Arts
Books:
For
Love of Place
Books:
For Love of Place
by Linda Markin
Little
Chapel on |
Wendy
Bounds' Little Chapel on the River was written in the aftermath
of the attacks on New York September 11, 2001. Reading
it now, as New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast have been wiped off
the face of the continent by Katrina, brings the importance and love of
place into poignant focus.
Wendy and her partner Kathryn
had an apartment next door to the World Trade Center. They were preparing
for their day as reporters for the Wall Street Journal when the planes
struck the twin towers. They left their building quickly on the trail
of a story, never considering they would be unable to return home by evening.
It is hard to grasp that everything you once knew has changed when you
are in the middle of the event that changes it.
But change it does. The apartment
was uninhabitable, and a chance visit to a small town 50 miles north of
New York City resulted in another life-altering event for Wendy and Kathryn.
The story that unfolds in Little Chapel on the River is the story
of a store/bar, called Guinan's, that lies at the heart of Garrison, New
York.
Bounds' touch is light. There
are no overbearing monologues about "what matters most." And
yet, only a reader not paying attention can miss what she says so clearly
about Guinan's and the town of Garrison: People are what imbue a place
with meaning. People gravitate to places that humanize them. Making ritual
and remembering history are the most meaningful of human activities.
Guinan's rituals
are oriented toward inclusion and community. Far beyond mere customer
service, Guinan's bar is about creating community from the people (and
dog) who pass through her doors. Anyone who cares, anyone who values what
is found there is welcome. Race, class, worldly status, political persuasion,
sexual orientation – none of these rise to the level of dividers
for the patrons of Guinan's. Rather, mutual respect and appreciation are
the qualities that draw the people together and make the place special.
Guinan's in Garrison provided
Wendy and Kathryn a home when theirs was devastated. It will take all
the special places and all the respect and appreciation for differences
and common humanity we can muster, to shelter the hundreds of thousands
displaced by Katrina. We can only hope that beyond the soul-less strips
that surround our cities, there are enough 'Guinan's" and patrons
of Guinan’s to take in those in need.
Read more about Wendy Bounds and Little Chapel on the River at www.gwendolynbounds.com/index.htm
Linda Markin is the CFO of Concept Two in Morrisville, is the vice
president of the Samara Foundation Board, and lives in Hardwick with her
partner of 26 years.