Monday, August 20, 2007

Rochester festival brings local writers to spotlight

ROCHESTER - Hoping to generate more interest in reading and writing, local authors were invited to the Lilac Mall Saturday afternoon to show off some of their work.

Denise Carter, manager of Waldenbooks, organized the Writer's Fest, hoping to bring attention to the local authors and show the public some new reading options.

"It's my responsibility to the community to generate an interest in reading and show people it's possible, if you have an idea, to see it grow," Carter said.

A total of eight authors attended the event, including Jeremy Robinson from Breakneck Books Publishing Company, who helped to organize the event. Robinson said he thought
the Writer's Fest would be a good way to introduce the community to some of the authors that live in the area.

Sanborn/Democrat photo Local authors A.J. Matthers, Kristina Schram and Jeremy Robinson were among eight writers who attended the first Writer's Fest at the Lilac Mall.

Among the authors at the event were Kristina Schram of Farmington, Elaine Pelletier Holland of Rochester and Laura Jackowski of Farmington.

For Schram the event gave her chance to inform the community of her first book, which hasn't been released yet, "The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies," a three-part story.

"I've been writing for 10 years but I just finally felt good enough to something published," Schram said. "I look forward to getting it out there and hearing feedback from the public."

Pelletier Holland featured her book "A World War II Story; Dad's Letters Home," which was a collection of letters her father wrote her mother while he was serving in the war.

"His letters tell a story about what it was like to serve in the war," Pelletier Holland said. "I thought the public would benefit from hearing about my father's experience in the war. What's amazing is that he wrote these letters with only an eighth-grade education and his spelling is impeccable."

This was the first book Pelletier Holland wrote. She said it took her a year and three months to complete.

Carter said she hopes this year's event is the first of many more.