TVNewser stopped by the book party for CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien Friday night at Russell Simmons‘ lower Manhattan apartment .

In The Next Big Story, co-authored by CNN producer Rose Arce, O’Brien takes a page from her award-winning …In America series, and other reporting experiences, and blends her personal story and mixed-race background (Cuban, Irish, Scottish, Long Island-ish) crafting an inspiring story of hope amidst the tragedies that are a staple of the TV news stories she covers.

The party was a mix itself, of hip-hop stars and tvnewsers: Katie Couric, HLN anchor Jane Velez-Mitchell, CNN correspondents Alina Cho, Susan Candiotti; CNN SVP Bart Feder, …In America EP  Geraldine Moriba, New York bureau chief Darius Walker, development EP David Doss and newly appointed EP of Piers Morgan‘s show Jonathan Wald were all in attendance.

O’Brien mingled with guests all while getting around with a cane. “It’s a step up from the crutches,” O’Brien told us. She’s still nursing a knee injury after being thrown from a horse in early October. O’Brien will continue the book tour with a stop in New Orleans. That event will be a fundraiser as residents continue to recover from Hurricane Katrina, a story O’Brien covered extensively.

Also at the party:

Read more

Former “Dateline NBC” producer Geraldine Moriba was announced as the new EP of CNN’s “In America” division today. Moriba was at NBC for 16 years and was most recently senior producer for Broadcast Standards. She had worked on “Dateline” for 12 years.

“It is an honor to join CNN and the ‘In America’ team,” Moriba said in a release. “I’m excited as I realize the magnitude of CNN’s field of vision, and my mission is to continue CNN’s tradition of telling underreported news stories first. I hope to raise the bar by delivering even more untold stories from underrepresented communities in new and innovative ways.”

Moriba is a five-time Emmy Award-winner and will be heading up the new network division devoted to “extending the ‘In America’ franchise anchored by Soledad O’Brien,” which has thus far included “Black in America 1 & 2″ and “Latino in America.”

Full release after the jump.

Read more