June 3 ~ Brooke Lea Foster (On Gin Lane) at Litchfield Country Club ($35)
An award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, The Atlantic, The Boston GlobeSunday Magazine, and HuffPost, among others, Foster is an alumna of The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of three nonfiction books and the novels
Summer Darlings and On Gin Lane. In the latter, Everleigh “Lee” Farrows thinks she finally has life all figured out: a handsome fiancé named Roland, a trust in her name, and a house in Bronxville waiting for her to fill it with three adorable children. That is, until Roland brings her out to the Hamptons for a summer that will change everything. From the regal inns to the farmland, the well-heeled New Yorkers to the Bohemian artists, the East End of Long Island is a hodge-podge of the changing American landscape in the late 1950s—and the perfect place for Lee to discover who she really is.
*THURSDAY, JUNE 9 ~ JAMES PATTERSON AT PAWLEYS PLANTATION ($70 w/bk)
(James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life)
Payment due upon reservation; if later you find you cannot attend, CLASS will refund your luncheon fee ($35) and your pre-paid autographed book will be available to pick up at the bookstore on June 10.
James Patterson by James Patterson is the most anticipated memoir of 2022. How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world? On the morning he was born, he nearly died. Growing up, he didn’t love to read. (That changed.) He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell. While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.” He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party. He’s only been in love twice. Both times are amazing. Dolly Parton once sang “Happy Birthday” to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James. Three American presidents have invited him to golf with them. So, how did a boy from small-town New York become the world’s most successful writer? How does he do it? He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, “I’m still working on that one.”
*June 17 ~ Mary Alice Monroe & Angela May (Search for Treasure) at Kimbel’s ($60 w/bk)
This is the sequel to New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s The Islanders, a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the healing power of nature. Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer with his grandmother, Honey, and his friends Macon and Lovie. Jake is excited that his dad will also be on the island as he continues to recover from his war injuries. Father and son must get used to a new normal, which isn’t easy. As a boy, his dad discovered treasure coins and stored them in an old tree fort on the island. Jake knows if he can find the tree fort, maybe his dad will be happy again – and he knows Macon and Lovie are the perfect fellow treasure hunters. The search for treasure is on! Meanwhile, Macon is adjusting to being a big brother, while Lovie is navigating a new relationship with the two visiting boys on the island. The treasure search leads them to battle some unwelcome guests on the island – both the two- and four-legged kind! On the Islanders’ biggest quest yet, the three friends realize that the treasures they really want in life were with them all along.
June 24 ~ Ali Brady (The Beach Trap) at Pawleys Plantation ($35)
When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, the girls break off all contact. Fifteen years later, when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are immediately at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to hold on to the place where she lived so many happy memories. Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house, with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision; meanwhile, each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past—and learning how to become sisters. “Ali Brady” is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. The Beach Trap is their first book together.
Have you ever begun reading a book to realize a few pages later than you already read it years ago? Do you remember if it’s worth re-reading or wish you had picked up something totally new?
Fiction or non-fiction readers sometimes keep a running list of book titles and/or authors. Sometimes that list is useful when shopping for more by a favorite author and for avoiding duplications.
Some readers write reviews to post online for benefitting the author and letting others know their thoughts about the books they read. Then some readers forget about a book as the last page turns.
Use this journal for keeping a list, also for recording a few thoughts about what you liked or disliked about each book. Use a page per book or more if you want.
Click any journal image to go directly to its Amazon page for ordering.
Meal Planning Journal
Easy Meal Planning 2 editions
Meal planning can be easy and fun, whether you like to cook or not. Use this journal to plan for a day or a week or to jump ahead with holiday or special event ideas.
Keep it handy for trips to the store so you will have notes of exactly what is needed for the coming days. The better you can plan a few days, or even weeks, in advance, the more likely you can reduce the number of trips to the store.
This is also helpful for planning what to do with leftovers, whether you want to freeze them for next week or repurpose them for another day. You won’t put something in the freezer or back of the fridge and let it be forgotten if you already have a plan for it.
Health Notes Journal
My Health Notes
This journal will be a helpful tool for keeping health and medical information all in one place.
Seniors or anyone undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or other ongoing treatments will need to keep track of appointments, medications and changing conditions.
Pregnant women and new parents often experience daily physical or emotional changes and frequent medical appointments.
Anyone can benefit from recording daily health conditions and even emotions. The healing power of writing can be useful for someone who doesn’t want to talk to a professional or even a friend about feelings and health issues.
