October at the Narrow Gauge
- Jean Alger
- Sep 26
- 10 min read
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay Ushers in a drearier day.
- Fall, Leaves, Fall by Emily Brontë
If you’ve read Emily Brontë, you’ll be familiar with the exhilaration she drew from a gloomy day, especially if she got to spend it roaming the moors in a wild, windy storm. As we move into fall, and into spooky season, her poetry feels fitting to set the mood for the change in seasons and the shift into winter. As a transplant from the Pacific Northwest, I do love a cloudy and misty day, but I also love the celebration of color we experience in the mountains every autumn. The change always comes on slowly at first and then, quick as a flash, we’re in a riot of gold and orange, and then, quickly, too, the leaves have fallen and we find ourselves among the bare branches of winter. We hope for snow. We cozy around fires with friends. We curl up in blankets with books - friends of another type.
These autumn months are the perfect time to dig into our to-be-read stacks, to get back to book club, to go to the library or the bookstore to find a new favorite read - or to revisit old friends in the pages of books we loved long ago.
As I think about books from different phases of my life, I wonder: who would I be without them? If I’d never read countless books and essays that are firm in my memory and art, and many others that have probably slipped out of my conscious memory… if I’d never read who would I be?
Who would you be without books?
I think of this not just because it’s the perfect time of year for cozy indoor reading, but also because Banned Books week is October 5th - 11th this year. The Banned Books Week Coalition, made up of several organizations, acknowledges Banned Books Week each year to raise awareness about continuous book challenges and bans, and to advocate for the importance of freedom of expression and to protect against censorship. Many of the books that have influenced me the most, that have helped me understand and empathize with the experiences of those whose lives are different from mine, have been challenged and banned throughout history. Many of the books that I hold most dear would be thrown in a fire by some who are currently in political power.
I can’t imagine who I would be without access to books, who I would be if I hadn’t read authors writing from a wide variety of experiences, cultures, time periods, and perspectives. Books are such a part of my heart, that it hurts to think of losing them. If you’d like to learn more about Banned Books Week, and the data available on the most commonly banned books, you can click here. You’ll also be able to check out our Banned Books Display throughout the month of October.
To see how you can honor and protect our right to read, check out the actions you can take on Let Freedom Read Day (officially October 11th, but any day is a good day to take action) here.
I’m so proud and honored to work at a bookstore, and to be a patron of my local library. It brings me great joy to help my community find the books they will cherish for years to come.
Thanks for reading! - Jean A.
Non-Profit of the Month: Tu Casa
Each month, we feature a local nonprofit that serves the San Luis Valley. For October, you can support Tu Casa!
From their vision and mission statement:
Empowering all children and adults to live healthy, violence-free lives. Our mission: To support healthy, violence-free lives and relationships for all children and adults in the San Luis Valley by:
providing crisis intervention, shelter services, and advocacy to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and their non-offending family members/caregivers.
empowering the community to affect sustainable social change through awareness building and prevention education.
coordinating professional efforts to respond to interpersonal violence in a victim-centered manner.
Established in 1979, and, at one time the only domestic violence service in the area, Tu Casa provides assistance for those experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault/ abuse, and provides access to resources that are often difficult to find due to our remote location, and many other factors such as transportation and language barriers. They are an incredibly important organization in our area, and we're happy to be able to promote and support them through our monthly round-up. You can learn more about Tu Casa at their website, here.
Check out their book recommends, and be sure to round up when you shop at the Narrow Gauge in October!
Surviving: Why We Stay and How we Leave Abusive Relationships by Beverly Gooden
Written on the Body: Letters from Trans and Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence
Chameleon & The Color of Brave: A Story about Domestic Violence by Amanda Moore
It End With Us by Colleen Hoover
October Artist: Kacey Gambrell
Kacey Gambrell, also known as Eerie Dearie, creates vibrant and imaginative works inspired by mythology, fashion, and all things creepy and cute.
She attended Adams State University and earned a BFA in Studio Arts with emphases of drawing, painting, graphic design, and fibers, which helped her hone her multidisciplinary approach to art.
She regularly participates in online collaborative projects and has recently launched her own YouTube channel for drawing tutorials, painting videos, and more. To see more of her work, visit @eerie.dearie.arts on Instagram, Eerie Dearie Arts on Facebook, or @eeriedearie on Youtube.
Of her current collection she writes, “A mask can do many things. It can hide a person in a crowd, conceal one’s identity, and even keep the wearer safe. Alternatively, a mask can make a person the center of attention and emphasize their presence to the point that anonymity is lost.
“Behind a mask, a person can be whoever they imagine. Hidden truths are revealed about a person's inner world when they choose to don a mask, especially those metaphorical masks such as online alter egos or the many faces people present to others in daily life.
“My wish with this collection is to invite the viewer to explore a world of magical and mysterious masks and the truths they don't quite conceal; perhaps even to consider the masks they, themselves, have worn through life.”
