Author Zack Rogow Explores Fatherhood, Literary Legacy, and Healing in New Memoir ‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost’

Through a unique dialogue with his late father’s writings, Rogow deepens his understanding of his father — and himself

BERKELEY, CA, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — ‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost: A Memoir of a Shortened Life’ by Zack Rogow will be released in a new revised edition by Cirque Press, on October 6, 2026. In ‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost,’ a hybrid memoir by Zack Rogow, the author tries to solve the mystery of the father he never knew.

Distinguished poets and writers are praising the book.

Robert Pinsky, U.S. Poet Laureate 1997–2000, and author of ‘Jersey Breaks,’ calls it “a moving story of grief, genius, and laughter, beautifully told. And a good read!”

Phillip Lopate, author and editor of ‘The Art of the Personal Essay,’ describes the memoir as “a sweetly forlorn recounting of a special time in New York, a zestful collaboration between the living and the dead, an aching tale of loss, and a revelation of secrets and lies that undergirded the author’s family dynamics,” noting that “Zack Rogow has gone the distance in this compelling probe.”

Judith Barrington, author of ‘Writing the Memoir,’ shared, “I could hardly put down this engrossing memoir.”

Zack Rogow’s father, Lee Rogow was a widely published fiction writer, drama critic for the Hollywood Reporter, glamorous man-about-town in Manhattan of the 1950s, captain of a U.S. Navy landing craft in World War II—and he died tragically in a plane crash when his son Zack was only three years old.

Decades after the untimely death of his father, Zack Rogow began the deep dive of discovery, reading his father’s writings and what others wrote about him, to try to understand his lost father. His research leads him to many places from the Upper West Side of New York City, to the resort community of Fire Island, and more. It also leads to long held family secrets about his parents and godparents.

Zack Rogow chose to write ‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost’ as a hybrid memoir in order to create conversations between himself and and the father he never knew. He also wanted to showcase the best of his father’s Lee Rogow’s writings, those Lee published in his lifetime, and the stories and journals that remained secret until seventy years after his death.

Zack Rogow is the author, editor, or translator of more than twenty books and works for the theater. His play ‘Colette Uncensored’ has been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and in London, Indonesia, Catalonia, San Francisco, and Portland. His honors include the PEN/ Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize, and the Lili Fabilli-Eric Hoffer Essay Prize from University of California, Berkeley. Zack’s blog, ‘Advice for Writers,’ features 300 posts. His literary translations include works by Colette, George Sand, André Breton, and Marcel Pagnol.

Earlier in 2026, Rogow had a poetry collection published called ‘The Kama Sutra for Senior Citizens and Other Poems on Aging’ with UK publisher Valley Press. The book received full-length articles in The Guardian, The Times of London, as well as interviews on the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, and more. AARP is going to feature the book in their print magazine this fall in an article he wrote called ‘I Had 75 First Dates Before Finding Love Late in Life.’

‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost: A Memoir of a Shortened Life’ by Zack Rogow will be available from all major online booksellers including Amazon or by request at local independent bookstores and libraries.

‘Hugging My Father’s Ghost: A Memoir of a Shortened Life’ by Zack Rogow
New Revised Edition
Print ISBN: 979-8-90333-744-6
Publisher: Cirque Press, Anchorage, AK
Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Susannah Greenberg
Book Buzz by Susannah Greenberg Public Relations
+1 646-801-7477
publicity@bookbuzz.com
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