Encore: “Embracing Local History and Folklore” with Angus Kress Gillespie, Mark Nonestied, Ethan Reiss, and Neal Stoffers

STEPHANIE SENDAULA, PANELS HOST: A librarian and writer from New Jersey, Stephanie currently works in community engagement and outreach for LibraryLinkNJ. ANGUS KRESS GILLESPIE is a professor of American Studies at Rutgers University.  His many books about the cultural implications of civil engineering include Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike (1989), coauthored with Michael Aaron Rockland, recognized by the New Jersey State Library as one of the ten best books ever written about the state. MARK NONESTIED has lived in East Brunswick for most of his life. In 1987 at the age of 15, he pedaled across town on his bicycle to the East Brunswick Museum to learn about the town’s history. He never left, having served for almost 35 years as a volunteer researching and writing about the town’s history. ETHAN REISS is co-author of the upcoming new book, East Brunswick: Through the Years. Having lived in East Brunswick for most of his life, he has worked under Middlesex County's Division of Historic Sites and History Services at East Jersey Old Town Village, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the East Brunswick Museum. He is best known for sharing rare and historic East Brunswick photographs through his various Facebook groups and pages.  NEAL STOFFERS: Retired Newark Fire Captain Neal Stoffers earned a BA and MA in Asian Studies from Seton Hall University, writing about NJ's first Chinese community for his MA thesis. He has produced 11 books based on his oral history project of the Newark Fire Department, has given 3 book talks on his work, & has also written middle grade, young adult, & adult novels about the fire service, the Amer-Asian experience, Multiple Sclerosis, & the Chinese in 19th Century NJ. Originally recorded on October 16, 2022 as part of EBPL's Local Author Day.