Kevin C. Fitzpatrick

Kevin C. Fitzpatrick (born January 10, 1966), is an American historian and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his research and writings on Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table.

Biography

Fitzpatrick was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1966, but spent his childhood in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Summit, New Jersey; Raleigh, North Carolina; and St. Louis, Missouri.^[1] He is a graduate of Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University). While a student at NMSU Fitzpatrick co-founded The Pundit, an independent newspaper that served primarily the student population and young adults of the Kirksville, Missouri area. Having been a U.S. Marine Corps reservist while in college, after his graduation in 1989 he served two years regular duty as a journalist-photographer in the Corps.^[2]

Fitzpatrick has had a varied multimedia career including newspapers, television, advertising agencies, magazines, and more recently web-based publishing and editing.^[3] In the latter he has produced close to 75 websites and written for numerous trade publications. When not involved with media pursuits, Fitzpatrick is a certified New York City sightseeing guide, giving walking tours of historic locations, landmarks, cemeteries and drinking establishments.^[3] He is also a frequent guest speaker at libraries and literary clubs. Fitzpatrick cites among his biggest influences Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Franklin P. Adams, and Stanley Walker.^[3] Fitzpatrick produces the award-winning dorothyparker.com, which he launched in 1998. He is the president of the Dorothy Parker Society, which he founded in 1999. He was also instrumental in the effort to get Dorothy Parker's birthplace in Long Branch, New Jersey, named a National Literary Landmark by Friends of Libraries USA.^[4] Fitzpatrick oversaw the creation of a bronze memorial plaque that was unveiled in August 2005 in Parker's hometown. In conjunction with the Algonquin Hotel, Fitzpatrick leads walking tours of the former Algonquin Round Table homes and haunts in Manhattan. In 2009 Fitzpatrick founded Donald Books, a small independent publishing company.^[2]

His first book, A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York, was published in 2005. It was followed in 2009 by The Lost Algonquin Round Table: Humor, Fiction, Journalism, Criticism, and Poetry from America's Most Famous Literary Circleand Boardwalk Empire Free Bonus Material: The Speakeasy Guide to Prohibition Era Slang in 2010.^[3] His most recent effort, Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide was published in November 2013 by Lyons Press, a division of Globe Pequot Press. Fitzpatrick and his wife reside in Manhattan and the Town of Shelter Island.

Books

• Author of Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide (ISBN 978-0-7627-9268-9) from Lyons Press.^[5]
• Author of A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York (ISBN 0-9766706-0-7) from Roaring Forties Press.^[6]
• Editor of The Lost Algonquin Round Table (ISBN 978-1-4401-5152-1) from Donald Books. Nat Benchley is co-editor.

References

External links

• The Dorothy Parker Society
• Roaring Forties Press