Pulitzer Prize Winning Author John McPhee
At "One Book New Jersey" Press Conference

Wednesday, January 21, 2004 – Princeton, N.J. – John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of twenty-six books and long time contributor to The New Yorker magazine will participate in a Press Conference for One Book New Jersey, a statewide reading and literacy program involving tens of thousands of New Jersey readers in the spring 2004.

The press conference will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21 at the Princeton Public Library, 301 North Harrison Street, Princeton, N.J. (See more contact & location information below.)

One Book New Jersey brings people together through literature by encouraging them to read the same book, then participate in discussions and other events centered on that book. The program officially starts with the January 21 Press Conference and continues through National Library Week, April 18 – 24, 2004.

New Jersey's librarians, all members of the New Jersey Library Association, which presents the program, selected four books in order to reach readers of all age groups and involve as many readers as possible. The selected books and their intended audiences are:

For Adult Readers: The Pine Barrens by John McPhee

For Young Adult Readers: The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

For Middle Readers: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

For Young Readers & Listeners: How The Cat Swallowed Thunder by Lloyd Alexander

Mr. McPhee, a native of Princeton, will speak about his body of non-fiction work which includes his latest book, The Founding Fish, "… a braid of personal history, natural history, and American history, in descending order of volume." John McPhee's web site can be found at www.johnmcphee.com.

Mr. McPhee will also speak about the changes he has observed in the Pinelands since he first wrote about them in 1967. The area, totaling 1.1 million acres – approximately 22% of New Jersey's land area – is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston, covering vast areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Atlantic Counties.

The Pinelands have been described as "an environmental asset of national and international importance, deserving safeguards to divert the flow of growth from metropolitan Philadelphia, northern New Jersey, and New York." (New Jersey Pinelands Commission)

Also at the Press Conference and speaking about issues facing the Pinelands will be Carleton Montgomery, Executive Director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Mr. Montgomery and his colleagues at the Alliance advocate for Pinelands preservation before government agencies, and seek to educate the public about the Pinelands and the threats facing its natural resources. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance web site is at www.pinelandsalliance.org.

First-time author Carol Plum-Ucci will also be at the event. Her novel, The Body of Christopher Creed won the 2000 Printz Honor Books Award for Excellence in Literature for Young Adults. In it's review of the book, Publisher's Weekly wrote "… a well-crafted mystery around a topical issue: the effect teenage intolerance can have on misfits." Ms. Plum-Ucci is a resident of Margate, NJ.

Judith Byron Schachner, the illustrator How The Cat Swallowed Thunder, will read to local children from that book, about which Kirkus Review has written: "Schachner's bold illustrations ... make Cat spring to life with several double-page spreads of the cat pouncing, leaping, and standing on its head." Her illustrations in several children's books have earned Ms. Schachner wide acclaim and many awards. Ms. Schachner's web site can be found at www.judithbyronschachner.com.

Photo opportunities and media interviews are welcome. The public is invited.

One Book New Jersey posters, bookmarks and buttons will be available.

Princeton Public Library
301 North Harrison Street, Princeton, NJ
For more information, call 609-924-9529

The library's web site is at: www.princeton.lib.nj.us
Online directions and a map are available at: www.princeton.lib.nj.us/about/hours.html

One Book New Jersey web site & contact:

www.onebooknewjersey.org & [email protected]