The Empire State Center for the Book is proud to announce the 2014 Class of Inductees into the NYS Writers Hall of Fame.  Noted writers Russell Banks, Mary Higgins Clark, Alice Hoffman, and Maurice Kenny are among the seven members of the 2014 Class, and they will be in attendance at the induction on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at the Princeton Club of New York. In addition, three deceased writers, Nora Ephron, Rex Stout, and James Thurber will be inducted. Rocco Staino, who serves as the Director of the Empire State Center for the Book, made the announcement on February 6, 2014, at the New York Library Association headquarters in Guilderland, NY. The Center for the Book is the organization that oversees the Hall of Fame.

“This year’s list of inductees recognizes a wide variety of writing talents from poetry to suspense,” said Staino.  “I hope that the public will take the time to revisit the works of all our inductees and join us at the induction.”

The full list of the 2014 inductees is as follows:

Russell Banks (1940-  ) novelist, short story writer, and poet

Mary Higgins Clark (1929-  ) author of 42 suspense novels

Nora Ephron (1941 - 2012) journalist, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, director, and blogger

Alice Hoffman (1952-  ) author of over 30 books (for adults, children, and young adults) and short story writer

Maurice Kenny (1929-  ) poet, editor, professor, and publisher

Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) author of detective novels-best known for creating the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe

James Thurber (1894 – 1961) a celebrated author, journalist, and cartoonist