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Women Writers in Turtle Bay Turtle Bay has long been home to many of the literary types who traditionally gravitate to New York. These include Kurt Vonnegut, Henry Kissinger and Walter Cronkite, to name a few bright stars; but we also have many who, while perhaps not quite so well known, are actively and successfully engaged in their literary craft. Ferreting them out is not easy - they tend to be rather private people - and very busy people as well. Edith Hornik-Beer After graduating with a B.S. degree from Simmons College in Boston, Edith traveled back to Switzerland to earn another degree at the University of Lausanne. One of her earliest published articles appeared in Annabelle Magazine in Zurich in 1964. Back in the United States, Edith married, moved to Connecticut, had two children, and continued writing. She began doing a column for teenagers, called "The Young World", and found that so many young people had problems at home with parents addicted to alcohol that this became a permanent interest. Several articles appeared in the Sunday Hartford Courant Magazine, covering such diverse subjects as secret Swiss bank accounts and problems of alcoholism. Gradually, her writing began to appear in The New York Times, Newsday, and Westchester Women's News, and led to radio and TV appearances. She began giving courses and lectures on the problems of senior citizens, alcoholism and the family, and on writing. Her first full-length book was You and Your Alcoholic Parent, published by Association Press in 1974. Twenty years ago Edith moved back to Turtle Bay, and continued her writing, specializing in the dynamics of alcoholism within a family. Her latest book, published in 2001, is For Teenagers Living With a Parent Who Abuses Alcohol/Drugs. She has a website, www.answersforteens.com, covering much of the same material. Edith is a big fan of Turtle Bay living, and makes good use of the nearby libraries. She has written articles on the neighborhood, one called Living Near The U.N. and Loving It (Usually). She has been active in various writing groups in the area. But her leisure interests are as varied as her writing - she still enjoys horseback riding, and is an avid skier who spends part of each year in Colorado. Wherever she is, she never stops writing! Yvonne Manley This background, while preparing her well for her current career in individual and group counseling, also stood her in good stead in 1996 when a routine yearly mammogram suddenly resulted in a diagnosis of breast cancer. This personal experience, coupled with her knowledge of psychology and medical practice, led her to share her thoughts and reactions with other breast cancer patients, and culminated in her first book You've Got a Friend. The book is a varied compendium of wisdom, practical suggestions, numerous relevant cartoons, and - blank pages! The last is for writing or sketching your own thoughts as you read. Basically, the book is devoted to Yvonne's philosophy - that we look for certainty in a world where there is no certainty except for the power of love to overcome obstacles. It seems that Yvonne has overcome adversity in her own life, and has in fact used it as a steppingstone to a whole new career. Her experience brought out the writer in her, and she is now working on another book for a wider audience. The subject is love, an extension of her philosophy, but with a much broader scope than cancer patients. She envisions it as a recipe for living fully. Carol Ann Rinzler Each of Carol's books is designed to explain and clarify technical information for non-tech human beings, and this aim eventually led her to write for the "Dummies" series. Her first venture was Nutrition for Dummies, published in 1990 and again in 1997 by IDG Publishing; it became one of Amazon.com's ten best health books in 1999, as well as an LA Times health bestseller. She went on to do Weight Loss Kit for Dummies in 2001, and the latest is Controlling Cholesterol for Dummies, just published by Wiley. Meanwhile, other important books on such diverse topics as health issues, cosmetics, and medical folklore have flowed from Carol's pen (or computer). One such, Estrogen and Breast Cancer: a Warning to Women was first published in 1993 by Macmillan, and again in 1996 by Hunter House. Recently this title is again much in demand since the use of estrogen has become a controversial topic in the medical field. How did Carol acquire all this expertise? Her original college studies were in history at Finch College, and she earned a master's degree in European history from Columbia. Later she became a "second degree" student in chemistry at Hunter College, where she studied for about six years. Carol has lived in Turtle Bay for more than 24 years, and is a long-time member of the Board of the Turtle Bay Association. She enjoys participating in the civic life of the community as a "neat break from typing all the time." She is married to Perry Luntz, a wine and spirits writer, editor, and publisher, and they both enjoy their amiable cat, named Kat. Nancy Rubin Stuart Nancy says she has been a writer all her life. After graduating with an MA degree from Brown University, she attended the Bread Loaf Writers Conference in Middlebury, Vermont, and then began writing professionally for newspapers and other publications, including Westchester News for The New York Times. After the birth of her children she began work on her first book - taking advantage of the milieu in which she was immersed. The New Suburban Woman - Beyond Myth and Motherhood was published in 1982 and was an immediate success, leading to another book in 1984, The Mother Mirror, subtitled "How a generation of women is changing motherhood in America." Next Nancy made an interesting switch - to historical biography, building on her firsthand knowledge of women and their responses to the culture in which they live. In 1991 Isabella of Castile - The First Renaissance Queen was published, followed in 1995 by American Empress - The Life and Times of Marjorie Merriwether Post. And now she is involved in chronicling the Victorian period from a woman's viewpoint. Nancy takes a very serious and disciplined attitude toward her work, rising early every morning for a run before settling in for a day's writing at home. Somehow she manages to shut out the usual daily interruptions, and only varies her schedule for an occasional day of research at the library, or a television appearance. She was recently seen on the Arts and Entertainment channel doing commentary for a program called Mansions, Monuments and Masterpieces - about the history and architecture of Newport, R.I. - where she was introduced as an author and "social historian." That seems an apt description of her diverse talents to date, but we'll soon have to add "mystery writer" to her dossier.
The Turtle Bay Association is a nonprofit (501c3) community organization.
224 East 47th Street, New York City 10017 |