Use a page or two a day or whenever you think of a question or learn something new as well as when you can express your thoughts or describe your health issues.
You might be surprised at how much it helps you daily, and then again at the end of a year or the end of a treatment routine when you can look back at your changing conditions.
Your journal will also be useful if you should need a caregiver to assist you in keeping track of appointments or medications.
Travel Notes Journal
Travel Notes
Use this journal first for your notes while planning a trip. It’s always helpful to have contacts and information in one place. Your advance research might reveal some sightseeing, shopping or dining which shouldn’t be missed.
Then use the journal during the trip itself to record a few details, memories or surprises. You will undoubtedly be shopping or eating at unexpected places or finding treats along the way. Saving a record of the good and the bad will help you when returning to the destination or when planning a different trip.
You might even meet people you want to remember, or you can start on ideas for the next trip.
Use a page for each trip or a page for each day, whatever works for you. It’s going to provide valuable information along with memories as you look back.
You can also use a section of this journal for your bucket list as you encounter ideas to be researched for your future travel.
May 6 ~ Mary Kay Andrews (The Homewreckers) at Pawleys Plantation ($60 w/bk)
Summer begins with Mary Kay Andrews, in The Homewreckers, a delightful summer listen about flipping houses, and finding true love…Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen; married the boss’s son at twenty; and was only twenty-five when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It’s a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after. Filled with Mary Kay Andrews’ trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight.
Tuesday, May 10 ~ Virginia & Dana Beach (Sandy Island … forever) at Ocean One ($35)
CLASS Publishing’s collaborative book of essays and images about Sandy Island, one of America’s largest, undeveloped islands, is now in its second edition, having sold out the first. The intent was to provide a satisfying armchair appreciation of what has been preserved and why it matters. Previous Moveable Feasts featured several of the book’s contributors, including Susan Hoffer McMillan, Robin Salmon, Linda Ketron, and Anne Malarich. We are delighted to host Virginia Beach, the essay author of “Saving Sandy Island,” and Dana Beach, one of the history makers of the efforts to guarantee the conservation of the island. If you already have a first edition, bring it for them to sign ~ they weren’t available during the pandemic! If you don’t have a copy yet, this book is a significant contribution to our local history and a beautiful “keeper.”
*May 13 ~ Chris Bohjalian (The Lioness) at DeBordieu Colony Clubhouse ($60 w/bk)
A luxurious African safari turns deadly for a Hollywood star and her entourage in this riveting historical thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant. Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests—including Katie’s best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness—will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive. What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time.
May 20 ~ Joy Callaway (The Greenbrier Resort) at Kimbel’s, Wachesaw ($35)
Setat The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in both 1908 and 1946, Callaway (author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society and Secret Sisters) tells the story famed interior designer Dorothy Draper and how the historic retreat and the love she found there as a young woman influenced her bold shift from illustrious New York socialite to world-renowned decorator. 1908: The Greenbrier has been Dorothy Tuckerman’s escape for as long as she can recall—a summer resort nestled in West Virginia where American aristocracy can just be, a retreat surrounded by wilderness, unprotected by gates . . . a place completely unlike her home in Tuxedo Park, New York. This season, however, she’s nineteen, and the summer comes riddled with expectations that threaten to trap her within another set of walls—including an unwelcome marriage proposal from a family friend. But when an Italian racecar driver, Enzo Rossi, appears at The Greenbrier with his uncle, a former financial minister of Italy, igniting suspicion and upending everyone’s plans, Dorothy must come to terms with her definition of liberty, the price it may cost to be truly free, and a newly ignited passion to transform the very walls that once held her captive. Thirty-eight years later, Dorothy Draper returns to her beloved resort as the head of the first ever interior design firm, world famous and divorced from her high-profile physician husband. But The Greenbrier of 1946 is hardly the glamorous place she once knew. Transformed into a hospital during the war, the hotel is beaten, sterile, and in complete shambles. As Dorothy struggles to complete the most important project of her career, old secrets surface—secrets that threaten to snag the very fabric of the life she’s built—and she must come face to face with the girl she once was, the woman she’s become, and the resort that changed it all.
May 27 ~ Sarah McCoy (Mustique Island) at Inlet Affairs ($35)
From the New York Times bestselling author comes a compulsive, sun-splashed voyage of self-discovery with a wealthy divorcee and her two headstrong daughters in 1970s Mustique, the world’s most exclusive private island, where Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger were regulars and long-held secrets are the buried treasures.
