"Up The Street Around the Corner is snapshots of the big picture--mug shots of racism and poverty snapped by a man who's lived them both. These stories are short but they say so much--like squeezing a ship into a bottle and then watching it expand to full size. Cory Besskepp Cofer is a major literary voice for the 21st century--a voice with a great sense of humor who let's you know the shit ain't funny; resigned but righteous; black but universal; angry but carefree. Maybe this world of hairstyles and homicide, music and moms, funky food and alley fights is one you know firsthand and maybe it isn't. But it springs from a history and a culture that casts a giant shadow over the planet and impacts us all. Cory Cofer has made a place for himself in the shade created by that shadow, a place as a writer, a father and husband, a hell-for-leather organizer. And he has written a book like no other."
--Lee Ballinger, West Coast Editor, Rock & Rap Confidential
“Cory Besskepp Cofer’s Up the Street Around the Corner only further exemplifies his ability to make readers feel like they are welcomed participants in his stories. This book demonstrates adept writing fluidity as Besskepp successfully incorporates different writing styles including prose, spoken word, and even simply emboldened text—words that jump off the page at the perfect moment to set a mood or background and are as effective as paintbrushes in creating a picture or setting that immerse readers in the scents, sounds, and tastes of the author’s childhood. You can just taste the garlic chicken! Up the Street Around the Corner is truly a show and tell to beat all. Not once, but twice did I ward off sleep to be taken under by the book’s spell.”
“Nicole Klaymoon’s illustrations also provide an incredible narrative face to the book’s text. I found myself wanting to trace each sketched line with my finger to find out where they led and how they all connected to the story. “--Anne Knight, Digress Magazine
www.dimlightspublishing.com • Corey Coffer