Alan S. Kessler lives in Barre, Vermont with his wife and has written several fictions book and a book of poetry. Alan is an active community member, volunteering with several local organizations, including the Friends of the Library. Alan will be presenting on 1919, a year that changed this country, and some information about Barre during this chaotic year, including the murder of Lucina Broadwell, which will lead to brief discussion of his murder-mystery novella, Body on Ice.

Katherine Paterson is the author of more than 40 books, including 18 novels for children and young people. She has twice won the Newbery Medal, for Bridge to Terabithia (1978) and Jacob Have I Loved (1981). We are fortunate to count Katherine as a longtime supporter of the Aldrich—our Children’s Room is named in her honor. She will be here to discuss her latest nonfiction book, Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams: The Woman Who Rescued a Generation of Children and Founded the World's Largest Children's Library, illustrated by Sally Deng. This inspiring true story follows one woman’s mission to use children’s books to heal postwar Germany and found the International Youth Library and IBBY.

J. Peter Cobb is the author of two novels: To Alice (Rootstock Publishing), about boundary issues faced by hospice and home care workers; and Some Things Aren’t Meant to Be, the story of John Gauthier, a man at the center of two love triangles who seeks a purpose-driven life and becomes a Roman Catholic priest. As a priest he struggles with a his faith and questions: If God is just, why do bad things happen to good people?

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Peter is currently is a correspondent for the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and the Rutland Herald, a volunteer driver for the Vermont Association for the Blind and Disabled, and a volunteer teacher for Vermont Adult Basic Education.

Claire was raised in both Alaska and Scotland, but currently lives in Vermont; when not writing, she can usually be found outside swimming, skiing or hiking across the state’s famous green mountains. Claire will be discussing her books Daughter of Sparta and her upcoming historical fiction release A Beautiful and Terrible Murder -coming August 5 - just two days before her event at the Aldrich! Click on each of the titles to learn more about each book. 

Sarah Strohmeyer is a bestselling and award-winning novelist whose books include the upcoming thriller A Mother Always Knows (Harper, July 2025), We Love to Entertain (Harper), Do I Know You? (Harper), the wildly popular Bubbles Yablonsky mystery series (Penguin),The Cinderella Pact (which became the Lifetime Original Movie Lying to Be Perfect), along with many stand-alone novels for adults and young adults including Smart Girls Get What They Want and This Is My Brain on Boys (Blazer + Bray). A former newspaper reporter, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Boston Globe. She lives with her cat and husband in Middlesex, Vermont, where she is the elected Town Clerk.