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Mari Alschuler brought community members to YSU for a reading of some of her latest work
YOUNGSTOWN
Mari Alschuler brought community members to the Youngstown State University campus for a reading of some of her latest work at one of the university’s newest facilities – Barnes and Noble on the corner of Fifth and Lincoln avenues.
Alschuler, a YSU social work associate professor, read passages from recently published short stories. They are “Revealed” from “Lock n Load: Armed Fiction” and “Patsy Cline Rolls Around in Her Grave” from “Dispatches From Lesbian America.”
The readings were in the Barnes and Noble Starbucks cafe Tuesday afternoon.
In “Revealed,” Alschuler tells a story of a futuristic New York City in which guns must be carried by everyone.
Maureen Reardon of Youngstown said she was amazed at the element of truth in the dystopian story.
“Besides the vision into the future, there’s weakness and depression to the story because of the culture and the change of the laws,” she said.
Patricia Kelvin, also of Youngstown, said she was surprised at Alschuler’s perception of the future in “Revealed” – especially with Alschuler having written the original short story in the 1980s.
Reardon said if she read the story in the 1980s rather than now, she would not have connected to it at the same level as currently.
“There’s just an element of truth in the story about how things evolve and devolve that rings true in today’s society,” she said.
Both anthologies are available at Barnes and Noble for $16.95 for “Dispatches From Lesbian America” and $24.95 for “Lock n Load: Armed Fiction.”