Art association to open bookstore, coffee house, anthology reception

Editor and poet John Peterson

Photo and story by Catherine Stachowiak

Publishers of a new anthology, titled “It Is The Land That Gets Us…” are planning the release for June 15, at 3:30pm.  The public is invited to attend the poetry reading reception, hosted at the Kern River Valley Art Association’s (KRVAA’s) Station building, in Wofford Heights. 

According to John Peterson, poet and editor of the art association’s anthology, the KRVAA plans to open a bookstore, at the location and a coffee house, which is currently merely a coffee station.

“We really want to encourage the community to come and support their neighbors and see what everybody’s doing. I think it will be a really exciting event,” Peterson said. “We’ll have the coffee house going as well. And I hope we’ll have the book store going by then too.”

The association is still discussing a name for the upcoming bookstore.

Peterson told the Kern Valley Sun, last Saturday, “Both the coffee house and the book store are going to take time to grow. Right now we’re waiting on some bookshelves that are supposed to be on their way. So we’ve got to get them in, get them installed.  And then I’ve got to get my books all down there. And we’ve got a lot of art books that have come in. And some of those will go in the used book section.” 

Volunteers of the KRVAA will likely run the coffee station, which is slotted to become a coffee house. And the Kern River Valley Art Association generally needs more volunteers for their various community functions.   

“I’ve got a lot of books to showcase. Plus our new anthology will be featured there,” Peterson said.