Five Questions
Five Questions with Mary Cuffe Perez: This local woman is the author of four books and numerous magazine articles, short stories and poems. Much of her writing, including her recently published “Barn Stories,” draws from the rural area of Galway where she lives in Saratoga County. Cuffe Perez will share stories from her new book at an upcoming event at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Northshire Bookstore in downtown Saratoga Springs.
1 What is “Barn Stories” about?
“Barn Stories” is a collection of creative nonfiction stories inspired from my experiences over 15 years managing a small horse boarding farm in Galway. The barn at the center of the stories is 200 years old, with its history written all over it, in every corner, loft and trunk and under the floor boards. I have always loved barns, been fascinated by what they keep and what they have kept, what passed through the doors, was sheltered there, and the animals and people that were all once a part of its story. That’s what “Barn Stories” is about — all the life that happens within a barn, and all the characters — both animal and human — who become part of that story. The stories dip in and out of time, touching on the daily life of the barn and its history. I think of the barn as a theatre upon which daily dramas are played out by a fascinating cast of characters — horses, stray cats, wildlife, and humans, both children and adults.
2 What inspired you to write the book?
I write mostly about the stories I find locally — local but with a universal arch. “Barn Stories,” for instance, may be focused on a particular barn in a particular place, but it is also about the place barns hold in our collective human experience. I have found that many people are drawn to barns, not just children who love horses, but adults who want to be part of something grounded, something “real.” I happened to become part of this barn’s story when I met the owner of the Todd farm in Galway 18 years ago. She ran a small horse breeding operation, and we soon became friends and riding companions and took care of the horses together. Once she became ill, I became full time care taker of the barn and horses.
3 Can you tell us about one of the animal characters?
Too many characters to single out one among Amongooseamongus, Mouse, Viento, Archie, Trixster, Ozzy, Angle, Peter Twitch …. on and on and on. I learned that to take care of horses you have to be ready for just about anything – and usually at the worst possible time. One morning, when letting the horses into the barn, a young gelding came in looking like a unicorn. He had an apple tree branch stuck in his forehead with blood spurting out in all directions (he recovered, remarkably enough and with hardly a scar); another time, a barn cat saved the life of an old mare; two foals learned it’s not wise to tangle with wild turkeys; and one summer a movie crew seized on the farm as the location for an independent film. You never know what’s coming next. All of this set within rolling fields of pasture, the beauty of horses grazing under apple trees in bloom, the thrill of watching them race one another
across the fields (hoping they don’t go through the fences). Of course, it’s winter now, and well below zero in the mornings. Times like this I don’t really love the barn so much. I published have had previously. three books The last book, “Nothing by Name,” was also inspired by the town I live in, Galway. It’s a novel in verse inspired by the life of a farm woman I knew, who spent her entire life on her farm, most of it alone, without electricity or running water, making her living and raising selling sheep. blueberries
4 Do you have another book in the works? I am currently working with a local artist on a children’s book, “Gnarlys of the North Woods” and on a memoir.
5 What will you be doing at Northshire Bookstore? I am thrilled to do a signing and reading of “Barn Stories” at Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga, 7 p.m., Jan. 27. I want to share with the folks in attendance some “off the record” barn stories as well, and to hopefully hear some of their barn stories. It is surprising how many people have them.