Evan Mandery
Evan Mandery, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1967 is an author, professor of ethics and death penalty law at New York City's John Jay College and well-known poker player. He lives in Great Neck, Long Island. His second novel, First Contact, Or, It's Later Than You Think, was published by Harper Paperbacks in January, 2010.[1]
[edit] Works of Fiction
Mandery's first novel Dreaming of Gwen Stefani was published in 2007 by [Ig Publishing] and was described by Jay McInerney as:
"a quirky and compelling riff on the nature of romantic obsession, celebrity worship, free will versus determinism and the joys of Papaya 'Queen' hot dogs."[2]
The book deals with mathematical genius Mortimer Taylor Coleridge who, as a hot-dog vendor in New York City, devises methods of maximising his sales; however, he strives for a better life. Discovering VH1, he finds Gwen Stefani who represents a model of perfection and becomes the object of his dreams. As this one-sided love affair unfolds, his acts call into question the thin line between admiration and obsession in the fame-focused society of the contemporary USA.
[edit] Poker
As a poker player Mandery won the first casino tournament he entered and won $3,500.[citation needed] He took second place in a preliminary event of the 2005 United States Poker Championship, winning $21,280.[3]
