Downtown Fayetteville is special to me for many reasons. My husband and I live and work downtown. We love to walk around to the stores and restaurants, and love going to the Cameo Art House Theatre. A perfect evening is as simple as walking up the street for dinner and a movie with friends, coming home to our apartment above our bookstore, and curling up with a good book to read. We even walk to church on Sunday, weather permitting!
We love to support books about Fayetteville or by Fayetteville writers. Some focus on Fayetteville history, but many authors write about a journey of discovery, in mind and heart in memoirs, or poetry.
These books make great gifts for friends and family, or even for yourself. So come downtown for dinner and a movie, and find a book to curl up with.
“The streets are filled with dreamers and go-getters, each with their own story to tell.”
— All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
- Abstract Intoxication by Lawrence “Law” Bullock II
Lawrence “Law” Bullock II is well known in the poetry slam groups in Fayetteville. He has authored several wonderful books of poetry that will appeal to many poetry lovers and even those new to reading this genre. This collection reflects his journey with “culture, faith, writing, joy, depression, humor and love to paint an intimate picture of triumph, failure and clarity.” This collection is great to take with you as you start to venture into poetry.
- Your Midlife: The Playbook for Your Second Half by Steve DeVane
Have you heard of the “midlife crisis”? Well, it doesn’t have to be a crisis. When we are young, we can’t wait till we are 16 so we can drive, or 18 so we can graduate, or 21 so we can drink (legally that is). After that, we sort of dread getting older. We look at our parents and think, “They’re old,” even when they are only in their 40s. Once we get there, we worry that the older we get the worse it’s going to be, that the future may not deliver on the promises it once held. Steve DeVane, former editor and reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, faced that very thing, but after some soul searching, he came up with a plan. Now in his 60s, he says he “feels better and better as time goes by.” This book gives you a step-by-step process on how you can do the same.
- Roadside Survival: Low-Tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns by Walt Brinker
Ever been on the side of the road and trying to decide to call your spouse or a friend or the towing company? Well, here is a book that will help you with those occasional breakdowns that unfortunately happen. This book will help you through the breakdown but more importantly, can also help you prevent one. After reading this book, my husband put together a kit for the trunk of my car to help in those situations. It provided much peace of mind when we took our two-week road trip to New York that year. Walt Brinker, a West Point graduate and retired Army infantry lieutenant colonel, has even provided free roadside assistance to over 2,000 stranded drivers.
- Looking Beyond The Surface: Baring My Soul Since 1985 by J.N. Schildt
Poetry is a terrific way to tell the story of your personal journey. An accomplished writer, Jaime Schildt, does that with her poems in a way that takes each of us along with her. You can open the book to any page, read one of the poems, and say to yourself, “She knows what I feel in my heart.” And she says it in such a beautiful way.
- Journey to Embarkation: A Reflection in Poetry by Bob Ambrose
Fayetteville High School graduate Bob Ambrose has been writing poetry since his retirement in 2009. He has helped put together a book event for fellow FHS graduates during their reunion weekends for the last several years. He and other FHS grads do readings from their books and will also sign copies. In his first book, he has a poem called “The Sense of Cicada” — how apropos for the arrival of the 2024 cicadas!
- Out of My Mind: Quotations that Delight, Dazzle, and Confound by Leslie Miklosy
Leslie Miklosy has pulled together the best quotations from his four previous books. Each quotation is a nugget of wisdom and reminds us of the “joys and ironies of the human condition.” We can all take to heart these whimsical and touching thoughts to boost us up when we need it. Equally whimsical illustrations add to the charm of this book. It would make a great gift for a friend or relative or just for yourself.
- Sandy Kay Stars In A Play! by Brian Adam Kline
Let’s not forget the kids! Writer, director, producer, and teacher of theater and film, Brian Adam Kline helps us with that. At the Capitol Encore Academy in downtown Fayetteville, Brian shares his love for the theater with his students. And in this delightful book, he helps kids learn the ins and outs of performing in a play. The illustrations by Camila Vasconcelos add to the joy of the storytelling. What a great gift to inspire the rising stars you may know.
Books are gifts, whether we give them to ourselves or to others. Books by local writers are even more special when you know the author. We are blessed to have an ever-growing group of local writers who are often seen downtown because it really is the heart of the city.
What better way to support our community than to support the talent we have right here?
Diane Parfitt is a retired pediatric nurse and former assistant professor of nursing education. She owns City Center Gallery & Books in downtown Fayetteville. She can be reached at citycentergallerybooks@gmail.com.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Downtown Issue” June e-edition here.
