Authors Lettie and Ben Cheever in Conversation

For Horse-Lovers and Fans of Marguerite Henry

Please join us for a delightful conversation between authors Lettie Teague and Benjamin H. Cheever about Lettie’s new book, Dear Readers and Riders (Trafalgar Square, May 2024), exploring the life and works of Marguerite Henry (best known for Misty of Chincoteague and Justin Morgan Had a Horse).

This book offers a captivating account of Marguerite Henry’s unsung life. Here are just a few of the accolades Lettie has received:

“Lettie Teague has penned an extraordinarily detailed and sensitive illumination of Marguerite Henry and her writing life—a beautiful and unusual study of this beloved author and her work. A wonderful book.” —Lee Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Girls, Fair and Tender Ladies, and Silver Alert

“I could not put this book down. I read it all in one sitting! What a dream to revisit my favorite childhood author through Lettie Teague’s delicious prose.... Marguerite would be proud.” —Beth Behrs, Actress, 2 Broke Girls and The Neighborhood, and Founder, She Herd Power Foundation

“Lettie Teague’s loving and well researched biography does credit to Henry, and this beautifully produced book, including some of Wesley Dennis’s illustrations, deserves a spot in every horse-loving reader’s permanent collection. I highly recommend this book.” —Elizabeth Letts, Author of New York Times Bestsellers The Eighty Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse

Whether you are a lifelong horse person (and/or have a young rider in your midst), or you are curious about how Marguerite Henry brought her books to fruition, we hope you’ll come by for this conversation between two seasoned authors. Audience Q&A will follow.

Books - packaged in a cute horse-illustrated paper bag - will be available for purchase and signing. And wine will be on hand, as well.

We ask you to please RSVP in advance for planning purposes. (There is no charge for this event.)

About the Book

In certain circles, her name inspires immediate recognition and pronouncements of a committed admiration that has likely spanned decades. As an author, Marguerite Henry was prolific, with 59 books published, millions of copies sold, and nearly 80 years of her life spent writing them—or responding personally to the stacks of fan mail she received—at her typewriter. Her books, including her Newbery Award winner King of the Wind, the book that changed an island, Misty of Chincoteague, and the glowingly reviewed Justin Morgan Had a Horse, have had an outsized influence on those who grew up reading them. But despite a professional existence that became profoundly public, Henry’s own life was mostly shielded from view.

Now, in these pages, Teague ensures that Marguerite Henry the writer will always be considered as every bit as remarkable as the books that she wrote. Featuring original artwork by Wesley Dennis from some of Henry’s best-known books, as well as over 100 personal photographs, letters, and artifacts few have seen, this is a warm and wonderful biography for bibliophiles, horse lovers, aspiring writers, and Marguerite Henry fans, young and old.

About Lettie

Lettie Teague has been The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnist since 2010. Before joining the Journal, Teague was the executive wine editor and columnist for Food & Wine magazine. She is the author of two books, Wine in Words and Educating Peter, and co-author and illustrator of Fear of Wine. Her writing has won three James Beard Awards, including the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. More importantly, Teague has been a fan of bestselling children’s book author Marguerite Henry since she was nine years old: Teague’s first horseback ride took place around the same time as her first Marguerite Henry book (Born to Trot) and she, like Henry, grew up in the Midwest aspiring to be a writer.

About Ben

Benjamin H. Cheever has published four novels (The Plagiarist, The Partisan, Famous After Death, The Good Nanny), as well as two works of nonfiction (Selling Ben Cheever and Strides). He edited The Letters of John Cheever. He’s taught at The New School for Social Research, and the Bennington M.F.A. program. And he has contributed to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Town and Country, Gourmet, Runner’s World. The Reader’s Digest, The Nation, and Audiofile.

Based in Westchester County, Ben is the father of two adult sons and the host of a TV show called “About Writing,” of which the 50+ episodes can be seen at PCTV76.org. Read more about the genesis of this long-running series.