“Renewal” is a celebration of the rains that bring Spring Fever, new growth, and outdoor activities. The group exhibition includes oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, and photography. Subject matter ranges from Paris in the rain to children in yellow rain slickers, local wildlife, bicycling, garden bouquets and more. Umbrellas abound!
Featured artists are Lee Mims (oils), Donn McCrary (acrylics), Brenda Riggins (watercolor and acrylics), Vicki Neilon (acrylics), Judi Moore (acrylics), Louis Aliotta (photography), Linda Karaskevicus (watercolor), Roseann Bellinger (acrylics), Gary Baird (photography), Janet Sessoms (oil), Ortrud Tyler (acrylics), Roberta Rotunda (acrylics), Marcus McClanahan (acrylics) and Hank Pulkowski (watercolor).
Roberta Rotunda, Remembering, acrylic, 36×48
The show is hanging now and will remain through Saturday, May 14. There is no charge to the public. Gallery hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For information, call 910.575.5999. Sunset River Marketplace is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW (NC179) in the historic coastal fishing town of Calabash, NC.
Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC is set to feature Holly Merker, who will speak about her book, Ornitherapy: For Your Body, Mind and Soul, on Thursday, April 28 from 11 a.m. – 12 noon as part of the gallery’s ongoing Coffee With the Authors series.
Merker, who co-wrote the book with Richard Crossley and Sophie Crossley, has a background in art therapy, but today uses birds and nature toward the same goals of well being in her work as an environmental educator and birding guide. She has worked as a professional birding instructor for National Audubon and many other organizations. Passionate about connecting young people to birds, she co-founded the Frontiers in Ornithology Symposium and has facilitated many young birder groups and teen birding camps.
According to the author, “Ornitherapy, or a more mindful approach to the observation of birds, benefits our mind, body, and souls. We’re pushed and pulled in many directions, no matter our age. If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing a form of ‘selfcare.’ Research shows that exposure to nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system. Through observation, we can learn not only about birds, but gain insight into our own lives while exploring our connection to the world around us.”
This is a free event, but seating is limited so reservations are required. Call the gallery at 910.575.5999 to hold your spot. Sunset River Marketplace is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW (NC179) in Calabash, NC. Information about upcoming events may be found at the gallery’s website (www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com) and on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
L-R are Studio 8 artist Vicki Neilon and gallery owner Ginny Lassiter.
From March 17 through March 31, 2022, Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC hosted Prayers For Ukraine, a show and sale that donated 100% of proceeds to Project Hope/Crisis In Ukraine. Studio 8, a group of painters at the gallery spearheaded the event. Sixty-three artists donated over 130 pieces of art, culminating in donated sales of $8,569.
Literary luncheons with exciting authors at area restaurants
For 25 years, the Moveable Feast has been held at area restaurants throughout the year on Fridays (and some Tuesdays), 11 AM-1 PM. The author’s presentation precedes the meal. For each Feast, the chef prepares an exquisite menu, typically unavailable during the restaurant’s public hours. Food allergies are accommodated with advance notice. Individuals, couples, friends, book clubs and other small groups are assigned table seating at four-, six- and eight-tops. Most Feasts are $35, with books available for purchase and signing at the event.*Exceptions are noted for additional venue, author or book-included costs. For reservations, 843.235.9600 or visit www.ClassAtPawleys.com.
April 1 ~ Karen White (The Shop on Royal Street) at 21 Main, NMB ($60 w/bk)
Nola Trenholm is hopeful for a fresh start in the Big Easy but must deal with ghosts from her past—as well as new ones—in this first book in a spin-off series of Karen White’s New York Times bestselling Tradd Street novels. After a difficult detour on her road to adulthood, Nola Trenholm is looking to begin anew in New Orleans, and what better way to start her future than with her first house? But the historic fixer-upper she buys comes with even more work than she anticipated when the house’s previous occupants don’t seem to be ready to depart. Although she can’t communicate with ghosts like her stepmother can, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who is able to—even if he’s the last person on earth she wants anything to do with ever again. Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past—a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina—and he’s connected to the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole cottage Nola is determined to make her own…whether the resident restless spirits agree or not.
Tuesday, April 5 ~ Sally Hepworth (The Younger Wife) at The Village House, Litchfield ($35)
(Sally will be joined by Emily Giffin, bestselling author of The Lies That Bind)
Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is he’s still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he’ll take care of that easily, by divorcing her—even if his adult daughters protest. Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she’s a golddigger and after their father’s money. Heather has secrets that she’s keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen. With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses…in all of them? Author Hepworth is based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of seven books, most notably The Secrets of Midwives (2015) and The Good Sister, which won the 2021 adult crime novel Davitt Award.
