Eve Pell

Home Works

credit: Craig Stern

READINGS AND EVENTS:
Next up is a reading at Boca Grande, Florida, on January 15, then one in Los Angeles in the spring. For more info, or if you know people or bookstores in those areas who might like to organize a reading, please let me know.

I'll be appearing in San Francisco at the Carlyle on Jan. 28 and at a gathering of Brown alumni, also in SF, on Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. If interested in either of those, shoot me an e-mail: those events are not open to the general public but I can invite a few people.

I've been coast to coast and in the middle, too, this summer and fall. In Chicago in August, I appeared with 2 other authors at a program organized by Bookslut, which my p.r. guy said would be a big deal and move many books. But it turned out to be a room above a bar with about 35 people. I read first; next came a young guy covered with wild tattoos and piercings, head partly shaved, part black bushy hair--he wrote sci-fi pornography! His reading described various space-aliens with multiple organs getting it on in an alternate universe--a far cry from Tuxedo Park, to say the least. Last reader's book was on the ethics of pate de foie gras, should one eat it or not? I sold about 5 books, had a beer and cheerful chat with the sci-fi guy afterward.

Then I went to Tenants Harbor, Maine, for the opening night of the St. George Literary Festival--and quite a contrast. I'd been to school with several people in the audience--we had a lively discussion after the reading,and I sold about 40 books. No space-alien sex at all.

Next adventure was in mid-November, when the Pell family was honored at a gala dinner at the Waldorf for restoring and preserving Fort Ticonderoga. I wondered what my reception would be from family members who might dislike the book--would I be the skunk at the garden party? One person was rather cool, but everyone else was warm and welcoming. A few cousins brought books for me to sign. I read at the New Rochelle Library and at Carleton-Willard Village in Concord, MA. Old pal Grace Warnecke hosted a book party at her New York apartment for family and friends. Victor Navasky and Hamilton Fish of The Nation came, along with novelist/reporter Michael Thomas.

CHECK OUT THESE APPEARANCES IN AUDIO, VIDEO, PRINT

Of all unexpected things, a review from an old beau who has since become a noted writer--we went to his school's spring dance in 1953: www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/479438

This radio interview covered scenes and events from Tuxedo Park to the Black Panther Party--it helped sell a bunch of books: http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R903121000

This TV interview by an entertaining host happened in the Bronx: http://bronxnet.fliggo.com/video/gojPKjuD

And here's a newspaper profile: http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_12085764

Quick Links

www.freudyphotos.com: the world my parents and I grew up in.

Fabulous society photographs of WASPS at play and on display, including a section on Jackie Kennedy and her parents.

listen to a wide-ranging radio interview....

Review and interview with a popular blogger.

Bartow Pell Mansion Museum

SUNY Press: to order, click here

Contact me. I am available for readings, panel discussions or other events.

EVE PELL

My newest book, "We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante," has gone into a second printing. If you would like to order a copy, click on the SUNY Press link in the lower right-hand column. I'll be adding new readings and events as they are scheduled, so stay tuned. And check out the radio and video interviews posted at left; they cover a lot of territory from the Lord of the Manor of Pelham to the Black Panther Party...

BIOGRAPHY

I'm a curious person who likes finding things out. I was a senior staff reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting from 1988 to 1994. My print reporting won awards from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Playboy Foundation and Media Alliance. My story on secret presidential directives was named one of America’s Most Censored Stories

I served as reporter and associate producer for three PBS documentaries: “The Best Campaign Money Can Buy,” which won a Columbia-DuPont award in 1992, “Heartbeat of America,” which won a Cine Golden Apple a year later, and “The Battle Over School Choice.”

I've written articles for Ms., Women's Sports, The Nation, Runners World, the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, and many other publications. My books include The Big Chill about the Reagan administration and Maximum Security on conditions in California prisons. My memoir, We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante, was published by SUNY Press in 2009.

I wrote a series of articles for Pacific News Service on senior athletes and commentaries for KQED-FM. In 2006, I also wrote articles for Marin Magazine about Muslims, land preservation, and Muir Woods National Monument.

Though not formally qualified for either job, I've been a teacher and private investigator. I was a nationally ranked age-group runner who competed for the Impala Racing Team in the San Francisco Bay Area but now I've got big knee trouble and at the moment can't run at all. My record includes winning the Dipsea Race in 1989 and winning two gold medals at the World Masters Games in Italy in 2007. I graduated from Bryn Mawr (with Honors); I have three grown sons and two grandchildren. I live in Mill Valley, California, with my husband, Sam Hirabayashi.

Selected Works

Memoir

We Used to Own the Bronx: Memoirs of a Former Debutante

“...a fascinating glimpse into a secret world of unfathomable wealth and privilege.”

–Jane Fonda

“An intriguing look at a world of arcane, white-gloved ritual and great privilege by a writer rebellious enough to leave it behind, wise enough to know that doing so is no quick and simple matter, and aware enough to know that the alternative worlds she discovers have their own moral complexities as well.”

–Adam Hochschild

Essay

This Pell Tolled For Ordinary Americans
Remembering the creator of Pell Grants, the author’s cousin