Stephanie McCoy reads from her novel 'Sweet as Cane'

Blackbird Presents, August 30th 7pm 12781 SFD Blvd,Inverness,CA 415-669-7195

Writer Stephanie McCoy will be reading from her first novel Sweet as Cane. Twenty-three year old photographer Cane Walker specializes in infant postmortem portraits. In Marrow, North Carolina in the fifties such practices are still prized and sought out. Cane's is a tale of a young disfigured woman growing up in a town that oozes with despair, hope and desire. The story unfolds through the eyes of various Marrow inhabitants familiar with and foreign to one another. Cane works next door to her mother, the town mortician. She steals from the infant bodies she photographs; yet she sings lullabies to them at the cemetery where they are buried. Hiding behind the camera, Cane uncovers love and heartache while she longs to be included in the community around her. In this haunting tale, the slow force of nature, folklore and grief lead the reader to its unsettling and powerful conclusion.

"As the title promises, Cane Walker is not only sweet, but a compelling addition to wonderful Southern women characters. Richly detailed, funny and original, Stephanie McCoy's debut novel surprises and delights on every page." Cristina Garcia, author of Dreaming in Cuban & The Lady Matador's Hotel
Stephanie McCoy received her BA and MFA from Mills College. In between degrees she was a Fulbright Fellow in Hamburg, Germany. In 1998 her book, Brilliance in the Shadows: a biography of Lucia Kleinhans Mathews, was published by the Arts & Crafts Press.
Additional information on her website at www.stephaniemccoyauthor.com