Knox College event: Unraveling the Mystery of Karyn Kupcinet’s Untimely Death

Today on WGIL’s Galesburg's Morning News, Nicholas Regiacorte, Director of the Program in Creative Writing and Professor of English at Knox College, previewed an upcoming literary event featuring acclaimed writer Peter Orner, who will read from his new novel The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter on Friday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. at Seymour Library. The novel delves into the unsolved 1963 death of actress Karyn Kupcinet, daughter of Chicago talk-show host Irving Kupcinet, a story Regiacorte believes will resonate widely, especially in the Midwest due to its Chicago ties. Orner, a National Book Critics’ Circle Award finalist with a law degree from Northeastern and an MFA from Iowa—where he met Regiacorte—brings a unique perspective shaped by his roots in Chicago and Fall River, Massachusetts, exploring themes of family and transience in his work. Known for championing lesser-known writers, Orner has shared literary discoveries with Regiacorte during Galesburg bike rides, and this event aligns with Knox’s Creative Writing Program by offering students and the community a chance to engage with a literary luminary. [caption id="attachment_686720" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Nicholas Regiacorte, Director of the Program in Creative Writing and Professor of English at Knox College. (WGIL)[/caption]