Dorothy Parker gave this signed photo to her friend and mentor F.P.A. and his family. Photo courtesy of Anthony Adams. Heywood Broun and Ruth Hale had one of their famous New Year’s Eve parties to close out 1921. They lived in a brownstone at 330 West 85th Street, a townhouse that Broun had won the mortgage at a poker game. He later lost the apartment the same way. That night was one of their most Continue Reading →
I was really surprised and honored today to hear from the Guides Association of New York City (GANYC) that my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide has been nominated for an Apple Award. I’ve been nominated in the Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Book Writing category. The 2nd annual awards ceremony will be held March 7 at Symphony Space, which is nice, because I can walk to it and won’t need to Continue Reading →
I’m happy to announce I will be signing and selling copies of all 5 of my books: A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York, The Lost Algonquin Round Table: Humor, Fiction, Journalism, Criticism and Poetry From America’s Most Famous Literary Circle, Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide, Dorothy Parker Complete Broadway, 1918-1923, The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide. Do your holiday shopping in one place. Come to the Princeton Club Continue Reading →
Veterans Day is on Wednesday, Nov. 11, but I am holding a walking tour on Sunday, Nov. 8, Noon, to honor the holiday. Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills National Cemetery is the only National Cemetery in New York City. I started going there in 2010 when I was researching my Governors Island book. In 1886, the U.S. Army closed the post cemetery that served Fort Columbus (today Fort Jay), and moved all of the graves to Cypress Continue Reading →
Today is the birthday of John V.A. Weaver, a member of the Algonquin Round Table you probably never heard of, unless you read my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide. Weaver was born on this date in 1893 in Charlotte, North Carolina (just a month older than Dorothy Parker, another poet in the Vicious Circle). I found his life fascinating and a lot of fun to write about. Practically nobody has Continue Reading →
It was the 10th anniversary of the Jazz Age Lawn Party, and I don’t see how it could get any more perfect. Once more, Michael Arenella has pulled off another fantastic weekend on Governors Island. The Brooklyn bandleader and his team produced a fantastic event that had a wonderful turnout. The weather cooperated and it was a warm and sunny weekend for live jazz, shows, cocktails, and special events. Read more at my Governors Island Explorer’s Guide.
I’m pretty sure this is the first time a review of one of my books referenced Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Pretty cool. This very flattering review comes from It’s just the booze dancing, a popular cocktail blog. An excerpt: Kevin C. Fitzpatrick’s book “Under The Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide” is a history book of sorts, but at no point did I feel like I was being lectured to. Much like a well crafted cocktail, this book is Continue Reading →
I am very pleased to announce that my sixth book will be published by Globe Pequot Press: The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide. It will be part of the “Historical Tours” series and come out in about nine months. The book will be approximately 122 pages and available in softcover and ebook. It will be illustrated with maps, photos, and artwork. It will be available soon for pre-order; the ISBN is 978-1-4930-1966-3. Read more at my new Governors Continue Reading →
Kensico Vaudeville Project #: 10 Name: Rudolph Carpos Act: Clown Born: 9 Sept 1875, Vienna, Austria Died: 4 Nov 1935, New York City There are two different gravestones for Rudolph Carpos, a professional clown who was beloved by vaudeville audiences. He was born Rudolph Karp on 9 September 1875 in Vienna, Austria. In 1914 he toured Sydney and Newcastle, Australia, before sailing to Hawaii aboard the Ventura. During World War I he registered for the Continue Reading →
Kensico Vaudeville Project #: 9 Name: Victorinne Coscia Act: Dancer Born: 18 April 1898, Pennsylvania Died: 8 May 1961, New York City This is the grave of a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl who was in two of the greatest casts ever assembled, the back-to-back legendary Follies of 1922 and 1923. Dancer Victorine Voltaire was a teenager when Flo Ziegfeld cast her; her two younger sisters, Jeanne and Rita, were also dancers. (Sister acts were a particular Continue Reading →