Books and Poems

By Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter
February 15, 2018 9:00 a.m.

This week I was able to combine two of my favorite things – book stores and poetry. Nola Perez and Marilyn Wesley started the Poetry Canteen a couple of years ago. We had been meeting at the Fernandina Beach library. When the opportunity to move into the new Story and Song book store came, we jumped at it. As I have a lifelong love of book stores, I was pleased. Somehow a book store or a library seemed like appropriate places to share poetry.

My first book store was the original Follett’s in Ann Arbor, when I went to the University of Michigan. Since then, there is something about a book store that is like unwrapping a surprise package. I seldom go with a book in mind. It’s more fun to just browse and see what leaps off the shelf at me. I think we are lucky to have two book stores on our island in addition to the used books that are in various thrift shops.

I wondered what kind of a space Story and Song would be and whether it would entice me to repeat visits. After meeting there with our poetry group last Tuesday, I can say it’s a great space and yes, I will be back. The poetry group will be meeting upstairs. Libby Weeks took a photograph of us. I can feel virtuous climbing the stairs but there is also an elevator for times when feeling virtuous is not at the top of my list.

The layout of the store facilitates browsing in a way I hadn’t expected. Most book stores seem to arrange books in long rows and atop tables. Think Barnes & Noble. Or else they are floor to ceiling repositories of books. Story and Song has smaller shelving sections set at interesting angles so you can wander from interest to interest. Helpful signage indicates the category of books in the various sections.

The store is not a huge space so it feels manageable. The layout takes advantage of the space in ways that make it easy to browse. There are chairs placed in nooks to encourage you to slow down and enjoy. Upstairs is an open space with art on the walls and places for groups to meet. There is a food menu that should satisfy the browser who also needs sustenance. An outdoor area will have tables once the weather cooperates.

I encourage you to visit and see for yourself how pleasant and inviting real books can be. There’s plenty of parking behind the store, which is in the building on the corner of Park Avenue and 14th Street.

Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. Evelyn is vice-chair on the Amelia Center for Lifelong Learning and is on the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.