It was reported today that J.D. Salinger, author of “Catcher in the Rye” had died at the age of 91. The writer of “Franny and Zooey”  and short stories as well, he is said to have influenced generations of readers and writers.

Salinger had been living a reclusive life for decades in Cornish, N.H. Read a complete story on his passing by Hillel Italie of the Associated Press.

Turns out that like many writers, Salinger also spent time in Westchester.

“In January 1947,  sick of big city life, he moved to a garage apartment in Tarrytown, New York. That same year, he sold two stories, one to Mademoiselle and one to Cosmopolitan. In the fall he moved farther into the country into a barn studio in Stamford, Connecticut,” according to the 2008 biography, “J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye and Other Works” by Raychel Haugrud Reiff.

Now, I wonder, which garage? I almost suspect it could have been one of the those apartments above the garages in Sleepy Hollow, then known as North Tarrytown, near the intersection of Route 9 and Beekman Avenue just as the state road bends to the left.

Westchester author Marilyn Johnson will discuss her latest book, “This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All,” at a special gathering set for 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at the White Plains Library, 100 Martine Ave.

The discussion will include looking at whether librarians are becoming obsolete in an age of Internet information sites and other topics relating to physical books.

The meeting, sponsored by the Westchester Library Association,” is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

For information about the library, call 914-422-1400. For information on the library association and its events, visit www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org.

Here are some really interesting fundraising events the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library has organized:

Tables of Content—-Literary Events

You are invited to attend literary dinners and brunches benefiting the library and hosted by local families. While many of the events have sold out, these are still open. Please call or email the library to reserve a place. Checks should be made out to the library.

Saturday, February 6th from 6:00-8:00 – Martinis & Mayhem – $75/person

Whether you are a gin man (or woman) or a vodka fanatic, you will find no better place to quench that special thirst than at this grand celebration of the martini. Follow Robert Benchley’s advice: “Why don’t you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?” (Or some other drink)

Saturday, March 20th at 11:30 – Maple Harvest – $50/adult & $25/child

Crowd around the grill for a country lunch, while learning all about “sugaring” from your enterprising hosts who every year tap their own trees. You might even snag a taste of North Salem syrup.

Sunday, March 14th at 4:00 – Art North Salem – $150/person

Enjoy dinner at Roseclyff, the spectacular home created by this multi-talented artist and designer. The decor is accented by the vibrant colors of her paintings and her sculpture, and by the whimsical one-of-a-kind furniture. Show-cased in the March/April 2009 Bedford Magazine.

Sunday, February 28th at 11:30 – Edible Ecriture – $100/person

As philosopher Francis Bacon observed: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed.” In an unusual pairing of literature and food, your hosts will offer you a selection of fine foods written about in their favorite books.

Author Michael Gates Gill, who wrote  the New York Times bestseller, “How Starbucks Saved My Life,” will read from his new work, “How to Save Your Own Life:  15 Lessons on Finding Hope in Unexpected Places,”  at 3 p.m. Jan. 24 in the Bronxville library’s Yeager Room.

The reading will be followed by a book signing and reception. Gill is a former Bronxville resident.

The event is open to the public. The library is at 201 Pondfield Ave.

I’ve learned a lesson, and it may help me out greatly with my future reading choices.

When a friend recommended the writer Jonathan Tropper, I took his book Everything Changes from the New Rochelle Public Library and quickly decided I didn’t like it.

The characters seemed a little flat, the writing held too many cliches, etc.

But wait. Read on (especially if you’re Westchester resident and author Jonathan Tropper.)

Because this friend recommended the guy so highly, I brought the book back after reading maybe 70 pages and tried another, The Book Read more of this entry »

Well-known children’s book illustrator, Jerry Pinkney of Croton has a new honor—a Randolph Caldecott Medal to his credit.

This morning the American Library Association awarded the Westchester-ite yet a Caldecott Medal, one of the most prestigious honors in the children’s book world, according to morning news releases. Rebecca Stead won the companion Newbery Award for her book,  “When You Reach Me.” These were announced this morning during the library association’s Boston gathering.

