Novelist Andrea Cale also will accept nominations for stories in her non-fiction spinoff initiative, The Good News Experiment
Andrea Cale, author of “The Corn Husk Experiment: A Novel” and a 1999 graduate of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, will visit Barnes and Noble at 3454 Erie Boulevard East in Dewitt, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 7. At this meet-and-greet style event, Cale will also personally accept nominations of local, exceptional volunteers or community innovators for stories in her real-life spinoff initiative called The Good News Experiment.
Cale, a former journalist and communications officer who has received a New York State Associated Press Award for spot news reporting, released The Corn Husk Experiment: A Novel with Morgan James Publishing of New York, New York in May 2018. Her visit to the local Barnes & Noble store is one of four book signing stops. In addition to returning to the Syracuse area, Cale has visited Manchester’s Northshire Bookstore in her home state of Vermont and Barnes & Noble in Framingham, Mass. She will travel to Porter Square Books in Boston, Mass. later this summer. Approximately half of Cale’s novel takes place in the Syracuse area.
The novel “is a moving story of self-acceptance and human connection at the most basic level,” according to a Morgan James press release. “Cale delivers a deeply relatable story that echoes the call for empathy and compassion toward one another that has become so prevalent in today’s society. Five young strangers with seemingly nothing in common are brought together as they unknowingly become what a wise elder calls The Corn Husk Experiment. A shy boy, a troubled dancer, a lonely photographer, a gifted quarterback, and a self-declared misfit would likely never have crossed paths. However, the experiment joins them together for just a few hours, amid a stadium full of people. While each is dealing with their own unique struggles, they’re about to discover that they aren’t as different as they might think.”
“Completely engaging, but more importantly, it inspired deep thinking about life’s miracles and ‘butterfly effects,’” said Jerry Posner, a frequent speaker at Canyon Ranch, Entertainer and Author. If you like a story that leaves you feeling inspired and moved, then this is a book for you.”
Cale and Morgan James Publishing share an important commitment to their communities. Cale has partnered with Loaves & Fishes in Massachusetts to donate a total of 5 percent of author earnings from The Corn Husk Experiment to the organization as it helps address hunger needs in six Massachusetts communities by offering assistance to families who are struggling by providing the opportunity for them to shop for groceries up to twice a month. In addition, Morgan James donates a percentage of revenue from all of its books – and for the life of each of its books – to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Habitat for Humanity is a leading global nonprofit that helps families and individuals build or improve a place they can call home.
“The Corn Husk Experiment is a novel with light and dark contrasts,” Cale said. “It was created to entertain readers through the triumphs and tragedies of its main characters before unexpectedly delivering messages of self-acceptance, self-compassion and empathy. I look forward to carrying out additional compassionate work in the community with Morgan James Publishing through our housing, hunger and Good News Experiment initiatives.”
The Good News Experiment was created in advance of the novel’s release to highlight the work of extraordinary volunteers and neighborhood innovators with feature stories and press releases that run in blog, social media and traditional media formats. Their stories emphasize the unexpected connections that people share with each other, a message similar to the theme of Cale’s novel. To date, four honorees have had five stories run in Boston, Chicago, Providence and trade newspapers. The initiative is in partnership with Mothers for Justice and Equality in Boston. MJE President and Founder Monalisa Smith helps identify honorees while Cale interviews them and writes their stories.
“This initiative helps unite us by starting from the most basic place,” said Smith. “The vast majority of us don’t want harm. We don’t want our loved ones harmed. We don’t want neighbors harmed — no matter whether they share the same political views, look like us or have a different lifestyle than we do. The Good News Experiment is an effort to start right there, emphasize our likeness — no matter how basic — and inspire one another with gestures of compassion.”
“A typical news cycle today might leave us feeling as though national and international news is even more unsettling and overwhelming than in any other moment in our lifetimes — regardless of our political affiliations,” said Cale. “Our new initiative is designed to uplift and inspire through these emotionally-charged times with the simple act of sharing real, local stories about neighborhood innovators; the helpers. I look forward to meeting local residents and hearing their story ideas in Manchester.”
For more information on Mothers for Justice and Equality, please visit mothersforjusticeandequality.org. For more information on The Corn Husk Experiment novel or to follow The Good News Experiment stories, please visit andreacalebooks.com. For more information on Barnes and Noble, please visit barnesandnoble.com.
