An Afternoon with David Rothenberg


 Author’s Reading, Book Signing, Discussion and Q&A

 

From theater publicist and producer, to activist for the rights of prisoners and for the LGBT community, David Rothenberg has led an indisputably memorable life.  Rothenberg will be at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center in Uptown Kingston on Sunday, October 21, from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., reading from his newly published memoir, Fortune in My Eyes: A Memoir of Broadway Glamour, Social Justice, and Political Passion (Applause Books, $29.99).

In 1985, Rothenberg became the first openly gay candidate in history to run for the New York City Council, winning 46 percent of the vote against a popular incumbent, and paving the way for the subsequent election of openly lesbian and gay officials in the nation’s largest city.  Prior to that, in 1967, he produced Fortune and Men’s Eyes, a groundbreaking prison drama that was frank in its treatment of homosexuality behind bars – and that led directly to the creation of The Fortune Society, now one of the foremost institutions providing services and advocacy for the formerly incarcerated.  And before that, he was the press representative for some of the most successful productions of the 20th century, working with the likes of Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor (with whom he once had a date!), Bette Davis, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, and many, many others.

All of which would be more than enough to fill a book (and an afternoon), but Rothenberg also was invited as a mediator to Attica Prison during the inmate uprising in 1971; was part of a delegation led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark in the 1980s to determine how the Sandinista government in Nicaragua was treating prisoners of war; and, in recent years, has conceived, co-authored and directed the play The Castle, which was performed with a cast of former inmates for a year Off-Broadway and now, with two companies, continues to play at universities, churches and most significantly, prisons.  Come spend an illuminating afternoon at the Center with this multifaceted man whose work continues to impact our society.

Sunday, October 21, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center
300 Wall Street in Kingston

Free admission — donations welcomed.
David’s new memoir will be available for purchase at the event.

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