University of Utica to Host Author Conference with Sinnott

UTICA – The University of Utica Historical Research Center, 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, will sponsor a lecture by author Deirdre Sinnott titled “The Real Abolition and Underground Railroad Story Behind the Novel” The Third Mrs. Galway.”

The event is free and will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 24 at the Auditorium Carbone.

Participants must wear a mask.

Sinnott will read the novel which won The Writers Lounge 2021 Bookshelf award and was named a Great Book Read by the Women’s National Book Association.

The novel is set in Utica in 1835. A newlywed Helen Galway uncovers a secret: two runaway slaves are hiding in the cabin behind her husband’s house. Suddenly, she is at the center not only of the greatest moral dilemma of the time, but also of her own.

Sinnott grew up in Utica and is an academic and independent filmmaker.

She was a historical consultant, researcher and contributor to the Fort Stanwix Underground Railroad History Project, funded by the National Parks Service.

Their report is to be published by the American Organization of Historians later this month.

Sinnott is also working on a non-fiction book about the American abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad centered in Utica. She also talks about the lingering effects of racial injustice on society.

The call will also be streamed live on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chr-uc.