Colum McCann inscribed a copy of Songdogs, his first novel, to me in January, 1996, with the words: "Well-met in Chester on a winter evening, with great thanks for your supporting my work. Sláinte." Last fall, he won the National Book Award for Let the Great World Spin. I was thinking about that narrative arc last weekend when I attended the afternoon readings for New Voices 2010 in Chester, Vt.

Hosted by Bill and Lynne Reed of Misty Valley Books and celebrating its 16th anniversary, New Voices was started by the bookstore's original owners, Dwight Currie and Michael Kohlmann. After the Reeds purchased Misty Valley in 2001, they not only continued the tradition, but eventually added Vermont Voices and a Gourmet Mystery Series to their seasonal schedule, thanks in part to the success of this original event.

Guest authors for New Voices this time were Deborah Copaken Kogan (Between Here and April), Elena Gorokhova (A Mountain of Crumbs), James Landis (The Last Day), Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell From the Sky) and Matthew Dicks (Something Missing).

"This year's New Voices, which you can imagine we spend some thought and effort on, coalesced early," Bill observed. "Lynne always scouts first timers in the catalogs and gets galleys. She keeps in touch with publishers, and we always go prospecting at BEA and NEIBA for possible New Voices, with documentation in hand of previous events. This year we had a credible roster early, and we had both read the books of the five authors we finally invited. Publishers were very helpful this year, too, pointing us in the right direction. We were pretty sure by the fall that we had a good group."

The day began with cross-country skiing in the morning, followed by the afternoon reading/signing at a beautiful stone church in the village. That evening, there was a wine and cheese cocktail hour and then dinner with the authors at the Fullerton Inn. This day-long interaction seems to gradually develop a comfort level between writers and readers, and the barrier of compressed arrival, performance and departure that bookends most author events dissipates in the welcoming, cozy Vermont winter atmosphere.

"The thing that makes the weekend so wonderful for us is the fact that it is more than a book reading," Lynne said. "We had the authors to our house Friday evening for dinner along with their introducers and a few friends. This group really, dare I say, bonded. We had such a good time. Then to wake up to go cross-country skiing in 5-degree weather at Grafton Ponds cemented their friendship. So, by the time they got to the church, they were old buddies, felt comfortable, knew people in the audience, and the day kept flowing. No one wanted to leave."

"Bill and I both agree that this was one of the very best New Voices ever," she added. "We always have interesting authors, but this year the mix worked. The books were all so different. I think what made the reading special was the introducers. The energy in the church was amazing." 

A few words about those introducers: Bill came up with the idea a couple of years ago to ask members of the community to read the selected books beforehand and make the introductions: "It helped increase attendance, too, I think, to involve community members early, inviting friends to read the books and introduce the authors. The friends were happy to be involved and, as you probably noticed, rose to the occasion. Somehow it also gives more credence to the event if more people are involved. Several attendees have remarked that it was nice to hear what the introducers had to say."

That direct and personal engagement by the introducers with their chosen books and authors ultimately added five additional "new voices" to the event. In fact, Deborah Copaken Kogan responded to Nancy Pennell's intro by saying, "That was the best introduction anyone in my decade of writing has ever done."

Jeremy Dworkin, who introduced Heidi Durrow, thanked Bill and Lynne for "an effort that's obviously become a community tradition."

This year, more than 130 people attended the readings, up significantly from 2009. Misty Valley sold out of all five books and took orders for more. I heard one woman standing in line enthusiastically ask a friend, "Who are you going to buy?"

"Well-met in Chester" indeed. A reading tradition still thrives in the Green Mountains and, as Elena Gorokhova said, "In an era when innovation and adaptation are watchwords, there is something to be said for tradition."--Published in Shelf Awareness, issue #1109.