Local writers share their stories at author fair
Local authors shared their work with the community during Oxford Lane Library's first author fair last weekend.
Last Saturday, while many were attending the Oxford Bee Festival, a group of local authors gathered in the Oxford Lane Library for the first-ever Local Author Fair. The event hosted a range of writers from poets to biologists and was organized by reference librarian Sarah Gifford.
“We have so many talented people in the Oxford area, in the tri-state area, who are published that maybe don't get an opportunity to show at the public library,” Gifford said. She says this event, which is the first of its kind, was the perfect opportunity to highlight these local voices.
The event attracted roughly a dozen authors in total. Authors were able to set up the provided tables with their books and any additional interesting information.
Don Daiker, professor emeritus from Miami, brought his research on Hemingway that he used for his book, “Hemingway’s Earliest Heroes.” The book details the stories behind protagonists featured in Hemingway’s early works. Daiker was one of many Oxford authors in attendance.
Jackie Ison Kalbli released her first book of poems, “Ironweed,” recently at age 73. She was happy to share her work with others at an event like this.
“Writers always enjoy the company of other writers,” Kalbli said. “And so when we're together, we learn things instantly from just conversation, and we share what we used to know. And it's very non-competitive people and very supportive of each other.”
Kalbli’s collection of poems details her own family’s history of moving from Kentucky to Butler County in 1950. The title, “Ironweed,” was inspired by a wildflower which grows tall stalks in fields.
Many older readers were happy to peruse the poetry and history, but the event also had representation for young readers.
Ashley Ferguson started writing children’s books in honor of her daughter.
“The first book, ‘Girl You are Magic,’ came about because she was being bullied, and I had to remind her, like, ‘Hey, you know who you are. You can't let anybody tell you who you are,’” Fergeson. “And so I wrote a poem, dedicated it to her, and then I had a friend who was like, you should make this a book.”
Other local authors have found community through writing courses at the Oxford Community Arts Center. Lynne Hugo, an Oxford resident and author, wasn’t able to attend the event April 12 but is releasing her next novel, “Mothers of Fate,” on April 22.
