Betsy Small, author of “Before, Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone,” will be the featured speaker at Monadnock Writers group on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Peterborough Town Library.
Small, a longtime resident of the Monadnock region, is a teacher, writer, counselor and founder of several nonprofit organizations advocating for cultural understanding and supporting marginalized communities.
Small will share her experiences in writing and publishing “Before, Before,” her nationally acclaimed memoir, which Kirkus Reviews calls “a powerful commentary and memoir that challenge Western narratives of Sierra Leone.”
Donna E. Shalala, former secretary of Health and Human Services and Peace Corps volunteer in Iran, called Small’s book a “masterpiece.”
Small served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone from 1984 to 1987, just before the violent conflict known as the “Blood Diamond War” broke out in 1991. Her memoir, which spans three decades, recalls her time in Sierra Leone and her experiences trying to reconcile the tragedy that devastated the village and people she loved, the aftermath of the conflict, and the impacts on her own life.
“Before, Before” is part of the University of Michigan Press Law, Meaning, and Violence series, featuring books that explore the way meanings are constructed in law’s narratives, that measures the connections among those narratives and institutions and practices of law, and that explore the ways those narratives, practices, and institutions embody and give voice to power and violence.
The meeting starts at 9:45 a.m. in the library’s 1833 Room and will include announcements from the group and a 10-minute reading by poet Pedro Sandín-Fremont. Meetings typically last about an hour and a half; coffee and snacks are provided. All are welcome.
Since 1984, the Monadnock Writers’ Group has provided support to writers in all genres and at all levels of achievement. The MWG’s free monthly speaker series brings a variety of writers to Peterborough to share experiences and expertise with members.