Prominent New Havenite Crystal R. Emery celebrates the release of her debut novel at free book signing at the Kehler Liddell Gallery on June 21

Crystal R. Emery, the Connecticut renaissance woman, has added novelist — and comedian — to her vast resume. The artist-author-filmmaker-theatrical director-actress-playwright has released her debut novel, Without a Trace. And she has done it all while triumphing over quadriplegia. Her book launch, hosted by New Haven notables Michael Morand, Yale University director of community engagement at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and Maryann Ott, NewAlliance Foundation executive director, will be held on Saturday, June 21, at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Avenue in New Haven. The event is free and open to the public with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the conversation kicking off at 6:30 p.m.

The evening, which will include remarks and readings by Emery, will feature a performance on drums by West Haven percussionist Michael Mills. Refreshments will be served.

Without a Trace is the coming-of-age story of young teen, Tanya, as she navigates familial relationships and friendships, including an enigmatic one with a handsome, older man, JohnL. When things get complicated, he disappears. Eighteen years later, when she is a successful filmmaker happily preparing for her upcoming nuptials, a phone call will bring back memories, upending her life and leaving her questioning everything.

To attend the book signing celebration, register at: https://bit.ly/WithoutaTraceBookLaunch. Books will be available for purchase. Without a Trace is also available on Amazon and Kindle.

Emery is an accomplished writer — Against All Odds: Black Women in Medicine Master Builders of the Modern World: Reimagining the Face of STEM and the first two volumes of her Little Man children’s book series. She is also known for her films, The Deadliest Disesase in America and Black Women in Medicine. She helms the New Haven-area nonprofit URU: The Right to Be, Inc., where she has spearheaded programs to introduce students to careers in STEM, ultimately being named an American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador.

Earlier this year she took to the stage as a comedian for the first time, performing standup at The Bell House in Brooklyn, and she has brought on by popular comics Michelle Buteau and D. J. Hughley at their respective shows. Her next scheduled gig is this September at the Bregamos Community Theater in New Haven, Connecticut.

Crystal R. Emery

Crystal R. Emery is a prolific writer. In addition to her four books, she’s been a guest writer for TIME.com, Variety, Ms. Magazine and HuffPost.

Emery is known for producing narratives aimed at creating a more equitable society. She is the Founder and CEO of URU The Right to Be, Inc., a nonprofit content production company that addresses issues at the intersection of humanities, arts and sciences.

Emery’s film Black Women in Medicine had its theatrical run in 2016 and later aired on American Public Television. It was screened in Ethiopia and Germany in 2018 as part of the American Film Showcase, considered the premier American film diplomacy program in the world. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and New York Women in Film and Television. She is the recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Leadership in Journalism Award and the BronzeLens Film Festival Spirit Award.

Hailed as “inspiring” by the Los Angeles Times, she was called a “leader in science and technology” by Good Housekeeping in its feature story “50 over 50: Women Who Are Changing the World.”

She was featured on the CBS program Mission Unstoppable for her virtual reality project “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See.” The game aims to close the identification gap for young, marginalized students in STEM by allowing them to experience different careers in VR.

Emery has been a keynote speaker at distinguished institutions including the National Academy of Science, National Institute of Health, the National Organization on Disability, RespectAbility, TEDx Beacon Street, the National Security Agency, and Kaiser Permanente.

She believes the road to success is comprised of perseverance, faith and trusting in a power greater than oneself. Emery continues to shape a successful, fulfilling personal and professional life while triumphing over two chronic diseases as a quadriplegic.

A New Haven area resident, Emery received her B.A. from the University of Connecticut, her M.A. in Media Studies from The New School of Public Engagement. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from UConn in 2018, on which occasion she spoke to an audience of over 20,000 and became the first Black female commencement speaker at UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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Prominent New Havenite Crystal R. Emery celebrates the release of her debut novel at free book signing at the Kehler Liddell Gallery on June 21