Local Authors Series: 2024-2025

2024

2025

Jordan Fitch is a New Hampshirite by birth and a world traveler by way of the U.S. Marine Corps. After earning a degree in Electrical Engineering and spending nearly two decades in New York, he now resides in the Pacific Northwest. Jordan is the author of the thrillers The Cardinal Line and Name Town, gripping novels that have been featured in interviews, podcasts, and book clubs across the country. His writing combines fast-paced storytelling with deep emotional resonance and a sharp eye for character

Harry Bliss is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his long-running work with The New Yorker and for illustrating a number of popular children’s books. He is the creator of the syndicated cartoon Bliss and has collaborated with humorists such as Steve Martin and authors like Sharon Creech. With a signature blend of wit, warmth, and visual storytelling, Bliss’s work delights readers of all ages. He lives in New Hampshire and continues to draw, paint, and share his love of comics and illustration.

Mark Cecil is a writer, journalist, and host of The Thoughtful Bro, a literary interview series on A Mighty Blaze. His debut novel, Bunyan and Henry; Or, The Beautiful Destiny, is a bold and lyrical tale that blends myth, adventure, and American folklore. With a background in storytelling across both print and broadcast media, Cecil brings sharp insight and big-hearted energy to everything he writes. He lives with his family in Massachusetts and is passionate about championing books and the people who write them.

Alyssa Rondeau is a poet and writer whose work explores nature, identity, and the quiet moments that shape our lives. Based in the Upper Valley, she draws inspiration from the New England landscape and community life. Alyssa’s poetry has been featured in regional journals and at local readings, where her lyrical voice and thoughtful reflections resonate with audiences. In addition to writing, she is an active supporter of the arts and literacy in the area.

Helen Whybrow is an award-winning author and lifelong steward of land and story. She is the author of A Man Apart and Dead Reckoning, and editor of anthologies including Hearth and Coming to Land in a Troubled World. Her most recent memoir, The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life, chronicles the profound, lyrical journey of raising Icelandic sheep on her two-hundred-acre organic farm in Vermont’s Green Mountains.

After a distinguished career in publishing—including editorial roles at Orion Magazine, Countryman Press/W.W. Norton, Chelsea Green, and now as Editor-at-Large for Milkweed Editions—Helen left the urban publishing life to co-found a leadership nonprofit and tend to Knoll Farm with her partner, Peter Forbes, where they’ve quietly built a restorative community space since 2001. Her writing also appears in Cagibi, Hunger Mountain, EatingWell, and Orion.

In addition to her memoirs and essays, Helen shares her expertise through teaching: she’s a visiting professor at Middlebury College, and regularly leads workshops at the Bread Loaf Environmental Writer’s Conference and the Iowa Summer Writer’s Workshop. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Harvard.

Billy Sharff is an author who writes picture books and poems for kids of all ages. He is the author of When Santa Came to Stay, illustrated by Eda Kaban (Penguin Dial, 2022), Joan in the Cone, illustrated by Hala Tahboub (Penguin Dial, 2025), and Robot’s First Snow, illustrated by Hannah Abbo (Sourcebooks, 2025), as well as a yet-to-be-announced picture book with Penguin Dial. He received a commendation for the Caterpillar Poetry Prize in 2019.​

Billy lives in the woods of New Hampshire with his wife and two children. He works in close collaboration with his brother, Aaron Sharff. When he’s not writing, he makes movies, writes songs, and visits every bookstore he can find. 

Jeff Friedman is a poet, micro story writer, and translator based in New Hampshire. He is the author of eleven collections of poetry and prose, including Ashes in Paradise and The Marksman. His work has appeared in leading journals such as American Poetry Review, Poetry, and The New Republic, and has been widely anthologized. Known for his wit, emotional depth, and surreal imagery, Friedman’s writing often blurs the line between dream and reality. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, and his translations from Hebrew and Polish have expanded his reach as an international literary voice.

Brinda Charry is a novelist, short story writer, and scholar of Elizabethan literature. Her acclaimed debut novel, The East Indian, is inspired by the true story of the first documented Indian in colonial Virginia. Richly imagined and historically grounded, the novel explores identity, displacement, and belonging in early America. Charry brings deep literary insight and lyrical storytelling to her fiction, shaped by her background in both creative writing and early modern studies.

  • WINNER OF THE 2025 SOCIETY OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS PRIZE (JAMES FENIMORE COOPER PRIZE) FOR HISTORICAL FICTION
  • SHORTLISTED FOR THE BARNES AND NOBLE DISCOVER PRIZE, THE CROSSWORD FICTION PRIZE.
  • LONGLISTED FOR THE MARK TWAIN VOICE IN AMERICAN LITERATURE PRIZE, THE JCB PRIZE.

Program Overview:

The Local Authors Program will consist of a series of events hosted at the Plainfield NH Public Libraries, featuring discussions, readings, and Q&A sessions with talented writers from our community. This initiative aims to:

  • Support Local Talent: Provide a platform for authors in our community to showcase their work, connect with readers, and gain visibility.
  • Promote Literacy: Inspire a love for reading and writing by bringing authors and readers together in a shared space, fostering a sense of community around literature.
  • Encourage Dialogue: Facilitate meaningful conversations between authors and audience members, creating an interactive and enriching experience for all involved.

Local Authors

If you are a local author, defined as authors currently living or having lived a significant portion of their lives in NH or Vermont counties in the vicinity of Plainfield, NH, and would like to donate a book to our collection, please read through our donation guidelines:

  • The Library does not accept workbooks, audiovisual materials, or e-materials for inclusion in the local author's collection.
  • Books must have been published in the last five years and be in new condition.
  • The Library will only accept one copy of each title.
  • Author donations are limited to 5 titles per year.
  • The book must be bound and the binding must be strong enough to withstand multiple readings/circulations.
  • For works containing multiple authors, the local author must have contributed 50% of the content of the book to be considered as an addition to the Local Authors Collection. If the local author has contributed less than 50% the book may be considered for addition into the regular collection.
  • Materials donated become the property of the Plainfield Public Libraries.
  • The Library Director will decide whether or not to include the book in the collection based on the selection guidelines in the Library’s collection development policy. Items will be withdrawn from the collection following the weeding guidelines in the Library’s policies.
  • Materials selected for inclusion in the local author's collection will be marked with special tape noting “Local Author” and shelved in the section corresponding to the collection or subject of the title. All materials in the local author's collection will be cataloged and searchable/discoverable in the Library’s catalog.

To donate a copy of your book to be considered for addition to our local author collection, please complete email Jim Allen at jim.allen@plainfieldlibraries.org or stop by to chat in person.