A Trip Back in Time
Recent C.W. Post Graduate Achieves Success in Book Publishing

The history of the town where he grew up, Whitestone, Queens, has always fascinated Jason Antos. A 2003 graduate from the School of Visual and Performing Arts at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Antos has turned his quest for knowledge into a tome that shares the past, present and future of his community.

His new book, “Whitestone” (Arcadia Publishing, 2006, $19.99) is part of the publishers Images of America series and chronicles the history of the Queens neighborhood from its beginnings in 1645. A member of the Queens Historical Society, Antos says his family has lived in the area since the 1960s. Pair his curiosity for his hometown with his talent for writing, and it’s easy to see how a book was conceived.

“There’s a lot of unknown history about the area,” Antos said, who could often be found taking photographs in and about town. Once he signed a book deal with Arcadia in December 2005, he went on a mission to learn as much as he could, putting together a timeline about the history of Whitestone and finding and securing rights to photographs.

In its first week, the book sold more than 200 copies and Antos was asked to give a talk at the local Barnes & Noble in Bay Terrace on January 21, 2007 and the Queens Historical Society.

Since graduating with a B.F.A. in film from C.W. Post, Antos was one of two students accepted in the Master’s degree film program at the University of Miami. He’ll graduate with a master of fine arts in screenwriting and communication. While in Florida, Antos worked as a professor’s assistant and freelance writer. He’ll graduate early next year.

Antos says he’d like to produce screenplays, but already has another book in the works for Arcadia, this one about the history of Shea Stadium. “Since it is going to be torn down, this is a good time to write about it,” he said.

For more information, contact the C.W. Post Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2334. For more information on “Whitestone,” visit Arcadia Publishing on the World Wide Web at www.arcadiapublishing.com.

Posted December 11, 2006