You probably have a neighbor who writes, and you don’t even know. But many stores, organizations and events have put in effort to give local artists and artisans a platform and local authors are getting their opportunity to publicize and discuss their work.
In addition to supporting local artisans and musicians, Cinch Art Space at the Cortland Corset building on East Court Street, Cortland, has added a local author section to the store.
The featured authors:
•M.H. Kisner.
•Nancy Avery Dafoe.
•Shellie McSloy.
•Susan Derych Rubin.
•Kristen Yarnell.
•Kurt Warner.
It’s something that store owners Tammie Whitson and Tina Minervini have wanted to do for years, Whitson said.
“We’ve been doing Cinch for over a decade, and occasionally, we would have a local author come to us and say ‘I have this book,’” Whitson said. “We do put them in here, but we’ve never had a special place for it. This year, it just felt like the right time because we knew a number of authors in the area, so we decided to carve out a little space and make it happen.”
There is room for more authors, Whitson said. And they’re not alone in promoting the writers.
Dafoe, Olcott, Yarnell and Warner will join Sheila Applegate, Marc Marin and Karen Hempson at a Local Authors Table this Saturday at Cortland ReUse. Attendees can meet the authors, and receive a $10 gift card to the store with the purchase of any local author’s book.
Also on Saturday, you can meet historical authors Hempson, Matthew Watros and Homer Historian Martin Sweeney at the Cortland County Historical Society’s open house. There will also be a make-and-take craft station and free tours of the museum.
Lynn Olcott of Homer, who reviews local author’s books, said Kurt Warner’s “Victory in Every Fall,” is a very interesting read.
“His book is a very powerful mix of memoir and thoughts on how to cope with tough times,” Olcott said. “It’s really about cultivating one’s own courage.”
Dafoe, who has five books at Cinch Art Space, is having a book launch for her new novel “Yet in the Land of the Living” Thursday at the Center for the Arts of Homer.
The book is a contemporary and historical novel across two timelines, that deals with national divisions, grief and rising above grief, Dafoe said.
At the event, she will read excerpts from the novel, answer questions about writing the work and how to write a historical novel. She will also sign books and do some giveaways. Refreshments will follow.
“Nancy is very eclectic and very diverse as a writer,” Olcott said. “She’s done memoirs, she did a powerful book on American education, she has written a magical realism book – She’s just amazingly talented in how diverse her books are.”
“There is a book with special meaning for everyone on your gift list,” Dafoe said.
Children’s literature is featured at Cinch Art Space, such as Yarnell’s “When Nature Calls,” a collection of poems inspired by nature. McSloy’s picture books “The Peach Soccer Game” and “Chickens Can’t Sled” are also for sale.
“Support the local economy,” Whitson said. “There’s a lot of people making art and literature here in the Cortland area, and we need to support them.”
“There’s a lot of talent in these valleys,” Olcott said. “It’s affordable, and it’s amazing to get to know the people who make these beautiful things.”
