The Local Authors

Cinderella Mosley’s maternal grandmother exposed her to storytelling at a very young age. She credits her determination and spirit to being brought up in a multigenerational household in Philadelphia by three strong women. After many years of facing racism and academic struggles due to lack of encouragement from teachers, Cinderella developed an exceptionally strong and creative work ethic that for many years she continued to pass on to the students she worked with at the Regional Multicultural Magnet School. She is now retired and concentrating on her writing.

“Jean-Yves Solinga is a poet of immense ability and range: whose poetry is truly astounding. It contains many breathtakingly beautiful and sophisticated poems, which reach out to the very limits of human condition, where true art exists. They are a product and symbolically reflect a life from birth to adulthood of cultural duality and a search for the cool plains of resolution with the past: Coming from the “solar” heat of Morocco to the “Labradorean” cold coastal waters and countryside of New England.

His Father, a gendarme, mother, sister and brother had gone through the tragic war years of occupation of Marseille which would later become the topic of conversation [and poems]at the dinner table. Born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in the hospital that serviced the Headquarters of the French Foreign Legion on the periphery of the Sahara in Algeria. The family traveled again with Jean-Yves only a month old, to Salé, where his playground was across the street from the ‘Chella’…Kasbah and souk des Hudaya. The Chella still surrounded by the massive walls and gates that protected the Barbary coast pirates. A few miles to the northwest is the Mausoleum to Sidi Moussa, where his family fishes ‘les poisons de roches’ for the famous broth soup.: how equivalent to the famous ‘Madeleines of Proust’. Jean-Yves spent his childhood in the sun of North Africa. He attended French gramma and secondary schools. 

His memories of that time are the joy of being aware of the pleasure of sight [his thesis]: the cocoon of the innocence of youth protecting him from geopolitical matters. His family, having decided to settle in America, was the first time he became aware of the existence of freezing cold and snow: which had, up to that time Existed only on Christmas cards. He began writing poetry before he received his bachelor’s degree and following a brief tour of duty in the USArmy began a career teaching French Language, Culture and Literature. The title ‘Clair-obscur [chiaroscuro] of the Soul’ was chosen for the title of his first book for its representation of his cultural duality. 

Many of his poems draw you into a world of intellectual contrasts, where one reality is juxtaposed with another. The result is simultaneously fascinating, unsettling and revelatory. As you read Jean-Yves poems you are immediately aware that here is a poet with an effortless ability to use language, conveying myriad emotion, creating an ambiance of layers of subtlety , added to an immense depth. 

Jean=Yves prefers a free-pose style of poetry [lyrical prose] which eschews more traditional forms. It is not in the least affected or pretentious, but rather reinforces his expansive vision and narrative voice as a poet. His writing shows a singularly unique view of life that defines the capacity of the power of poetry, that is, the art of expressing pure thought about the existential human condition. His inimitable style contains multilayered, multifaceted poetic images that bring us both neared to uncomfortable truths in which most of us would not willingly venture, or to a point of passion or beauty we could not have previously envisioned. While most writers wait for the muse, for Jean-Yves every memory, event, spoken word, or visual stimulation has significance and potential, requiring an immediate response. Nothing in his stream of consciousness or, in fact, unconsciousness is irrelevant to the process of creating his poetry. 

Solinga casts a a resolute eye to the past, using it as a prism for outlining an absolutely modern present. 

All done with the delicacy and beauty of interwoven lace. With the history of poetry and painting behind him, Soling walks through the parallel columns of love and beauty, confident, dexterous, sure footed almost dancing.

His meanings fluttering like the fields of Provence, like the slops of Mt. Sainte Victoire in the noon sun. He values each moment and sees eternity, not in an hour but in a single second.”

Leslie A. Woods draws on her love of languages, culture and music to bring magic to her books. She spent many of her childhood summers on her grandfather's farm in Costa Rica and has traveled the world in a variety of occupations, including being a director/translator for the Miss Universe Pageant, and as a translator for mission trips to Honduras. She is a teacher of Spanish and French, a wife and mother and will always hold her Grandpa's farm and Central America in her heart.

Robin T. Nelson was born in Boulder, Colorado and was influenced by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the environmental awareness movement there during her college years. She is a live long traveler, learning the cultures of different countries and studying the physical appearances, personality traits, plus the habits and habitats of the different animals seen in her books. She has studied watercolor painting for years, but having recently retired from a career as a research scientist, can now devote more time to art and travel. Robin is scientist at heart, a devoted wife and mother and enjoys using her artistic skills for humanitarian purposes, to promote her love of the environment and to help children learn about the world and different cultures.

Roger Kuhns holds a Ph.D. in geology. He has worked for 35 years around the world in over 80 countries and in the South Atlantic. He has taught at City College, New York, and University of Wisconsin Field Station. Roger also teaches geology and writing at The Clearing in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. He writes and performs monologues about his life. He lives in Mystic, Connecticut, with his wife, Anne, and their two cats.

Sarah Downie is a Connecticut Author and Illustrator. She studied at Montserrat College of Art, graduating on 2017 with a BFA in Fine Arts and minor in Creative Writing. She loves illustrating whimsical scenery, marine wildlife and outdoor exploration. Sarah writes as a hobby and recently published two children’s books: ‘A Beach Chase A-Z Alphabet Book’ (March 2020) and ‘1,2,3 The Castles I See Counting Book’ (September 2022). When Sarah is not creating art or working, she enjoys a nice cup of tea, reading a book, hiking, kayaking and visiting her favorite beach.

Stu Friedman has been a resident of Niantic, CT for the past 15 years.

He is a highly decorated retired Detective Sergeant of the NYPD. He worked plainclothes, undercover, was a detective and detective supervisor in numerous units.

In his 23 years of service, he was shot, stabbed, and had bones broken. He still has a bullet lodged in his chest to this day. At age 22, he was the youngest member of the department to ever be awarded the prestigious Police Combat Cross, the department’s 2nd highest honor. He has also been the recipient of Medal for Valor twice and numerous other department medals and awards for acts of heroism and bravery. He was the Jewish Police Officer of the Year in 1986, has been awarded the Military Order of the Purple Heart Law Enforcement Award and the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association Cop of the Month Award on three separate occasions.  

Now he is a three-time Amazon Best Selling Author. Stu has published, “Beneath the Concrete Jungle” - a true biography of his career. “My Walk Amongst Heroes” - true stories of cops he worked with or knew that were killed, severely wounded and/or highly decorated. And “Undercover Beauty” - the true story of his former girlfriend and her career as an undercover infiltrating the drug gangs, mafia, cartels and gun traffickers.