April 8 ~ Kristy Woodson Harvey (The Wedding Veil) at Pawleys Plantation ($60 w/bk)
The New York Times bestselling author of Under the Southern Sky and the Peachtree Bluff series brings “her signature wit, charm, and heart” (Woman’s World) to this sweeping new novel following four women across generations, bound by a beautiful wedding veil and a connection to the famous Vanderbilt family. Present Day: Julia Baxter’s wedding veil, bequeathed to her great-grandmother by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, has passed through generations of her family as a symbol of a happy marriage. But on the morning of her wedding day, something tells her that even the veil’s good luck isn’t enough to make her marriage last forever. Overwhelmed and panicked, she escapes to the Virgin Islands to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother Babs is also feeling shaken. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, she decides to move out of the house they once shared and into a retirement community. Though she hopes it’s a new beginning, she does not expect to run into an old flame, dredging up the same complicated emotions she felt a lifetime ago. 1914: Socialite Edith Vanderbilt is struggling to manage the luxurious Biltmore Estate after the untimely death of her cherished husband. With 250 rooms to oversee and an entire village dependent on her family to stay afloat, Edith is determined to uphold the Vanderbilt legacy—and prepare her free-spirited daughter Cornelia to inherit it—in spite of her family’s deteriorating financial situation. But Cornelia has dreams of her own. Asheville, North Carolina has always been her safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press, but as she explores more of the rapidly changing world around her, she’s torn between upholding tradition and pursuing the exciting future that lies beyond Biltmore’s gilded gates.
Tuesday, April 12 ~ Jane Green (Sister Stardust) at The Village House ($35)
Jane Green reimagines the life of troubled icon Talitha Getty in this transporting story from a forgotten chapter of the Swinging ’60s. Claire grew up in a small town, far from the glitz and glamour of London. On the cusp of adulthood, she yearns for the adventure and independence of a counterculture taking root across the world. When she’s offered the chance to start anew in Morocco, in a palace where famous artists and musicians—even the Rolling Stones—have been known to visit, she seizes the chance. Arriving in Marrakesh, she’s quickly swept up in a heady world of music, drugs and communal living. And Talitha Getty, socialite wife of a famous oil heir, seems to preside over the whole scene. As Claire is pulled into her orbit, the realities of Talitha’s precarious existence set off a chain of dangerous events that could alter Claire’s life forever.
April 15 ~ Kimberly Brock (The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare) at Litchfield Country Club ($35)
What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a mystery, but the women who descended from Eleanor Dare have long known the truth lies in what she left behind: a message carved onto a large stone and the contents of her treasured Commonplace Book. Brought from England on Eleanor’s fateful voyage to the New World, her book was passed down through the fifteen generations of daughters who followed as they came of age. Thirteen-year-old Alice had been next in line to receive it, but her mother’s tragic death fractured the unbroken legacy and the Dare Stone and the shadowy history recorded in the book faded into memory. Or so Alice hoped. In the waning days of World War Two, Alice is a young widow and a mother herself when she is unexpectedly presented with her birthright: the deed to Evertell, her abandoned family home and the history she thought forgotten. Determined to sell the property and step into a future free of the past, Alice returns to Savannah with her own thirteen-year-old daughter, Penn, in tow. But when Penn’s curiosity over the lineage she never knew begins to unveil secrets from beneath every stone and bone and shell of the old house and Eleanor’s book is finally found, Alice is forced to reckon with the sacrifices made for love and the realities of their true inheritance as daughters of Eleanor Dare. In this sweeping tale from award-winning author Kimberly Brock, the answers to a real-life mystery may be found in the pages of a story that was always waiting to be written.
Tuesday, April 19 ~ Taylor Brown (Wingwalkers) at Ocean One ($35)
A former WWI ace pilot and his wingwalker wife barnstorm across Depression-era America, performing acts of aerial daring. Wingwalkers is one-part epic adventure, one-part love story, and, as is the signature for critically-acclaimed author Taylor Brown, one large part American history. The novel braids the adventures of Della and Zeno Marigold, a vagabond couple that funds their journey to the west coast in the middle of the Great Depression by performing death-defying aerial stunts from town to town, together with the life of the author (and thwarted fighter pilot) William Faulkner, whom the couple ultimately inspires during a dramatic air show―with unexpected consequences for all. Brown has taken a tantalizing tidbit from Faulkner’s real life―an evening’s chance encounter with two daredevils in New Orleans―and set it aloft in this fabulous novel. With scintillating prose and an action-packed plot, he has captured the true essence of a bygone era and shed a new light on the heart and motivations of one of America’s greatest authors.
