Local authors to sign books Sunday

WEST CHESTER >> Two West Chester natives who have turned their life experiences into books will appear at a twin book signing on Sunday.

Glenn Proctor, a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper editor, will appear with fellow hometown writer Ty Burton at the Chester County Historical Society at 225 N. High St., in West Chester from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Burton’s memoir — “A Journey to Manhood: The Village that Raised the Boy” — recounts how the son of a teenage mother overcame society’s low expectations through the love of a close-knit family and a village of teachers, coaches, mentors and extended family friends.

The book captures Burton’s family history dating back several generations prior to the Civil War and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. It examines deeply personal life moments through the lens of a broader historical and national narrative. Interwoven in each chapter of this thoroughly enjoyable book is the cultural soundscape of a modern generation: hip hop music that eloquently expresses the author’s raw emotion in its pages.

Ultimately “A Journey to Manhood” is a story of the transformative power of education, athletics, family and faith that the author hopes enlightens and empowers others, a release from its publishers, Outskirts Press, said.

“I hope my story and the stories of those captured in the book can be used as a teaching tool that puts a human face on successfully overcoming and navigating the world of single parenthood, teen pregnancy, drug & alcohol addiction and domestic violence,” Burton explains. “In the words of Wes Moore, ’I don’t want the readers to ever forget the high stakes of these storiesand all of our stories: that life and death, freedom and bondage, hang in the balance of every action that we take’.”

Burton grew up in West Chester. As a child, his affinity for writing was nurtured by weekly pilgrimages to the public library with his mother. His dedication to education resulted in dual master’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree from Shippensburg and Villanova Universities in the Administration of Justice and Human Resources Development. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he relishes spending time with his wife, 4-year-old daughter, and a dog.

Proctor’s latest work, “Change: Robots Driving Covered Wagons,” features his original poetry as well as reflections on change from 85 contributors from across the U.S. and Canada.