BY GRACE MCQUADE
When book publishing executive Carol Hoenig came up with the idea to open a bookstore on Long Island, she decided to combine two things that go well together — books and wine.
Joining forces with one of her former colleagues, Peggy Zieran, the two followed their dreams and opened Turn of the Corkscrew Books and Wine in 2015.
Since then, the store has been a welcome haven in the village of Rockville Centre, providing locals with a cozy place to enjoy the latest bestseller or a literary classic, as well as a glass of Pinot in the back room bar or on the outdoor patio on a balmy evening.
The store has also become a popular destination for many of today’s leading authors who have paid visits to talk about and autograph their latest works while on their busy book tours.
Now, three years since opening the business, Hoenig has created another fine pairing to please book lovers and their palates with Turn of the Corkscrew’s Inaugural Literary Tea that will take place at the Madison Theatre at Molloy College on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.
“I recall years ago when Newsday sponsored a literary lunch or tea at the Cresthollow Country Club and I always made it a point to attend,” Hoenig said when asked how she came up with the idea. “It was fun to be with like-minded readers and enjoy hearing the authors talk about their books. When the program ended, for whatever reason, I was heartbroken. I kept thinking there has to be a way to do this again and I took a leap of faith in hopes that people would want to attend something similar on a Sunday afternoon.”
The leap was worth it because her latest endeavor has drawn three of today’s literary stars who will be the featured authors at the event: Min Jin Lee, a 2017 National Book Award nominee for her novel “Pachinko”; Marie Benedict, the bestselling author of “The Other Einstein” and “Carnegie’s Maid”; and George Pelecanos, the bestselling author of 20 novels, including his forthcoming September release, “The Man Who Came Uptown.”
“I pitched the tea to all the publicists I’ve worked with and told them what we were looking for and was grateful for the response,” Hoenig said. “We wanted to keep the panel down to three people, otherwise it would be too much, but we had a lot of requests from publicists to include their authors — perhaps next time. We are also pleased to get Larry Davidson to be the moderator for this. He always has such a great interview style so it should be fun.”
Davidson will have much to discuss with these authors.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Lee was raised not far from Long Island in Elmhurst, Queens. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and then studied history at Yale and law at Georgetown University Law Center. She worked as a corporate lawyer in New York City before becoming a writer. Her debut novel, “Free Food for Millionaires,” was a New York Times Editor’s Choice pick and named a USA Today and NPR book of the year.
In 2017, Lee released “Pachinko,” a page-turning saga about a poor Korean family who migrate to 20th-century Japan and the first novel for English speaking readers about Japanese-Korean culture. The novel received strong reviews and went on to become a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.
Also a former lawyer, Benedict long dreamed about having a fantastical job unraveling the larger mysteries of the past as an archaeologist or historian. She realized she could pursue this passion as a writer and did so in her novels, “The Other Einstein,” the story of Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Maric, and “Carnegie’s Maid,” about a brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie toward philanthropy.
A graduate of Boston College and the Boston University School of Law, Benedict currently resides in Pittsburgh with her family. Her upcoming novel, “The Only Woman in the Room,” will be published in January of 2019.
Since 1992, Washington-DC based novelist Pelecanos has delivered a steady stream of detective fiction, from his early Nick Stefanos private-eye stories and other popular crime-solving series, to his six stand-alone novels, which includes “The Man Who Came Uptown,” a story about an ex-offender who must choose between his criminal past and a woman who shows him a new path that will be published on Sept. 4.
In addition to his novels, Pelecanos has written multiple episodes of HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme,” and is co-creator of the HBO series “The Deuce.”
Turn of the Corkscrew’s Inaugural Literary Tea not only includes the crème de la crème of the book world. The event will also feature specialty teas and baked goods.
“We wanted to support another local business so we asked the Flour Shoppe to cater the tea,” Hoenig said. “We want our guests to feel like they are experiencing an actual ‘tea’ while being entertained by a fascinating discussion.”
Fans of sweet treats can find the Flour Shoppe Café at 486 Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre. Readers can visit Turn of the Corkscrew Books and Wine at 110 N. Park Ave. in Rockville Centre.
Those who love books and sweet delights can purchase tickets to Turn of the Corkscrew’s Inaugural Literary Tea by going to the venue website, www.madisontheatreny.org.
The Madison Theatre at Molloy College is located at 1000 Hempstead Ave. in Rockville Centre.
