Ben Yagoda, Author Alias O. Henry, a Novel

Name: Ben Yagoda, Author Alias O. Henry, a Novel
Start: 2026-02-22T14:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-22T16:30:00-06:00
Location: Oakwood Chapel, 1601 Navasota St, Austin, TX 78702-1121, United States

Schedule

Sun Feb 22 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:30 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Oakwood Chapel, 1601 Navasota St, Austin, TX 78702-1121, United States | Austin, TX

“Imagining O. Henry on the Streets of New York.” Our guest speaker is accomplished biographer, literary historian and linguist, Ben Yagoda, author of Alias O.Henry, his just published first novel with Will Porter as the main character set in turn-of-the-century Manhattan. A FREE public event.
"Yagoda brings his research skills, knowledge of the author, and love of the era to this tale of turn-of-the-century Manhattan, evoking its crowded streets, many vices, and colorful (and often dangerous) citizenry." —Kirkus Reviews
Ben Yagoda is a native of New Rochelle, New York; a graduate of Yale; and a resident of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. In 2018, he retired after twenty-five years teaching writing and journalism at the University of Delaware. He is the author, coauthor or editor of fourteen books, including O.Henry: 101 Stories. 2021, Library of America. Other critically acclaimed books include: Will Rogers: A Biography and About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made.
LOCATION: Oakwood Cemetery was originally established as the City Cemetery in 1839. Today, it hosts a beautifully rehabilitated 1914 Chapel that serves as our event location. After the event, guests may join a waking tour to visit the grave site of Athol Estes Porter, Will Porter's first wife.
Addendum: Ben Yagoda will be guest reader at J.C. Elkins O. Henry Literary Discussion Group of O. Henry's "An Unfinished Story," Saturday February 21, 2026 at 12 Noon at the O. Henry Museum, 409 E. 5th Street, Austin, Texas. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OHenrydiscussiongroup