October 10, 2006

On Thursday Vanity Fair organized a lively and generous gathering for the book at New York's International Center of Photography (ICP). The magazine's new publisher, Edward Menicheschi, graciously hosted. Editor Graydon Carter was on hand to greet fleets of photographers (too numerous to mention) and journalists (Sebastian Junger and Clyde Haberman, Time Inc.'s Jim Kelly and Paris Match's new editor Olivier Royant, among them) and artists such as Robert Longo and Francios-Marie Banier. Two of my mentors met -- novelist Robert Stone and photographer Harry Benson -- before being introduced to Internet columnists Rachel Sklar (of Slate) and Jessica Coen (newly moving from Gawker to vanityfair.com). And attorney-cum-author Scott Turow, a family friend for decades, showed up straight from a taping of Celebrity Jeopardy. (Turow's opponents: actress Susan Lucci and bandleader Paul Schaeffer.) Cafe Society on the March!

For me, the most stirring part of the evening, apart from the tremendous crush of friends, colleagues, and family, came while looking across the museum's galleries to see no less than 15 photographers who had courageously photographed on the morning of September 11, many in the shadow of the World Trade Center and several surviving the collapse of one or both towers, cameras in hand and lives intact.

Also at the ICP were two dozen people who, despite having had painfully intimate connections to the attacks -- in some cases having lost close relatives -- nonetheless agreed to be interviewed for the book and entrusted me with their stories. (Readers of the book would be familiar with five in attendance who lost their spouses on September 11: Wendy Doremus, Monica Iken, Robbie Morrell, Nikki Stern, and Lisa Palazzo. The mother and sister of firefighter Tommy Foley were also on hand.)

Many thanks to Edward and Graydon, along with Audra Asencio, Phil Block, Jessica Flint, Elizabeth Garriga, Marisa Giordano, Patrick McMullan (and Neil), Jeff Seroy, Sarita Varma, and the incomparable teams from Vanity Fair, the ICP, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

To view images of the event, please visit PatrickMcMullan.com (along with a second batch also posted on that site).

On Friday, at a book-signing at the Book Stall in Winnetka, Illinois (near my childhood hometown of Highland Park), the bold-faced names were Mrs. Ireland (my third-grade homeroom teacher), Mr. Butts (my eighth-grade math teacher), and Rita Turow (Scott's mother -- and, it so happens, my Aunt Muriel's best friend). Granted, there were also many old, dear friends and family members providing a rousing, warm reception. The festivities continued into the night at several bars in Highwood, including Bertucci's, a nightclub-poolhall-music venue and a bowling alley.

Hats off to Ira Sapir, Mike Fisher, Julie Roberts, Sue and Chadd Berkun, and the HPHS gang.

Below, old friends at Thursday's ICP event: yours truly, Scott Turow, and my wife, Nancy Paulsen.