Hancock author Paul Hertneky will be the featured writer at the Monadnock Writers’ Group monthly meeting on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the 1833 Room at Peterborough Town Library.

The event, which will include a question-and-answer session with the author, is free and open to the public. All are welcome. 

Hertneky will present two new essays -- a satirical confession and a travel story set in Greece. Both will address the choices writers make in their writing and in their lives. After nearly four decades of freelance writing, photography and journalism, the author of the 2016 memoir “Rust Belt Boy, Stories of an American Childhood” will talk about how the book changed his life and a new travel memoir. 

Hertneky has published stories, essays and scripts for the Boston Globe, Athens News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, New Hampshire Union Leader, NBC News, The Comedy Channel, Gourmet, Eating Well, Traveler’s Tales, The Exquisite Corpse, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, Adbusters and others.

Hertneky also covered the culinary world and restaurant industry for 17 years. His work centered on culture, food, the environment and travel. He was awarded  Solas Award and two James Beard Award nominations. In 2016, he was named one of "5 over 50" notable authors by Poets & Writers Magazine. A graduate of the Bennington Writing Seminars, he serves on the faculty of Chatham University.

The Monadnock Writers’ Group,  founded in 1984,  welcomes writers of all interests, genres and levels of experience, from beginners to professional authors. The monthly speaker series takes place on the third Saturday of every month at the Peterborough Town Library unless another location is listed. Membership is $30 a year. 

The MWG’s March speaker is professional storyteller, podcaster and creativity coach Tricia Rose Burt of Hancock.  For information, go to monadnockwriters.org or send email to monadnockwriters@gmail.com.

Reporter Jesseca Timmons is president of the Monadnock Writers’ Group.