Sierra Shepard was awarded first place for her book review of Edna in Millbrook in the Connecticut Press Club’s 2023 competition. Edna in Millbrook follows the life of Edna Tyldsley who lived in Millbrook, N.Y. from the 1930s until her passing in 2003. Shepard’s choice of title for her review, FULL CIRCLE: From paper to perfect-bound, references the Tyldsley family’s involvement with the printing business and newspaper publishing. Faith Tyldsley, Edna’s daughter and the book’s author, grew up in Millbrook.
Shepard oversees a “family” of local magazines (comparable to our local Granby Living) in towns that stretch from Westchester, New York to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. She became aware of Tyldsley’s book in 2023 when seeking content for one of her magazines, Living Millbrook. She wrote a book review for publication in Living Millbrook and then submitted her review for publication in The Granby Drummer since the author presently lives in Granby.
Shepard’s review closes with “Edna in Millbrook is a light for all those ordinary people living ordinary lives, adding a little sunshine to the world, being kinder than they have to be, inspiring others, and leaving behind a legacy that is more than the sum of its parts.”
FULL CIRCLE: From paper to perfect-bound can be read by either clicking the link, or by visiting our archive for the March 2023 issue. The review is on page 21.