Our author series continues with a videocast on Thursday, August 12 at 2:30 p.m. with Shane Joseph Hopkins, a Newport Firefighter who has written what he hopes is “Great American Novel.”

Shane has been writing for years, and when left alone for a few weeks in a log cabin he built in the woods of South County, penned “Welcome to the Absolutely Astounding Life of Whistle Evil Fonzarelli Starr.”

Some believe the novel is a bit biographical. We’ll find out when Shane joins us tomorrow afternoon. 

What’s Up Newp’s Author Series is made possible by the support of Charter Books.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...