Cleveland Heights, Ohio—This fall, Appletree Books, the Coventry Village branch of the Heights Public Library System, and Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry are teaming up to present an impressive series of talks by nationally acclaimed local authors Mary Doria Russell (Doc and The Sparrow), Emily Mitchell (The Last Summer of the World), and Catherine Gildiner (Too Close to the Falls and After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties).
The Cedar-Coventry Author Series will feature readings by the authors from their most recent works as well as audience Q&A and book sales and signings. The events take place the first Wednesday of September, October, and November at 7 p.m. at the Coventry Village branch of the Heights Libraries.
“This series is a great way to hear writers talk about their work in an intimate setting,” says Suzanne DeGaetano, co-owner and general manager of Mac’s Backs. “The library even has a fireplace that adds to the ambiance on a crisp fall evening.”
The first author in the series will be Northeast Ohio resident Mary Doria Russell. On September 7, Russell will discuss her most recent novel Doc, a wonderfully realized and carefully researched recreation of Doc Holliday that reveals a brilliant young man who grew up on Virgil and Homer, but whom “the fates pursued . . . from the day he first drew breath.” Russell is the author of five previous novels, including the award-winning science fiction novel The Sparrow. She is the recipient of a long list of literary awards, including the Cleveland Arts Council Prize for Literature and the American Library Association Readers Choice Award.
The next author in the series will be first-time novelist Emily Mitchell. On October 5, Mitchell will discuss The Last Summer of the World, her fictionalized biography of the life of photographer Edward Steichen, which focuses on his service during World War I doing aerial reconnaissance and the fiery disintegration of his marriage. The novel was a finalist for the 2008 Young Lions Award for fiction. Mitchell is currently an assistant professor in the English Department at CSU.
The final author in the series will be Catherine Gildiner. On November 2, Gildiner, will discuss her memoirs, Too Close to the Falls and After the Falls, the funny and poignant stories of one intrepid, unforgettable girl and her extraordinary experiences growing up in 1950s and 1960s small-town America. In addition to being an extraordinary writer, Gildiner has been a clinical psychologist for many years. She attended Ohio University and briefly lived in Cleveland Heights when she was a young woman.
“Northeast Ohio has such a lively literary scene,” says Pat Gray, branch manager of the Coventry Village Library, “and these writers are a part of the rich mix of incredible talent that thrives here.”
The Cedar-Coventry Author Series is free, but registration is required at www.heightslibrary.org.The Coventry Village branch of the Heights Public Library System is located at 1925 Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights.
