article was non-other then the author of Shutterbabe. Shutterbabe is a fantastic novel about Deborah working as a war photographer and struggling to find balance in her life. As a photographer and writer myself, Deborah is an inspiration to me, so, I was very excited to see that she lives near by. Perhaps we'll bump into each other.

Here's a slideshow of their home.

Hat tip to my dad for showing me this article. Thanks Dad!

Photo from The New York Times, Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

A New East Harlem Novel

INFINITUDE8 sent me a tip about this book.

A new novel is out about East Harlem in the 1960's. The Hierophant of 100th Street seems fascinating as does the author, Cullen Dorn, who grew up in East Harlem. The book is partially autobiographical.

Here's a brief description from the publisher:


The Hierophant of 100th Street is a remarkable, unusual book: a metaphysical novel set in a violent world of slums, gangs, and prisons. Drawing on the author's experience of growing up in the infamous East Harlem neighborhood of 100th Street in the 1960s, the story follows 17-year-old Adam Kadman and his 9-year-old brother John through their respective initiations into the realities of street life while simultaneously introducing real-life characters who dwell in the life of the spirit.

Veiled in the guise of fiction, most of what appears in the book is actually a truthful account of the author's real-life experience. Like the author, the young Adam also ventures out from the slums of New York to discover the meaning of life amid the horrors of existence, and finds romance, mysticism, and purpose.

Buy The Hierophant of 100th Street.