April 22 ~ Kathleen West (Home or Away) at Kimbel’s, Wachesaw ($35)
Two friends, one Olympic dream, and the choice that stood in the way. Once Leigh and Susy were close friends and teammates bound for Olympic hockey gold, but when Leigh’s sure-fire plan to make the final roster backfired, she left everything behind to start over, including the one person who knew her secret. Two decades later, Leigh’s a successful investment banker, happily married, and the mom of a hockey prodigy, so when a career opportunity lands the family back in Minnesota, Leigh takes the shot for her kid. Back in the ultra-competitive world she left behind, the move puts her in Susy’s orbit, a daily reminder of how Leigh watched from the sidelines as her former teammate went on to Olympic glory.
April 29 ~ Ellery Adams (The Vanishing Type) at Litchfield Country Club ($35)
Bookstore owner Nora Pennington and the rest of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must solve a murder as cold as the winter in a new mystery from New York Times bestselling author of 50 cozy mysteries. While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal. His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned. The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life …
Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC will host Baird’s Birds as part of the gallery’s yearlong 20th anniversary. Wildlife photographer Gary Baird and his wife Sue, often known as Spotter Sue, will present a talk and slide show on Monday, March 21 from 2 – 3 p.m. They will share stories and knowledge about local seabirds and other backyard species that can be found in Coastal North and South Carolina. The event is free, but seating is limited, so the public is encouraged to call the gallery at 910.575.5999 ahead and reserve a seat.
Gary’s love affair with nature began when he started backpacking in the Sierras while a high school student in Southern California. Photography became a natural extension of wanting to capture the beauty of what he was seeing on those trips with others. His passion for photography and nature continued to grow.
As a teacher he was able to pick where he wanted to work, so he chose great places for photography. Gary lived in Colorado, Seattle, New England and for the last 30+ years, North Carolina. After retiring from a career as an educator, he and Sue moved from Raleigh to Carolina Shores.
This has been an amazing gift in that he is living in a wonderful area for photography with the time that retirement offers to fully engage his passion. His roots are as a mountain photographer in the West, but he has fallen in love with the vast array of birds to photograph on the Carolina coast.
Rather than just trying to check off birds he has captured digitally, Gary tries to capture them in dramatic poses or unique light. Gary says, “The nice thing about being a nature photographer is that every time you go out to shoot you are almost guaranteed to see something new or amazing. There are awe-inspiring events taking place every day in nature. It is up to each photographer to bring his or her vision and skill to capture those moments.”
Photography by Gary Baird: painted bunting
One of the most sought-after prizes for bird watchers in the area is a photo of the brilliantly colored Painted Bunting. Gary and Sue find them every year. “Mid-April we start looking for one of the most beautiful birds in this area,” Gary says. “The Painted Bunting is a frequent visitor to Vereen Gardens. One April we were watching them play hide and seek in the thickets to vex my photo attempts. Then one beautifully colored mail, obviously feeling sorry for me, flew onto the rail of the boardwalk and posed for me until I was able to capture him in all his glory.
About Sunset River Marketplace
Located in coastal Brunswick County, Sunset River Marketplace caters to both tourists and a growing local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, the gallery is well known in the area for its collection of oil paintings, watermedia, pastels, photography, hand-blown glass, fused glass, pottery and clay sculptures, turned and carved wood, unique home décor items and artisan jewelry.
There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes and workshops are currently being offered on a limited basis. Call the gallery for details.
The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com. Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The FrameCenter, located within the gallery, is open Wednesday through Friday, 12 noon – 5 p.m. and by appointment. Call framer Louis Aliotta directly at 910.368.7351 (this number for framing only).
Sunset River Marketplace art gallery in Calabash, NC is set to present Primarily Primary a group show featuring artists in a range of media and style with a focus on the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow. The show runs from Friday, March 4 through April 2, 2022. Gallery owner Ginny Lassiter says, “Some are abstract pieces that are inherently bright in color and others may be landscapes that use a pop of red, for example. It’s a lot of fun and includes some beautiful work! I hope you enjoy it!”