Pinkney won  for  “The Lion & the Mouse,”a wordless adaptation of an Aesop’s fable, about a  ferocious lion who spares a timid mouse. Seven other books have been recognized as Honor Books for Caldecott medals.

According to the publisher (Little, Brown)  of “The Lion,”  Pinkney  “has been illustrating children’s books for over 40 years and has more than 75 books to his credit. He has the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honor books. He has also won the Coretta Scott King Award five times, the Coretta Scott King Honor three times, and was nominated for the prestigious international Hans Christian Anderson Award.”

Pinkney spoke at the 2000 African American Literary Tea in Tarrytown and locally has been a highlight of many book-related functions.

His previous honor books are: “Noah’s Ark” in 2003, “The Ugly Duckling” in 2000, “Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and his Orchestra” in 1999, “The Faithful Friend” in 1996, “John Henry” in 1995, “The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South” in 1990, and “Mirandy and Brother Wind” in 1989.

(The photo of Pinkney above is from Little-Brown kids. )

When I think of American poet Walt Whitman, I recall free verse poetry and his collection, “Leaves of Grass.”  I never thought about his views on the Civil War, slavery and Abraham Lincoln.

But my vision has been expanded.  This weekend I went to the Katonah Museum of Art to see an exhibit “Bold, Cautious, True: Walt Whitman and American Art of the Civil War Era.”

The exhibit contains  more than 50 works — paintings, drawings, sculptures —  from museums and private collections around the country. It  was put together by Kevin Sharp, the director at Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tenn. The exhibit began here in Memphis and  came to Katonah, where it stays through Jan. 24.

A former child slave from Sudan is set to speak Sunday at the 14th annual Martin?Luther King Jr. program at the Desmond-Fish Library.

The  “Bringing the Dream Home: Civil Rights and the Hudson Valley” features Simon Deng,  a human rights activist who speaks across the U. S.; has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland; and has organized protest marches in Washington, D.C.

“He is a modern day abolitionist,” said Stephen Kent, a library trustee who helped organize the two-day event that features  a family musical performance Monday afternoon.

A favorite of Oprah, Pearl Cleage is coming to Tarrytown this Monday where she will talk about her writing, social issues and  Martin Luther King.

She is the sole featured speaker at the Westchester Library System 12th annual African American Writers & Readers Literary Tea, co-sponsored by the Westchester County chapter of The Links, Inc.

It is at Abigail Kirsch’s Tappan Hill in Tarrytown from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

The tea is held annually on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Cleage (shown in the photo to the right) will offer “a fresh perspective on the universal themes of cultural enrichment, social identity, and the power of love,” says the WLS release.  The tea kicks off a month-long celebration of African American history, literature and culture,” said WLS Executive Director Terry Kirchner.

“I love speaking to groups of people connected to libraries. I use the library in my neighborhood and am always proud to pull out my library card,“ Cleage said in an interview earlier this week. “Our libraries are active in community outreach and are wonderful research and gathering places.”

Some tickets to the tea are still available (at this point, at least). Cost is $75 general admission. Call 914-231-3226 or go to the WLS Web site.

Her first novel “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day,” was her first novel and it was an Oprah Book Club pick that spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  Cleage explained that she first met Oprah when she interviewed her for a cover story for Essence magazine. A magazine staffer shared Cleage’s book with Oprah starting the exciting recognition for her.

This spring’s Empire State Book Festival will feature the induction of 12 authors into a newly created  New York State Writers Hall of Fame.

The inaugural group will include ten writers who are deceased and two living whose writings have made a lasting contribution to literature, according to today’s news release.

The writers are James Baldwin, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Caro, Frederick Douglas, Mary Gordon, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Isaac B. Singer, Edith Wharton, E.B White and Walt Whitman.

Robert Caro & Mary Gordon are scheduled to attend the event to receive the honor in person. Robert Caro is the noted biographer of Robert Moses & Lyndon Johnson. He is the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes in Biography and the National Book Award. Novelist and memoirist Mary Gordon is currently the New York State Author. Her work includes four bestselling novels: “Final Payments,” “The Company of Women,”” Men and Angels,” and “The Other Side.”