Event goers fill into the Pleasant View Senior Center, walking through each table.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
EAST LONGMEADOW — People of all ages had the opportunity to step into the various worlds of storytelling, and meet those who create them, at the Pleasant View Senior Center’s Artists and Authors Fair on April 23.
The event was funded in part by a grant from the East Longmeadow Cultural Center, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the East Longmeadow Public Library.
Local authors and artists set up tables in the senior center to promote their skills and sell their work while mingling with event goers from 10 a.m. to noon. A musical performance on the acoustic guitar was also provided by Roger Tincknell from 10-11 a.m.
A free raffle for patrons, giving away books and art. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
George Kingston poses with his work. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Betsy O’Neill-Sheehan stands behind her table with her books, “Splinter” and “Agi and the Thought Compass.” Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
The front cover of “Agi and the Thought Compass” and a sneak peak at an upcoming release. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
The East Longmeadow Public Library’s display of books set in Massachusetts, the May challenge in the Massachusetts Center for the Book 2026 Reading Challenge. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Author and Poet Thomas John Skarzynski sits behind the table of his releases. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Kyle Palazzi poses with his two current releases, “The Body is a Temple” and “All We Have to Fear.” Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
The cover of Palazzi’s “The Body is a Temple” with a sticker for the book’s fictional weight loss drug, Barbidol. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Author Linda Cardillo promotes a wide variety of her releases. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy 
Musician Roger Tincknell performs songs on the acoustic guitar to senior center guests and event patrons. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
The library also had a table at the event with coloring materials and a display for the Massachusetts Center for the Book monthly reading challenges. Reading a book set in Massachusetts is the challenge for May, a book with a sympathetic villain for June and a book found at a Little Free Library, tag sale or used bookstore for July.
Historical Commission member George Kingston set up a table with his own work, one of them being “James Madison Hood: Lincoln’s Consul to the Court of Siam,” detailing Captain James Madison Hood’s life and the political and economical turmoil of the mid-19th century.
His website is georgeckingston.com.
Kyle Palazzi detailed his 2025 release, “The Body is a Temple,” a horror novella about a woman who finds a soaring sense of confidence after going on a new and revolutionary weight-loss drug, Barbidol, before developing unsettling cravings and recieving a terrifying warning about the drug as her body transforms.
Palazzi also showcased his brand new release, “All We Have to Fear,” a “bleakly honest, darkly funny exploration of marriage, parenthood and the weight of unresolved trauma – ultimately asking whether love, it its imperfect forms, can be enough to save us from ourselves,” according to the novel’s description.
Palazzi can be found on social media, @kylepalazziwrites.
Betsy O’Neill-Sheehan had two of her books on display, the first place Writers Digest winner “Splinter” and the children’s book, “Agi and the Thought Compass.” “Splinter” is told from two character perspectives and will “take you on a dive into the heart of a survivor, through college parties and chess games, fire and confusion, friendship and hope,” according to the book’s description.
“Agi and the Thought Compass,” with illustrations by Manuel S. Herrera, helps learners of all ages navigate their thoughts. She can be found at betsyoneillsheehan.com.
