Authors Tackling Challenging Topics

Enjoy this author panel from Local Author Day 2023! Brooke Beyfuss Website | Instagram | Facebook Purchase After We Were Stolen or Before You Found Me Brooke Beyfuss is a freelance writer from Woodbridge, New Jersey, and the author of two critically acclaimed novels. Her debut, After We Were Stolen, was featured in Bustle magazine, Booklist, the New York Journal of Books, Buzzfeed, and selected as a Fall ’22 Hoopla Book Club pick. Her second release, Before You Found Me, was featured in Booklist and chosen as Bookmarked for Book Club’s August ‘23 selection. Aparna Parthasarathy Purchase Tales of the Invisible Aparna Parthasarathy is a high school senior passionate about remedying structural inequalities, closing educational gaps and representing Generation Z’s values to shape legislation with elected officials. Aparna is a literary advocate and author of Tales of the Invisible, a book that addresses the intersectionality of feminism and the importance of representation. She utilized her interest in reading and writing to increase awareness about the levels of oppression and inequality that occur around the globe. An author, her book titled "Tales of the Invisible" was published last Fall and rose to become a best seller in its category within a month of release. This book not only explores the hardships of women across the world but to celebrate their strength and to find the one thing that unites us all. Hope. Shirley Russak Wachtel Website | Facebook Purchase A Castle in Brooklyn Shirley Russak Wachtel is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a doctor of letters degree from Drew University and for the past thirty years has taught English literature at Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey. The mother of three grown sons and grandmother to three precocious granddaughters, she currently resides in East Brunswick with her husband, Arthur. About the Moderator: Theresa Agostinelli is the child of two librarians and holds degrees in Studio Art, English Writing Arts, and Library Science. She currently works as an academic librarian and ESL instructor. Theresa has planned and moderated numerous panel discussions and conferences at the state and local levels. Books from thrift shops, book stores, and libraries often find their way home with her. Theresa is happiest when she is sitting with a cup of tea surrounded by good reads.