Adelphi’s First Literary Festival Gets Rave Reviews

Bestselling author Alice Hoffman '73, '02 (Hon.), launches an event to celebrate storytelling and the power of the imagination.

Alice Hoffman '73, '02 (Hon.), has found critical acclaim and an intensely loyal fan base as the bestselling author of more than 30 books, notably the Practical Magic series. But she's never forgotten her Adelphi roots. She founded the Alice Hoffman Young Writers Retreat, donated her literary collection to Adelphi University Archives and Special Collections, and is a longtime supporter of the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program.

Now she's started a new chapter: On April 5 and 6, she opened the book on Adelphi's first Writers & Readers Festival.

Hoffman envisioned the festival as an event that would bring literature fans from the University and wider communities together to celebrate storytelling and the imagination. More than 300 attendees came to participate in workshops pertaining to writing and publishing and meet both established and aspiring authors.

"I am thrilled to help lead this inaugural event, which embodies our shared passion for the written word and for Adelphi's mission to transform lives," said Hoffman.

Part of Our Heritage

The author opened the festival with Steven Isenberg, JD, '00 (Hon.), board of trustees chair emeritus, who said that Adelphi "is a natural spot for this endeavor because our foundation rests on inquiry, scholarship, curiosity, exploration of ideas and arguments, and the inner life of the world around us."

Rob Linné, PhD, professor in the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences and co-founder and director of the Alice Hoffman Young Writers Retreat, noted, "I see the thread of our history running through the festival. Even when Adelphi was starting as an academy in Brooklyn, the arts were essential to our reason for being. I don't think we will ever lose that part of the mission, because it runs deep."

Hoffman presented the Elaine Markson '51 Award for Excellence in Publishing to Lisa Lucas, at the time a senior vice president and publisher at Penguin Random House. The award is in honor of another alum: Elaine Markson '51, who was among the first women to own a literary agency and served as Hoffman's agent.

René Steinke, professor of English and director of Adelphi's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, presented the Donald Everett Axinn Awards in Creative Writing to emerging authors and poets.

Words of Praise

"As a new professor at Adelphi, I was very proud to be a part of this festival," Steinke said. "I loved that the festival was named for both writers and readers, and for Alice Hoffman, who originally had the vision for it, and who was such an inspiring and brilliant presence."

Dr. Linné said, "Having the opportunity to chat with some favorite authors in a small setting was different from any other book festival I've experienced. I loved reconnecting with the former students and alums who turned out. Some of my students who attended felt like a whole new world was opened to them."

Join us on April 4-5, 2025, for next year's festival.

I am thrilled to help lead this inaugural event, which embodies our shared passion for the written word and for Adelphi's mission to transform lives.

This story was featured in the 2024 Issue of the Adelphi University Magazine.