June 3-6, 2004
A very busy weekend began with Jay's agent, Peter Miller & Associates, hosting a grand kickoff party at the exclusive Tavern Club on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Numerous VIP guests attended and were treated to fine food, beverage, and a mix of programs including an Eastland Disaster exhibit, a special greeting and announcement by Jay, and a folk-rock-Americana musical performance by one of Chicago's leading bands, Angel Paint. (Do you recognize the member of Angel Paint who is playing the harmonica? He is a local author.)
Following this late night gathering, Jay was off to the 3-day Book Expo America 2004 (BEA) at McCormick Place in Chicago. BEA is the premier event serving the U.S. book publishing industry with more than 2,000 exhibits, 500 authors, and over 100 conference sessions. As THE SINKING OF THE EASTLAND: America's Forgotten Tragedy is one of the lead titles this Fall for Kensington Publishing, visibility for the book was quite good. Jay also had time for a 30-minute author signing (extended to 60 minutes because of the large crowd that had lined up for Jay!!), and he also squeezed in an appearance at the Printer's Row Book Fair held this same weekend.
April 23, 2004
Jay addressed the attendees of the 105th Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS). The audience, comprised primarily of historians and professors, listened intently as Jay described his approach to writing a book about the Eastland Disaster. Jay's captivating discussion, titled Restless Ghosts, a Bloody Eye, and Eggs in My Coffee, was followed by an energetic question and answer session that ended only because the night had come to an end.
January 1, 2004
Jay will be the guest speaker at the dinner banquet for the 105th Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS). The arrangements for this were made possible as a result of the close collaboration between the Eastland Disaster Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society. The banquet will be held Friday evening, April 23, and will be in Elgin, Illinois. For details and to order tickets, contact ISHS at 217-525-2781.
May 1, 2003
Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." No truer words could be spoken regarding our collaboration with author Jay Bonansinga: After two years of seeking a publisher, an agreement has now been reached.
Chicago, IL. For immediate release: Internationally acclaimed Chicago author, Jay Bonansinga, recently signed a deal with Kensington Publishing to write a non-fiction narrative book on the Eastland Disaster. The book, as yet untitled, will be released in a hardcover edition across North America in August 2004.
Author of seven published books and a web serial, Jay truly has the story of the Eastland Disaster in his heart. This trait, combined with Jay's gift of vividly describing what he wishes his readers to see, smell, taste, and feel, makes for the perfect combination to write the story of the Eastland Disaster. As he writes each chapter, Jay's perspective will be that of what the people experienced as the tragedy unfolded. In his own words Jay says that he is "not writing about what happened but instead about what it was like."
When Jay first started on his research w-a-y back in 2001 he told us: "Since I started working on this project, I have a felt a strange kind of magic -- I know it sounds silly -- almost like I'm destined to write this story." Now that Kensington Publishing has committed to publish his book, it appears that Jay will achieve this destiny.
