New Paperback Edition of the Algonquin Round Table New York

In what came as a surprise to me, a paperback edition of The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide (2015) has been published by Lyons Press. The hardcover vanished last year (which was the centennial of the Round Table launch, unfortunately) and this paperback takes its place. It is all the same content as the 2015, just in paperback. It remains 274 pages and is priced at $16.95 in the USA. It is Continue Reading →

Algonquin Round Table Centennial Summer

The Algonquin Hotel is not going to let the centennial of the first luncheon of the Algonquin Round Table pass without notice. The national literary landmark has planned an entire summer of events to celebrate the Vicious Circle, which began as a welcome home roast for critic Alexander Woollcott in June 1919. To mark the occasion, the hotel is having a special $19.99 lunch menu every day until Labor Day, live music on Thursdays and Continue Reading →

Interview on Thirteen about 1920s Writers

For the Great American Read in New York, PBS WNET Thirteen interviewed me at the Algonquin Hotel to talk about the 1920s literary scene in the city. The show is part of the Metrofocus series. I spoke about the history of the Algonquin Round Table and the many writers and friends who gathered at the landmark hotel. Next year, 2019, is the centennial of the group’s founding. Correspondent Naeem Douglas did a marvelous job on Continue Reading →

Tours of Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker Homes

The first public walking tours of 2018 will be in January and February. The walks are led by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, author of The Algonquin Round Table New York and A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York. Algonquin Round Table Tour Mondays, meet at the Algonquin Hotel 10:45, walks begin at 11:00. 29 January 5 February 12 February 26 February Advance tickets required, click here to book. Dorothy Parker’s Upper West Side Wednesdays, meet at Continue Reading →

NYC Now Knows Who Co-Founded The New Yorker

It is Women’s History Month. Who celebrates Jane Grant as the co-founder of The New Yorker? Was it, perhaps, The New Yorker? Or newyorker.com? Or another Condé Nast publication, such as Vanity Fair or Vogue? You’d be wrong in every case, just like you’d be wrong to choose The New York Times, where Grant was the first female reporter in the city room, before World War I. The one (and only one) place that recognizes Continue Reading →

Who’s Who on Z: The Beginning of Everything

Z: The Beginning of Everything will have ten episodes on Amazon Prime on January 27. I watched the pilot and liked it a lot, so I’ll watch the series. I just checked the IMDB listing looking for my favorite person. In August 2016 I was sitting at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, sandwiched between Dandy Dillinger (Miss Art Deco), Don Spiro (Zelda magazine publisher), and Meghan Weatherby (the Art Deco Society). A Continue Reading →

Dorothy Parker Reviews the Ziegfeld Follies

On Saturday I debuted my W.C. Fields History Walking Tour as part of Fields Fest, a 6-week celebration of the life of the great comedian. Dorothy Parker was a huge fan of Fields. In my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide, I was really happy to be able to include a photo of Parker and Fields together. One of the parts of the tour I wanted to do, but didn’t for Continue Reading →

Walking Tours Return with the Vicious Circle April 30

My first public walking tour of 2016 will be on April 30 at Noon at the Algonquin Hotel. The Algonquin Round Table comes alive in the only New York walking tour devoted to the famed literary group. The 2-hour walk celebrates Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, George S. Kaufman, Harpo Marx, Edna Ferber, Franklin P. Adams, Heywood Broun, Harold Ross, Robert Sherwood, Marc Connelly and the rest of the Vicious Circle. Advance tickets on sale now. Continue Reading →

F.P.A. on New Year’s Day 1922

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 →

Dec. 12 Signing at Princeton Club of New York

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 →