Kevin C. Fitzpatrick (born January 10, 1966), is an American historian and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his research and writings on

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

and the

Algonquin Round Table The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel ...

Early life

Fitzpatrick was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1966, but spent his childhood in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

;

Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...

;

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

; and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He is a graduate of

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Presiden ...

(formerly Northeast Missouri State University). While a student at NMSU Fitzpatrick co-founded ''The Pundit'', an independent newspaper that served primarily the student population and young adults of the

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to two colleges: Truman State University and A.T. Still University. ...

area. He served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves as a journalist-photographer.

Career

Fitzpatrick has had a varied multimedia career including newspapers, television, advertising agencies, magazines, and more recently web-based publishing and editing. In the latter he has produced close to 75 websites and written for numerous trade publications. When not involved with media pursuits, Fitzpatrick is a certified New York City sightseeing guide, giving walking tours of historic locations, landmarks, cemeteries and drinking establishments. He is also a frequent guest speaker at libraries and literary clubs. Fitzpatrick cites among his biggest influences

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thro ...

, Franklin P. Adams, and Stanley Walker. Fitzpatrick produces the award-winning dorothyparker.com, which he launched in 1998. He is the president of the Dorothy Parker Society, which he founded in 1999. He was also instrumental in the effort to get Dorothy Parker's birthplace in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,< ...

, named a National Literary Landmark by Friends of Libraries USA. Fitzpatrick oversaw the creation of a bronze memorial plaque that was unveiled in August 2005 in Parker's hometown. In 2020 Fitzpatrick brought Parker's ashes from Baltimore to New York City and interred them Woodlawn Cemetery. On August 23, 2021, he unveiled a new gravestone for Parker's family. In conjunction with the

Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numer ...

, Fitzpatrick leads walking tours of the former

homes and haunts in Manhattan. In 2009 Fitzpatrick founded Donald Books, a small independent publishing company.

The Lambs

Fitzpatrick was elected to The Lambs Theatre Club in May 2015, and became

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

in 2023.

Personal life

Fitzpatrick and his family reside in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and the Town of Shelter Island.

Awards

Selected works

*''111 Places in the Bronx That You Must Not Miss'' () from Emons-Verlag *''World War I New York: A Guide to the City's Enduring Ties to the Great War'' () from Globe Pequot Press *''The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide'' () from Lyons Press *''The Governors Island Explorer's Guide'' () from Globe Pequot Press *''Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide'' () from Lyons Press *''A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York'' () from Roaring Forties Press *''Dorothy Parker Complete Broadway, 1918-1923'' () from Donald Books *''The Lost Algonquin Round Table: Humor, Fiction, Journalism, Criticism and Poetry From America’s Most Famous Literary Circle'' () from Donald Books

References

External links

*
The Dorothy Parker Society

Roaring Forties Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Kevin C. 1966 births Living people American information and reference writers Writers from St. Louis Writers from Summit, New Jersey Writers from Manhattan Truman State University alumni United States Marines People from the Upper West Side 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Algonquin Round Table Historians from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers Historians from New Jersey Members of The Lambs Club The Lambs presidents