Memoirists Stephanie Sydoriak, center, and Karen Boutilier Kendall, right, kicked off the new, quarterly series ‘Literary Locals,’ in the rotunda at Mesa Public Library Sunday. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Memoirist Stephanie Sydoriak remembers her childhood. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Memoirist Karen Boutilier Kendall answers questions from the audience about her book, ‘Berkeley to Beijing: The journey of a young activist.’ Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
Sunday launched a new, quarterly series “Literary Locals,” in the rotunda at Mesa Public Library.
Memoirists Stephanie Sydoriak and Karen Boutilier Kendall kicked off the new series meant to showcase new, unpublished, or less widely known writers; those who live or work in the Los Alamos community.
The format was informal with discussion between the authors about their writing experiences, processes, genres and publishing their work, followed by ample time for audience questions, book signing and refreshments.
Both books are moving, heartfelt and fascinating accounts of personal journeys reflecting the much larger issues of their times.
Sydoriak’s book,“An Ocean Between: 100% American-100% Ukrainian,” focuses on her experience as the child of immigrant parents in the first quarter of the 20th Century and on the parent’s struggle to forge an identity both American and Ukrainian.
Kendall’s book, “Berkeley to Beijing: The Journey of a Young Activist,” tells the story of a young girl growing up as the child of committed political activists struggling to build the United Farm Workers Union in the 1960s and ’70s. Kendall traveled to Mao’s China with a group of women led by Shirley MacLaine at the age of 12. It is a bitter-sweet story of a girl growing up in the midst of social upheaval.
Memoirist Stephanie Sydoriak talks about her book, ‘An Ocean Between: 100% American-100% Ukrainian.’ Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Memoirists Stephanie Sydoriak, center, and Karen Boutilier Kendall, right, during the question and answer segment of Sunday’s event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Memoirist Karen Boutilier Kendall speaks of her trip to China with actress Shirley MacLaine. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Library Manager Steven Thomas welcomes the crowd to Sunday’s first ‘Literary Locals,’ a new, quarterly series at the library. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Ginny White introduces the authors at Sunday’s ‘Literary Locals’ event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