Cool Jazz by Yuriy Petrov, acrylic 36×24
Participating artists include Yuriy Petrov (acrylics), Vicki Neilon (acrylics), Richard Staat (watercolor), Jenny McKinnon Wright (oil), Connie Winters (oil), Louis Aliotta (photography), Gary Baird (photography), Pat Smelkoff (acrylics), Ginny Lassiter (acrylics), Sharon DiGiulio (acrylics), Jim Comer (carved wood), and Leo Dwyer (gourd art).
Dramamine Sail, acrylic by Vicki Neilon
The Primarily Primary exhibit reflects the gallery’s eclectic appeal to a wide audience of art lovers and collectors. Visitors also appreciate the comfortable atmosphere of the 10,000 square-foot space.
Sunny Day At the Beach, oil by Connie Winters, 24 x 30
About Sunset River Marketplace
Located in coastal Brunswick County, Sunset River Marketplace caters to both tourists and a growing local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, the gallery is well known in the area for its collection of oil paintings, watermedia, pastels, photography, hand-blown glass, fused glass, pottery and clay sculptures, turned and carved wood, unique home décor items and artisan jewelry.
There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes and workshops are currently being offered on a limited basis. Call the gallery for details.
The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com. Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The FrameCenter, located within the gallery, is open Wednesday through Friday, 12 noon – 5 p.m. and by appointment. Call framer Louis Aliotta directly at 910.368.7351.(This number for framing only)
Special Covid 19 Notice: To meet North Carolina State guidelines, Sunset River Marketplace still requests that patrons who are not fully vaccinated wear face coverings and advises the use of hand sanitizer plus six-foot social distancing between gallery visitors and at the cash register. The gallery staff conducts thorough cleaning of surfaces upon opening and closing and during the day and has placed complimentary hand sanitizer throughout the gallery for visitor use. Depending on alerts from the Governor’s Office, this advisory may change.
CLASS Publishing presents Frances Benjamin Johnston’s Carolina, a new/old photography collection edited and presented by the award-winning team of William P. (Billy) Baldwin and Selden B. (Bud) Hill.
After setting up her own photography studio in 1894, in Washington, D.C., Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) was described by The Washington Times as “the only lady in the business of photography in the city.” Considered to be one of the first female press photographers in the United States, she took pictures of news events and architecture and made portraits of political and social leaders for more than five decades. From early on, she was conscious of her role as a pioneer for women in photography, telling a reporter in 1893, “It is another pet theory with me that there are great possibilities in photography as a profitable and pleasant occupation for women, and I feel that my success helps to demonstrate this, and it is for this reason that I am glad to have other women know of my work.” (Museum of Modern Art)
Johnston came to South Carolina at the height of the Great Depression and, with the support of the Carnegie Survey of Architecture of the South, took more than 600 photographs which are catalogued now on the Library of Congress site. From the collection, Baldwin and Hill chose 160 of the best, depicting Charleston, Georgetown, Camden and the rural environs connecting these cities, and coupled them with clips of text from the 1941 WPA Guide to South Carolina. The results tell the story of this place and time through the eyes of a mostly forgotten creative professional woman.
This is the co-authors’ fourth collaboration, following earlier black-and-white photography books The Unpainted South (2011) and These Our Offerings (2012) – each of which won the Gold Benjamin Franklin Award for poetry given by the Independent Book Sellers Association – and Carolina Rambling which shares a touching elegiac look at the Lowcountry’s holy places.
Baldwin is a lifelong resident of the Carolina Lowcountry. An award-winning novelist, poet, photographer, biographer and historian, Billy’s works include the popular oral histories Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden and, with Genevieve “Sister” Peterkin, Heaven is a Beautiful Place. For its depiction of Southern race relations, his first novel The Hard to Catch Mercy won the Lillian Smith Award. He wrote three more, most recently Charles Town, called a “tour de force” by Charleston Magazine. He has collaborated with photographers V. Elizabeth Turk and N. Jane Iseley on their historical works, as well as chef Charlotte Jenkin’s cookbook and memoir. Additional poetry collections have been released and received with enthusiasm. His writing has also appeared in Charleston, Garden and Gun, Southern Living, Victoria, Veranda, Southern Accents, Grace, and Humans and Nature.
Saturday, March 26, 6 PM at the McClellanville Town Hall (405 Pinckney Street, McClellanville) Saturday, April 16, 2 PM at the Goose Creek Public Library (325 Old Moncks Corner Rd, Goose Creek).
All speaking events are free and open to the public.
