Illustrators

Trudy Smoke is a retired professor of linguistics and rhetoric at Hunter College, CUNY, and is my best friend for more that sixty years!.

A polymath, Trudy is also a talented artist. She is the illustrator of several of my books: Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City, Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City, and River: A Hudson Memoir.

Three-story brownstone building with a curved facade, red front door, stairs leading up to the entrance, and a green bush in front.
Two leaves and a small brown seed or flower bud.
A woman painting detailed watercolor bird illustrations on paper, holding a paint palette and brush, with completed bird artworks on the wall behind her.

Beth Bergman is a photographer for the Metropolitan Opera Company whose passion is photographing birds.

Her photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, New York Magazine, Opera News, and Paris Match.

Close-up of a male wood duck with green head, red eyes, and colorful plumage on water
Person with curly hair and glasses holding a camera, wearing a red shirt.
A sleeping owl resting on a tree branch amid yellow autumn leaves.

Mark Klinger is a scientific illustrator for  the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and creates images for research publications, lectures, media and international exhibits.

He illustrated Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City, and Field Guide to the Natural World of Washington, D.C.

A man with glasses and a beard sitting at a cluttered desk with papers, books, and office supplies, looking towards the camera.
A detailed drawing of a red-shouldered hawk perched on a branch, with a city skyline and a tower in the background.
A hawk perched on a flagpole with the American flag, with the Empire State Building in the background.

JessicaMaffia is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in New York City. She has created murals for the National Audubon Society’s Audubon Mural Project and a NYC public school and she did this portrait for my book River.

A portrait sketch of a woman with her eyes closed, wavy hair, and wearing a striped shirt, with a background featuring water and sky reflections.

Image by Jessica Maffia from River: A Hudson Memoir