David W. Reed presents Uphill and Into the Wind

It's 1973. Our nation is torn apart by the Vietnam War, and the massacre of unarmed students at Kent State. The Vice President has resigned for bribery and tax evasion. The President is being investigated for engaging in criminal activity.

At twenty-three, David Reed has become embittered by political strife and corruption. Disenchanted with his future, he wants out. Along with new friends Rusty and Susie, David leaves everything he knows to cross the United States with little more than his bicycle and camera.

The trio gets more than they bargain for, with menacing animals, extreme weather, and astonishing encounters. Uphill and Into the Wind recounts an odyssey that spans 5420 miles on bicycles. It chronicles the sudden and surprising glories of nature, the raw beauty of the land, and the majesty of the mountains. But that is just the start. Through it all, the three are changed forever, in ways they did not expect, by their long journey into the unknown.

Lin Nelson Benedek presents Singing Lessons

Lin Benedek crafts a poetic score, both grand and intimate, in her latest collection, Singing Lessons. I'm awed by her meticulous eye for detail, and what a testament to her powers of recall and observation that she's able to weave an opulent tapestry of examined gesture, dialogue, and mise en sc ne with brief philosophical turns that ground her handiwork in a richly, dark terrain. This book is sumptuous repast for ear and imagination as Benedek pulls us in close to her contemplated world of things and sings us through. - Michelle Bitting, Broken Kingdom

Vroman’s Local Author Day feat. David W. Reed and Lin Nelson Benedek