Walter Newkirk Chats GREY GARDENS Doc, Musical & HBO Film at Short Stories in NJ Tonight

Tonight, September 25 at 7pm veteran publicist and author Walter Newkirk, founder of Walter Newkirk Public Relations LLC and author of memoraBEALEia: A Private Scrapbook about Edie Beale of Grey Gardens will appear at SHORT STORIES Bookstore in Madison, NJ. He will talk about GREY GARDENS: the critically acclaimed documentary, the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, and the Emmy and Golden Globe winning HBO film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

Mr. Newkirk's book memoraBEALEia is endorsed by Broadway veterans Scott Frankel, Michael Korie,Doug Wright, and Christine Ebersole ; of the Tony award winning Grey Gardens musical , Bryan Batt, star of the AMC TV-series MAD MEN, and Tony nominated actress Sheryl Lee Ralph ( Dreamgirls, Thoroughly Modern Millie). Ms Ralph is currently co-producer of MIGHTY REAL: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical which is touring the United States.

memoraBEALEia is in the Harvard, Dartmouth and Rutgers University libraries, and is now sold at The Andy Warhol Museum Gift Shop in Pittsburgh, PA, te Larry Edmunds Film & Theatre Bookstore in LA, and Book Hampton in East Hampton and South Hampton, NY

Mr. Newkirk recently auctioned a combination of 10 letters and cards written to him by Edie Beale last June by Julien's Auctions. The final bid was $4000. Bay Street Theatre which recently presented Grey Gardens The Musical with Tony Winner Betty Buckley and Rachel York also auctioned an Edie Beale letter Mr. Newkirk donated to benefit the theatre. The final bid for the letter written by Miss Beale was $980.

Another auction of Edie Beale letters and cards by Julien's is scheduled for December 2015 date TBA.,

Dallas artist Rocky Helminski recently completed a portrait of Walter Newkirk with Edie Beale based on a photograph taken in June 1982 at the Les Mouches nightclub in NYC where Sheryl Lee Ralph was performing her cabaret act on her night off from Dreamgirls. Mr. Newkirk and Ms. Ralph attended Rutgers University together and did a publicity project for the 1982 Newark Black Fiom Festival. Rocky Helminski has also painted portraits of James Dean, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and other film luminaries which will be exhibited later this year in galleries TBA.

Mr. Newkirk will sign copies of memoraBEALEia book and his CD Little Edie Live! A Visit to Grey Gardens ($20) both on sale at the event. For signed copies of the book and CD, email newkirkpr@aol.com.

Walter Newkirk is also the editor of the book Letters of LIttle Edie Beale: Grey Gardens and Beyond. His new book THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER NEWKIRK is due October 20, 2014. Information about all of his books are on the website www.thesecretlifeofwalternewkirk.com.

Words Bookstore is located at 197 Maplewood Avenue in Maplewood NJ. For further information about the event at SHORT STORIES bookstore on Friday September 25, contact Walter Newkirk at newkirkpr@aolcom.

Pictured: Edie Beale with Walter Newkirk. "Miss Edie Beale with Mr. Walter Newkirk at Les Mouches Nightclub, June 1982." by Rocky Helminski of Sachse, Texas. The painting is based on a photo taken at Les Mouches, where Miss Beale and Mr. Newkirk were at the nightclub to see Tony nominee Sheryl Lee Ralph's cabaret act.

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