Kids & Family
Dolphin to Host Local Author Book Signing.
Longtime Port resident, Howard Blankman has published a heartwarming children's book. Book signing and reading will be March 15 from 2-4pm
What does one do for an encore after long and prolific career as a playwright, music composer, Big Band leader and writer for Johnny Carson? How about write a children’s book at nearly 90 years young!
Howard M. Blankman and his newly published children’s book, Hope Can Make It Happen, will be featured at a special book signing on Sunday, March 15 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Dolphin Bookshop, 299 Main Street.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time,” said Mr. Blankman. “The storyline has been running through my head for decades. I needed to get it written and published so I could share it with others and maybe inspire some young writers.”
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Hope Can Make It Happen is the uplifting story of a young child who sees the best of human nature even in the most difficult of times. The setting is Port Washington during the Depression and is based on Mr. Blankman’s knowledge and research of the area as a long-time resident, and the writer of a popular column, Everybody’s Port, which featured profiles on local residents.
Mr. Blankman’s book also contains a novel concept he created called “Learn-a- Word” that seeks to help young readers develop age-appropriate vocabulary and language skills. “Reading and writing are lifelong skills that need a solid foundation upon which to flourish,” added Mr. Blankman. “My hope is that Learn-a-Word will make reading and learning new words fun and exciting.”
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Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mr. Blankman recalls that he wrote his first play at the age of ten. In 1953, another play he wrote, By Hex, was staged at the noted Pittsburgh Playhouse and, in 1956, off Broadway at the Tempo Playhouse in Greenwich Village. One of the first musicals about the Amish of Lancaster County, it is still staged by community, college and high school theater groups.
A prolific writer, Mr. Blankman’s lifelong love of music and the theater brought him into contact with some of the greats of Broadway, Big Bands, television and Hollywood. Some of the personalities included: Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Richard Burton, Noel Coward, Tommy Dorsey, Marvin Hamlisch, Alan King, Liza Minnelli, Oscar Hammerstein ll and Richard Rodgers.
Mr. Blankman continues, “If helping a young reader learn a new word or become inspired to tell his or her story then igniting that flame of creativity is part of the message of Hope Can Make It Happen.”
