Mark Darrah's Blog - Posts Tagged "home"
A Bookstore Worthy of Home
Writer and friend Teresa Miller calls Tahlequah "the Athens of Northeastern Oklahoma." My hometown was the inspiration for Barbara Kingsolver's Heaven books. And, of course, David Letterman's home office was Tahlequah.
Tahlequah rests in the woods near the banks of the Illinois River in the Cookson Hills, a junior version of the Ozark Mountains. Red brick buildings barely poke above the tree line and homes built in the Victorian era aren't rare.
The town has gotten bigger in recent years. Wal-Mark #10 is now a Supercenter, and franchised and chain stores line the main roads into town. At night, one notices the pine scents of the forest.
Descendants remain of those forced to these parts by the Trail of Tears exodus in the 1830's. Back up in the hills, Cherokee is spoken by some as a first language. The Cherokee National Capital is in near by Park Hill. A lot of old hippies and nonconformists live here as do entrepreneurs and retirees. People work the land and raise cattle.
Northeastern Oklahoma State University has graduated generations of the best educators in the region. Inquiry, curiosity, and learning are shared values.
Tahlequah now has a bookstore that is worthy of its location. Too Fond of Books opened on North Muskogee in downtown Tahlequah three years ago by Tom Jefferson and Valerie Reese. https://www.tfobooks.com/about-us It carries a wide variety of titles including best sellers and recently published works. It's a colorful store with a friendly staff and helpful staff. It represents the best qualities of its community.
I'm honored my book, A Catalogue of Common People, is available here.
Mark Darrah
May 11, 2024
Tahlequah rests in the woods near the banks of the Illinois River in the Cookson Hills, a junior version of the Ozark Mountains. Red brick buildings barely poke above the tree line and homes built in the Victorian era aren't rare.
The town has gotten bigger in recent years. Wal-Mark #10 is now a Supercenter, and franchised and chain stores line the main roads into town. At night, one notices the pine scents of the forest.
Descendants remain of those forced to these parts by the Trail of Tears exodus in the 1830's. Back up in the hills, Cherokee is spoken by some as a first language. The Cherokee National Capital is in near by Park Hill. A lot of old hippies and nonconformists live here as do entrepreneurs and retirees. People work the land and raise cattle.
Northeastern Oklahoma State University has graduated generations of the best educators in the region. Inquiry, curiosity, and learning are shared values.
Tahlequah now has a bookstore that is worthy of its location. Too Fond of Books opened on North Muskogee in downtown Tahlequah three years ago by Tom Jefferson and Valerie Reese. https://www.tfobooks.com/about-us It carries a wide variety of titles including best sellers and recently published works. It's a colorful store with a friendly staff and helpful staff. It represents the best qualities of its community.
I'm honored my book, A Catalogue of Common People, is available here.
Mark Darrah
May 11, 2024
