Books & Brews event raises funds for veterans

South Glens Falls, N.Y. – Local authors raised over $350 for the 42nd Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation during a “Books & Brews” fundraising event at Common Roots this weekend.

Andrew Valenza, author of “Empire of the Void” and owner of Valenza Publishing, collaborated with Rich Wilson of Common Roots in South Glens Falls to bring together authors and readers for a book fair-style event where money was raised through book sales and raffle tickets to support the New York Army National Guard veterans organization. 

Valenza is a veteran of the 42nd Infantry Division and deployed with the unit twice as a Public Affairs Non-Commissioned Officer, once in 2020 and then again in 2025.

“This was important to me on multiple fronts,” Valenza said. “The foundation supported me when I was just a family member of 42nd ID Soldiers, then I served in the 42nd ID, and now I can give back to them. Also, as an author, events like this are always a fun way to share my stories with others.”

In total, 26 authors and vendors attended the event. About half of the vendors donated gift baskets for raffling, while the other half made financial contributions to the Rainbow Division Veterans Foundation, which was represented on the day by Command Sgt. Maj. (Retired) John Wilsey.

Attending authors included Kiersten Marcil, Jack Pendleton, D.G. Woods, David K. Wilson, J.T. McGee, and Katie Hull, among others.

Local businesses such as the Glen Drive In, Lake George Olive Oil Co., and Common Roots also contributed prizes for the raffle. 

Valenza enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in October, 2015, and is currently serving as a Sgt. First Class with the 53rd Troop Command in Latham. He published his first book, “Empire of the Void”, in 2023. Later that year, he created Valenza Publishing, and in January, 2024, the company’s first official release became “Thrall”, a supernatural thriller by his high school creative writing teacher, J.T. McGee.

In 2020, Valenza deployed to the Middle East with the 42nd Infantry Division alongside both of his parents, Maj. Julie Valenza and Sgt. First Class William Valenza. It was the first and only time in U.S. military history that both parents and a child deployed at the same time in the same unit.