CrimeCONN

CrimeCONN 2022 - The End of the World As We Knew It

 

CrimeCONN 2022

Connecticut’s Own Mystery Lovers’ Conference

 

Presented by the Friends of the Ferguson Library and the Mystery Writers of America

 

Saturday, June 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Main Library, DiMattia Building

The Friends of the Ferguson Library and the Mystery Writers of America/NY chapter present CrimeCONN 2022, a one-day writers' and mystery lovers' conference.  

Registration required.
Also available to attend as a virtual event via Zoom webinar. (Virtual event on Zoom will begin at 9 a.m.)

Book sale and signing.

The End of the World As We Knew It

This year, authors and crime experts take stock of the literary life in the midst of COVID, cultural upheaval and Russia's war on Ukraine. How do we keep creating and finding beauty amidst the turmoil? 

REGISTRATION
Before May 6 - Early Bird Registration
$40 per person

After May 6
$50 per person
$45 per person for MWA members, Friends members, seniors and students

 (Light breakfast and lunch included at the in-person event.)

Register HERE to attend in person.

Also available via Zoom (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
$25 per person (Register HERE to attend the virtual program on Zoom)

9:15 to 10 a.m. - Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

 

What's different now for writers, what will revert back and what will stick for good. No one knows which recent changes will endure post-pandemic, and during Russia’s war on Ukraine.  Writers living through it all speculate.

Moderator:  Deborah Goodrich Royce: Author of Finding Mrs. Ford and Ruby Falls, thrillers that examine puzzles of identity.

Panelists:
George Dawes Green: Founder of The Moth, and internationally-celebrated author of The Caveman's Valentine, The Juror and Ravens. (photo credit: Sylrie Moskovitz)
Chandra Prasad: Author of young adult novels Mercury Boys and Damselfly.
Shari Randall: Author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series, which is set in a thinly-veiled version of Mystic, CT.  She also writes the Ice Cream Shop mysteries as Meri Allen.   

 

10:15 to 11:00 a.m. - The Eve of Destruction

 

Is this really the end or just a nasty speed bump?  There's a lot of commentary that we're in apocalyptic times.  Some scoff at the idea.  How are writers reacting to it all?  Can crime writing address some of the dystopian mood?

Moderator:  Mark Rubinstein: Author of the high-octane Mad Dog thrillers, he is also the co-author of five self-help books on psychological and medical topics.

Panelists: 
Reed Farrel Coleman: New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two novels including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series.
David Handler: Edgar and American Mystery Award-winning author of thirteen Stewart Hoag mysteries, he's also spent many years writing for television and films.
Wendy Walker: Bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten, Emma In the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look for Me, Hold Your Breath, and American Girl.

11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Forever Young

 

How young adult authors navigate unprecedented times.
Kids today face a world that no other generation has lived through.  How does fiction recognize the challenges while sustaining hopes, dreams and aspirations – and still have fun doing it all?

Moderator: Desmond Hall: Screenwriter and author of Your Dark Corner, a YA novel that was a finalist for the New England Book Award.

Panelists:  
Emily Arsenault: Author of several novels for adults and young adults, most recently the young adult psychological suspense/ghost story When All the Girls Are Sleeping. 
Lorien Lawrence: Author of the middle grade horror series, Fright Watch.
Laurie Faria Stolarz: Author of several popular young adult novels including the Dark House series, the Touch series, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series.

12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch Break/Writing Workshop


Enjoy lunch in the auditorium with our CrimeCONN authors or grab your lunch and head over to a writing workshop with Desmond Hall. (Reserve your spot for the writing workshop when you register. Seating is limited. Workshop is available to in-person attendees only. )

1 to 1:45 p.m. - Psycho Killer

 

Law enforcement in the age of derangement. When the times get weird, the weird turn pro.  Tales and commentary on all the crazy thinking and behavior rising up around us. 

Moderator:  Michelle Clark: Medicolegal Death Investigator for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s in Connecticut.


Panelists:  
Bridget Brisnahan: Recently retired from the New Haven Police Department where she spent 22 years fighting crime - the last 16, fighting crime with science in the detective bureau.
Bruce Coffin:  A former detective sergeant with more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement, he is also the award-winning author of the Detective Byron mystery series. 
 Joaquim (Jack) DeOliveira: After twenty-plus years of service, Jack retired from the Naugatuck Police Department and recently accepted a job at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as a Medicolegal Death Investigator.

2:15 to 3:00 p.m. - I'll Be There For You

 

Discovering and building stronger communities and relationships. Isolation, deprivation and threats to world peace can actually bring us closer together.  How have recent times brought writers a renewed love of community and human connection?


Moderator:  Charles Salzberg: Author of the Henry Swann mystery series and over 20 non-fiction books.

Panelists:  
Alison Gaylin:  A USA Today and international bestselling author, her 12th and latest book, The Collective, was nominated for the L.A. Times Book Prize and has been optioned for development as a TV series.
Wendy Corsi Staub: The award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than 90 novels, she is best known for the single-title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. She also writes women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham.

3:15 to 4:00 p.m. - Doctor My Eyes

 

Experiencing Covid and observing war through the lens of a physician and best-selling author.

Keynote Speaker: Tess Gerritsen: An international bestselling author, her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series "Rizzoli & Isles," starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.  


Interviewer:  John Valeri: Book critic, author, and host of the web series Central Booking, he has written for numerous publications.