When I was a young lass, spending a few quiet hours in the small library on West Ferry Street in search of good fiction to read, I often looked for books set in my hometown of Buffalo, or anywhere, frankly, that vaguely resembled my beloved rust belt city. I wanted to read about the type of people I knew, the places I was familiar with, experiences that made sense to me.
What I usually found was–nada, nothing, zip, zilch.
The dearth of good writing about Buffalo back in the day must have been noted by a woman named Debora Ott, who in 1975 founded a literary movement she called “Just Buffalo.” In the beginning, she invited well-known authors and poets from other places to come to Buffalo to participate in readings.
Over the years, the organization branched out and became the Just Buffalo Literary Center, offering writing workshops, a literary magazine, poetry readings in its Silo City series, and a lecture series called BABEL which brings authors of worldwide renown to Buffalo. Now, some 50 years after its inception, Just Buffalo can claim credit for either hosting or participating in over 2,000 literary events.
When visiting the city earlier this month, I learned that over the past half-century, Buffalo has become quite the literary town. Curious about the “LIT CITY” banners I saw hanging from street lamps downtown, I learned that Buffalo’s Mayor Byron Brown designated a section in the heart of the city as “The Literary Corridor of Buffalo.” The banners honor poets, novelists, and playwrights with connections to the town, including famous names such as Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lucille Clifton, and Joyce Carol Oates. But alas, few if any of these authors wrote about Buffalo itself.
It was not until 1999, when Lauren Belfer published her novel, City of Light, that the first remarkable (in my humble opinion) work of fiction set in Buffalo, met with national and international acclaim.[1] Belfer is now recognized as one of the “LIT CIY” greats and is honored with a banner that hangs among those featuring other literary giants with a local connection.
Since publication of Belfer’s book, thanks to changes in the publishing industry, a number of good books about Buffalo—both fiction and non-fiction—are now available on bookshelves.[2]
What has truly gladdened my heart, however, is the fact that Buffalo now has a thriving home-grown book publishing industry,[3] along with 10 independent bookstores and an annual day established by the city government to celebrate them. It seems Buffalo has become not only a mecca for writers, but for readers as well.
A visit to several Buffalo bookshops confirmed that local authors have pride of place on their shelves. I am truly honored that my newly published book, Virgin Snow, will soon be among them.
Toni Morrison once famously said, “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” From childhood on, I always wanted to read a book about a girl growing up on Buffalo’s West Side who loved the city but like many, eventually had to leave it. I never did find a book like that, so I followed Ms. Morrison’s advice.
And now, there is such a book.
Moxie Gardiner is a writer, gardener, and traveler who grew up on the West Side of Buffalo, NY. In a previous life she was a journalist, magazine editor, speech writer, and policy wonk. Back in the day she made three solo parachute jumps, flew in an F-15 fighter jet, and crawled through mud pits at the Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama. She now meditates and practices yoga. Virgin Snow is her first novel.
[1] Belfer’s book, set in Buffalo during its gilded age, is a wonderful example of historical fiction at its best. For more about Belfer and her books check out https://laurenbelfer.com/books/city-of-light/
[2] Some of my other favorite books about or set in Buffalo include City On the Edge by Mark Goldman, Right Here, Right Now: The Buffalo Anthology, edited by Jody K. Biehl, and Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life by Tim Russert.
[3] Mark Pogodzinski at NFB (aka No Frills Buffalo) Publishing, which published Virgin Snow, is one of several regional publishers in Buffalo willing to work with debut authors.
Another wonderful Buffalo author, Norma Kassirer. I read her book, Magic Elizabeth as a child and re-read it several years ago. My library had to do a major search for the book and while I am not living in Western New York anymore, one of the libraries in that area was able to accommodate an inter-library loan.
https://www.normakassirer.com/
https://lissamarieredmond.com/
Hi Moxie
I enjoy reading what you have written here. I wonder if you have ever read the books by Lois Lenski? I was about nine when I first discovered her. She wrote for children and her books created for me the knowledge of how other families lived, even if it was fiction. She wrote about families in projects and migrant families, etc. So I am curious if you had also read any of her books. I believe she somehow influenced my world view of accepting people as they are in their differences and sameness to me.
Thank you for your comment Virginia, and yes I was familiar with Lois Lenski, but remember reading her books about trains, planes and engines! I somehow missed her books on families and would no doubt have enjoyed reading them. I will make sure the young ones in our family get introduced to her. Thanks for bringing her back to my attention.
Moxie,
Like you, I am very impressed with the literary city Buffalo has become! From the terrific Reading Invasions (now in their 11th year) around the city, to the new work on the famous James Joyce collection at UB, Buffalo’s reputation has risen – as a place which values reading & literature.
This inspires me & is part of the reason I plan to move back to Buffalo (from Massachusetts).
Interesting that you mention your youthful desire to read about people like yourself. You are probably aware of the educational movement to provide children with reading that gives them: “windows, mirrors, and sliding doors”. As a librarian, I love this idea! To give these kind of books to children can help answer the basic questions: how do I fit into the world and what about other people? Connecting children with the right books goes a long way towards creating life-long readers who develop empathy, a better understanding of the world and their place in it.
Dear Corinne, you are obviously a very literate person, and I am tickled that the literary city Buffalo has become has enticed you back home. I couldn’t agree with you more about connecting children with the right books. So many of the positive choices I made in life were informed by the books I read. Thanks so much for your insightful comments.
This was extremely interesting to me. There’s a UB professor who has a private eye series which takes place here in the Nickel City
Thanks for the comment Mitchell. Do you remember either the name of the series or the name of the professor? I’d like to look them up.
I think visiting the Dudley library will enable me to answer that question. However they’re closed Fridays but I’m on it.