Frederick Cook, Reimagined

The Frederick Cook Society will host a Symposium, titled “FA Cook, Reimagined.” Four speakers will present talks: author Darrell Hartman, curator Laura Kissel from the Byrd Polar Center at the Ohio State University, author Julian Sancton, and Carol Smith, Executive Director of the Cook Society.

About Darrell Hartman

Darrell Hartman was born in Brunswick, Maine, has lived in Brooklyn for many years, and recently purchased a home in Livingston Manor in Sullivan County. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Paris Review, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Granta. He holds a B.A. in literature from Yale University and is a member of The Explorers Club in New York. “Battle of Ink and Ice” is his debut book, and it was recently given a highly prestigious starred review by Kirkus.

Douglas Preston, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “The Lost City of the Monkey God,” said this about Hartman’s book: “’The Battle of Ink and Ice’ tells the absolutely gripping story of the greatest disputation in the history of exploration: the battle between Cook and Peary over the discovery of the North Pole. But what takes this story to another level is the role that two big newspapers played in the controversy, taking opposite sides. The book paints unforgettable portraits of the outrageous, incendiary and drunken James Gordon Bennett Jr., publisher of the New York Herald, versus the upstanding and capable Adolph Ochs, founder of the modern New York Times. Beautifully written and researched, this book is a perfectly splendid read. I highly, highly recommend it.”

About Laura Kissel

Laura Kissel is the Polar Curator for the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program (Polar Archives), a position that she has held since 1996. Laura holds a bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. Her talk will focus on the Frederick Cook Society Archive collection, which was donated to the Byrd Polar Research Center in 1996 by the Cook Society.

About Julian Sancton

Julian Sancton is a senior features editor at Departures magazine and his work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New Yorker, Wired, and Playboy. He has reported from every continent, including Antarctica, which he first visited while researching Madhouse at the End of the Earth.

About Carol Smith

Carol Smith holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Florida State University and has worked in non-profit arts and education organizations for over 20 years. Her talk will focus on the role of photography in Dr. Cook’s career.

The project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.