ALL ABOUT ANNE. In yesterday's New York Times there was an article about Frank McCourt and his former students, some of whom have also gained recognition as authors. What the article failed to mention are writers whose tests were once proctored by McCourt even though they were never his students!

One such writer is my old friend Anne Newgarden. Last night Anne was at a Lord & Taylor soiree featuring Chuck Fischer's elaborate Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book, on which she acted as researcher and writer.

Anne isn't just a researcher and writer; she's also an editor and an all-around nice person. (Years ago, a wise visitor declared Anne the Nicest Person in New York; that same visitor went on to win big bucks on a TV game show!)

Here's Anne with Chuck (no relation), whose books also include The White House: A Pop-Up Book.




















Browsing through Christmas in New York, I lost myself in the Time Square spread. I was worried that the fireworks might set the book on fire, but everything worked out all right.
























This month Anne is also working as stage manager on the starkly realistic one-act play Reconstruction, in which a couple tries to recapture intimacy after a bout with breast cancer. The story is of special interest to singles and couples who have experienced a similar medical situation, but the relationship issues it explores are by no means limited to that audience. Directed by Tom Coash, it stars Alice King and Clifford Lee Johnson III, who is also the playwright. The remaining performances are scheduled to run November 17-19 at 8:15 at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (236 W. 78th Street, Manhattan; 212-362-9014; $15).

Photos: David Marc Fischer