Clark State Community College will host its first Authors’ Corner featuring literary works and readings by Clark State faculty and staff on Tuesday, April 2.
“Authors’ Corner is an important opportunity for Clark State because it allows the college to put on full display the literary and creative genius of its faculty and staff,” said Dr. Sterling Coleman, director of library services at Clark State. “For Clark State students, the Authors’ Corner is important because it gives them the chance to see some of their professors—not as instructors--but as inspirational creative poets and writers; and for the community, it is an important opportunity for them to discover some of the hidden literary gems that they may not have known existed at Clark State.”
Arts and Sciences adjunct faculty member Carol Armbrust has penned two works of fiction: The Disinterment, written in 2005-2006 and published with Kindle print in September of 2017; and Boxes and Buckets: Poems and Short Stories, published January 2019.
“Boxes andBuckets: Poems and Short Stories is a compilation written by me over the last 30 plus years,” said Armbrust. “It features selected poems and short stories, which are mostly fiction. I wrote them for the usual reasons that writers compose poetry and short stories, to express my thoughts.”
Cynthia Pauwels is also an adjunct faculty member in the Clark State Arts and Sciences division. She wrote the fiction crime novel Burned Bridges which was published in 2017. It is the second in a series. “I write crime fiction because I enjoy reading it, and because it gives me a sense of control, of imposing justice (of a sort), when the real world allows neither,” she said.
“I've been told my books are realistic; after working in the criminal justice field and courts for almost 20 years, I have lots of experience to draw from.”
Clark State Reference Librarian Judy Johnson plans to read from both of her published books. From the Tower features poetry written over a period of time. “The four poems are distilled from my life and observations of the world and people around me,” she said. “I've been writing poetry since elementary school and am pleased to have some included in this anthology.”
Johnson’s poems have been featured on WYSO's Conrad's Corner; the collection is in honor of the late Conrad Balliet and was conceived and compiled by Steve Broidy, a now retired Wittenberg faculty member.
Johnson’s second book: A Week to Pray About Itis a collection of meditative essays written from 2004-2006. “These 52 meditations are reflections rooted in the Christian scriptures and my own experiences,” said Johnson. “I began writing these for the Spirituality Network of Columbus, which printed them in their quarterly newsletters.”
Additional featured authors include Angela Henry, Clark State’s library reference assistant, who penned The Paris Secret. A fiction thriller published in 2011. She was inspired to write the book after “hearing some 300-year-old gossip from my tour guide while touring the Palace of Versailles.”
Clark State adjunct faculty Melissa Litwiller will read from her fiction novel: Viper. The genre is magical realism. “This book was my master's degree thesis,” she said. “I have a master’s in English with a concentration in fiction writing.”
Authors’ Corner is a family event that is open to Clark State faculty, staff, students and the community-at-large. The event will be held 1 - 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2 in the Clark State Library in the Sara T. Landess Technology and Learning Center at the Springfield campus on Leffel Lane. The event is free and open to the public.