Navigating New York with Peter Quinn

On this Episode I speak to one of Irish America’s greatest and most respected writers; Peter Quinn. 

Peter is a Novelist, Political Historian, and Foremost Chronicler of New York City. Peter was hired in 1979 by  Governor Hugh Carey as his chief speechwriter. He continued in that role under Governor Mario Cuomo, helping craft the Governor's 1984 Democratic Convention speech and his address on religion and politics at Notre Dame University. Peter was also chief speechwriter for Time, as well as editorial director for Time Warner, and found an avocation in writing about his Irish heritage. In his first novel, Banished Children of Eve, he explores the after-effects of the vast Irish immigration into New York City following the famine of 1847. Banished Children of Eve won an American Book Award.
Looking for Jimmy: In Search of Irish America, a collection of non-fiction pieces, was published in 2007. Colum McCann has summed up Quinn's trilogy of historical detective novels -- Hour of the Cat(2005), The Man Who Never Returned (2010), and Dry Bones (2013) –have been described  as "generous and agile and profound." 

Quinn co-wrote the script for the 1987 television documentary "McSorley's New York," which was awarded a New York-area Emmy for "Outstanding Historical Programming." He has participated as a guest commentator in several PBS documentaries, including The Irish in America; New York: A Documentary Film; The Life and Times of Stephen Foster, as well as the Academy Award-nominated film, The Passion of Sister Rose. He was also an advisor on Martin Scorsese's film Gangs of New York.

Peter’s knowledge of Irish America is unparalleled and his recent memoir “Cross Bronx” is a one-of-a-kind account of his adventures as ad man, archivist, teacher, Wall Street messenger, court officer, political speechwriter, corporate scribe, and award-winning novelist. Quinn is a New Yorker through and through and it was a great honor to have him as a guest on the Podcast. 

www.newyorkpaddy.com