Indiana University East will host a book signing for former Richmond resident Peg Goldberg Longstreth from 4-5 p.m. on Monday, April 20 in The Gallery, located in Whitewater Hall.

Chancellor Emeritus David Fulton said, “I was very pleased when Peg told me that she was planning a visit to Indiana and that IU East would host her for a book signing on campus. She is a remarkably talented artist and wonderful representative of both Richmond and Indiana in her adopted State. Her late husband, Joe Longstreth, an equally talented artist, was a major figure in the cultural life of Richmond for many years. They maintained a close working relationship with IU East art faculty and students once they set up shop in Naples.  I hope that many local people will come out to say hello to Peg and pick up a copy of her newest work.  It is sure to be a delight.”

Longstreth will sign copies of A Bear Called CHARLIE: A Memoir, a book she wrote with her late mother, Isabel Crane Goldberg. Several years ago, Goldberg acquired Charlie at an antique auction. “Charlie had no sooner come home with mom than life began to change in the Goldberg household,” Longstreth said.

“Already an award-winning painter and weaver, her one unmet dream was to be a writer.  Her plans to attend Indiana University following graduation from high school were dashed when her father died unexpectedly and the world entered into the Great Depression.”

Longstreth said her mother never gave up on her love of writing. She said her mother would read voraciously and kept notes of ideas for books and short stories. “Once Charlie entered the family’s life, all those years of creativity found a perfect outlet in creating this magical story,” Longstreth said. “The more she wrote and discussed some of her ideas, the more I believed this novel truly had cult potential.  In fact, that is exactly what reviewers are already saying. I began helping her put the book together, adding and moving chapters around, discussing ideas for illustrations and chapter titles. When she died, I put Joe’s and my nearly completed non-fiction manuscripts aside, and set about completing and getting ‘CHARLIE’ published.”

Longstreth is currently a resident of Naples, Fla. She and her late husband, Joseph, quickly became well-known in the arts community, first as the owners of the largest contemporary gallery in Southwest Florida, then as music and arts critics for the local papers and regional magazines.  Most recently, Longstreth received this year’s Star in the Arts award for her contributions to the community in each of these venues, as well as for A Bear Called CHARLIE.

“I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with the response thus far.  For an essentially unknown author to sell over two thousand copies in the first four months, particularly in these grim economic times, is unbelievably exciting.  Plus, I am now getting requests and orders from throughout Europe, and am working on arranging for it to be translated into German and Slavic. Japanese is next on the list, since all these countries have huge numbers of teddy bear lovers and collectors, as well as teddy bear museums.”