Mob writer and best-selling author George Anastasia to speak at Rowan

Veteran Philadelphia Inquirer organized crime reporter George Anastasia will discuss his journalism career and his work covering some of the region's most high-profile cases during a talk on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 10:45 a.m. in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center at Rowan University.

His talk is free and open to the public.

Named "one of the most respected crime reporters in the country" by "60 Minutes," Anastasia has written about organized crime for 35 years, covering casino gambling in Atlantic City, mob hits in Philadelphia, and criminal prosecutions throughout the U.S.

He is the author of five books, including The Last Gangster (ReganBooks/Harper Collins, 2004), a New York Times best seller that chronicled the demise of the Philadelphia mob.

His other books include: Blood and Honor (William Morrow  & Co., 1991), which journalist Jimmy Breslin called "the best gangster book ever written"; The Summer Wind (Regan Books/HarperCollins, 1999), which focused on the high-profile Anne Marie Fahey murder case in Delaware; The Goodfella Tapes (Avon Books, 1998); and Mobfather (Kensington Books, 1993).

Also the author of a novella, The Big Hustle (Philadelphia Inquirer Books, 2001), Anastasia has contributed to two anthologies of Italian-American writers: A Sitdown with the Sopranos and Don't Tell Momma. "Mob Files," an anthology of articles he wrote for the Inquirer, was published in 2008 by Camino Books.

Anastasia's work also has appeared in Playboy and The Village Voice. He has appeared frequently on network television news magazine reports about organized crime and has worked as a consultant for projects for ABC, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and National Geographic.

Raised in South Jersey, Anastasia is co-host of a weekly radio show, "The Crime Guys," which airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on WPHT 1210 AM in Philadelphia.

For information on Anastasia's talk, contact Jessica Fisher Lee at 856-256-4049 or fisherje@rowan.edu.