Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  It is a great idea. Giving local writers their day to shine while launching an anthology of their work. On Sunday afternoon, authors set up shop in Nederland venues and spoke to visitors who were interested in the authors who have been included in “Under the Devil’s Thumb,” a literary anthology published by Sockwood Press. The book was released on November 16.

During the Nederland Books and Coffee Festival authors settled in at Salto Coffeeworks, New Moon Bakery, Happy Trails Coffee and Cafe, The Train Cars and Blue Owl Books.

Authors included: Jane Widening, Angel O’Grady and Anne Ott, George Blevins, Burt Rashbaum, John Mattson, Kay Turnbaugh and Julian Taylor.

At Happy Trails, Angel O’Grady and Ann Ott touted their books, which Angel writes and Ann illustrates. They began their team five years when they decided to put together a book of favorite recipes compiled from friends and relatives and their own creativity.

They now have a series of books, how to make your own beauty products, including soap and toothpaste and a book on Mountain High Pharms, Hemp and Cannabis Cooking.

Jeannie Leigh visited with people at the Train Cars. Her story “Chance” was included in the Anthology, a boy meets girl vignette, their meeting facilitated by a labrador retriever. The girl was stranded in Wyoming when she met a cowboy. He says she belongs to a senior writing group and was happy to have her story published in a local book.

John Mattson, local adventurer, put his book, “Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet,” on display at the New Moon Bakery.

It was a great debut festival, one that should inspire more local writers to invest in creating chances to have their work reach the public.

(Originally published in the November 23, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)