Stavely Reading Room

As a child, my mother took my sister and me to the library in our hometown of
Clinton every week. It was built in 1900; on the wall were the words Stavely Reading
Room. The birthplace of my imagination! When I was in high school, I interviewed
Alice Munro across the street at Bartliff’s Bakery, which is still there serving the
townspeople. In front of the library stands a massive maple tree, and below it is a
bench dedicated to the town’s most famous author. Due to controversy after the
author’s death, there was talk of removing the bench. Fortunately, it remains.

John RC Potter is an international educator from Canada, residing in Istanbul. He has experienced a revolution (Indonesia), air strikes (Israel), earthquakes (Turkey), boredom (UAE), and blinding snow blizzards (Canada), the last being the subject of his story, ‘Snowbound in the House of God’ (Memoirist). His poems, stories, essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in numerous magazines and journals. The author’s poem, “Nie Wieder/Never Again”, and his story, “Ruth’s World,” were Pushcart Prize nominees, and his poem, “Tomato Heart,” was nominated for the Best of the Net Award. The author has a gay-themed children’s picture book scheduled for publication. He is a member of the League of Canadian Poets and the Playwrights Guild of Canada. Recent Fiction Publication: “Clara Von Clapp’s Secret Admirer” in The Lemonwood Quarterly, Clara Von Clapp’s Secret Admirer – The Lemonwood Quarterly.