Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/699810
JULY 6-12, 2016 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM "Every thing lined up" to bring Shane Wilson to Fayet teville from Georgia a few years ago, he said — a relationship, a job and a future full of possibilities. A lt hough t he relat ionship w it h his t hen-girlf riend did not work out, Wil- son said " life here is good." He enjoys his job teaching English at Fayet tev ille Technical Communit y College, he has a net work of f riends and colleag ues to of fer suppor t and encouragement, and he is building a follow ing of fans for his w rit ing. A lready recognized for his published poet r y, Wilson recent ly self- published his f irst novel, "A Year Since t he Rain." The stor y follows a conf used but likeable narrator named A lan, whose personal hear tbreak coincides w it h a draught in his tow n. Wilson's journey of self-discover y is g uided by a series of women who t r y to help him see t hat home is more t han t he ground beneat h your feet . Hank and Diane Parf it t, t he ow ners of Cit y Center Galler y & Book s on Hay St reet enjoyed t he book so much, t hey hosted an aut hor meet-and-greet on June 23 to int roduce t he book to Fayet tev ille and give readers a chance to meet Wilson. " We suppor t local ar t ist s including aut hors," Hank Parf it t said. "I t hink t his book deser ves w ider at tent ion. It is as good as any well-k now n aut hor w rit - ing f ict ion today." Wilson said he is not completely comfor t able w it h being called aut hor or novelist yet . "Am I an aut hor? " He said t here is a feeling of 'imposter sy ndrome' when he hears t hat . "I always t hought I was a poet," Wilson said. "I t hought t hat is what I was for a long t ime— a poet ." He added t hat his book st ar ted out as "six pages of terrible poet r y." He put it on t he shelf for a year before ret urning to it . W hat became A Year Since the Rain "st ar ted w it h a sentence, t hen it came t umbling out, like much ar t does." Wilson prefers anot her term t hese days. " Writer is easier to grasp t han novelist," he said. "It is t he dif ference in being a runner and being a mara - t honer — t hat is what w rit ing a novel feels like." One label Wilson does not contest is t hat of teacher. His personable st yle of inst ruct ion and warm, cheerf ul personalit y builds interest and respect in his FTCC classroom, current and former st udent s say. Many of t hem at tend - ed t he event at Cit y Center Galler y & Book s. Don Grasmick, a former soldier now work ing toward a welding cer t if ica- t ion, init ially took Wilson's class only because it was required. He said Wil- son made t he subject mat ter easy to comprehend and enjoy. He added t hat being a published aut hor lends credibilit y in t he classroom because " he's got proof of being a w riter." FTCC graduate Brandon Perez is now at tending t he Universit y of Nor t h Carolina at Chapel Hill st udy ing polit ical science. He said he enjoyed Wil - son's way of dissect ing a stor y and break ing it dow n for t he class, but his suppor t and encouragement has meant even more. "His work has profoundly af fected me inside t he classroom," Perez said. "But he has also always been a mentor and f riend out side t he classroom." Wilson recent ly f inished w rit ing t he f irst draf t of his second book . The stor y feat ures t wo musicians and ask s where does creat iv it y come f rom and how do we def ine it . "The most daunt ing par t is what do I do nex t," Wilson said. "I'll st ill be w rit ing and teaching." Wilson's nex t stop w ill be as special g uest during t he Galler y 208 Opening Recept ion for Light and Time: Paintings by Rose Kennedy on July 12 f rom 5:30 – 7 p.m. The event is f ree and open t he t he public. Galler y 208 is located at 208 Rowan St . Local Author Introduces First Novel at Gallery 208 by APRIL OLSEN EVENTS BUY TICKETS ONLINE @ DAYOFTHECOWBOYNC.COM OR AT THE GATE. Performing both nights, The Dixie Trick Riders! Camping World of Fayetteville and Up & Coming Weekly APRIL OLSEN, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com.