To complement her theme of masks, Kacey is leading a mask-painting workshop at the Narrow Gauge on October 3rd from 5pm to 8pm. All supplies will be provided, though spaces are limited to 15. Reserve your space at this link, here.
Also, join us on October 10th for a come-and-go reception from 4pm to 6pm. Meet Kacey and chat with her about her art, and see her art all month long.
Hispanic Heritage Month Continues
Hispanic Heritage Month/Latinx Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino and Chicano community.
Beginning in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, but it was later extended to a month in 1988. Since then, it has been celebrated nationwide through festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings, and much more.
The month also celebrates the independence days of several Latin American countries, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th. They also include holidays that recognize Hispanic contributions such as Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day that is celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Some are also calling for a rebrand of Hispanic Heritage Month to Latinx Heritage Month to shift focus away from Spanish colonialism (and its harmful legacy of genocide and cultural erasure) and to be more inclusive of indigenous, Black, and non-binary Latinxs who are not always centered in these celebrations.
Check out our in-store display through October 15th, and also see our book list on our website, here. If you'd like to learn more about the month and notable figures, visit the national Hispanic Heritage Month page.
October Events at the Narrow Gauge
Join Eerie Dearie Arts at the Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative for a mask painting workshop!
Reserve your spot at the link, here, as space is limited to 15 people.
All supplies provided, and this workshop is FREE.
Come make your mask and be sure to celebrate homecoming with Adams State University!
Banned Books Week
What will you do to celebrate our right to read, and to spread the word that censorship is so 1984? Check out Let Freedom Read Day for ideas!
Spadefoot Story Slam: October 18th, 6pm
Each month, we host the Spadefoot Story Slam community, sharing stories based on a theme, selected at the previous month’s Slam. While inspired by the Moth Story Hour, our monthly meetings are not a contest, but instead are a way to come together and practice sharing, and deep listening.
This October, join us for your stories on AFTERMATH. Prepare a story about consequences. Aftershocks and fallout. The morning after! Indelible grins! Walks of shame! Assessing the wreckage from the storm. After the dust has settled, the decision to rehash or relinquish! Next move? Tell us about a time you had to wait for the dust to settle, a time you suffered the consequences, a time you had to face the music.
We encourage, always, creative interpretation of the theme.
Stories should be true as remembered by you, and spoken from the heart, instead of read from the page. We don’t have an official time limit, but encourage stories that take 10 minutes or less, especially if we have a large group. We look forward to seeing you on October 18th at 6pm!
Call for Artists for 2026
We are all full up for artists for 2025, and are now seeking to fill our 2026 calendar! We especially want to get our January, February, and March spots filled!
Our most common features are painting and photography, though we have also had fiber arts, glass art, and ceramics.
Featured artists have a show for one month. We'll promote your art on our social media accounts, feature you in our monthly newsletter, send a press-release to the newspaper, and schedule an artist reception if you want to have one.
We try to feature new artists each year; if you were featured in 2025, please wait to apply again until we put out a call for 2027.
If you would like to be a featured, please fill out the application by clicking here. You'll be asked to upload photo samples of your work, to provide a bio and artist statement, and to provide months when you are not available. If you have questions about any part of the application, please email us at narrowgauge.coop@gmail.com.
Coming Up in November
November 1st, 6pm: An Evening with Rick Wertz. Local author Rick Wertz will discuss his new book, a collection of stories and essays.
November 8th, 6pm: An Evening with David Primus, author of Beneath Blue Mesa: The Gunnison River Valley Before the Reservoir
Indie Press Book Club Feature
The Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative is happy to feature Coffee House Press for our featured independent press for September and October!
On November 5th at 6pm we'll discuss We're Safe When We're Alone by Nghiem Tran.
From their website: “Coffee House Press began as a small letterpress operation in 1972 and has grown into an internationally renowned nonprofit publisher of literary fiction, essay, poetry, and other work that doesn’t fit neatly into genre categories.
Following the small press movement of the 60s and 70s, the 80s saw an emergence of professionalization among small publishers. Coffee House Press's late founder Allan Kornblum saw an opportunity to create the sort of publishing house that he wished existed in the world.
Since Coffee House Press's founding, our authors have received and been finalists for numerous nominations and prizes, including the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Kingsley Tufts Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.
With your support, we’re able to make experimental, creative choices rather than react solely to sales algorithms and trends.
Coffee House Press creates new spaces for audiences and artists to interact, inspiring readers and enriching communities by expanding the definition of what literature is, what it can do, and to whom it belongs.”
Our book club pick: We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran
Join us on November 5th to discuss this novella, which has been called “A haunting and mesmerizing debut. Part parable, part fairy tale, and part nightmare, it all seems distilled out of the deepest longing. Nghiem Tran is a powerful new voice.” —Dana Spiotta
It was an NPR best book of 2023, a Kansas Notable Book of 2024, and a USA Today bestseller.
Synopsis: Son has lived his entire life inside the mansion. He is a good child. He reads, practices piano, studies, and watches ghosts tend the farmland through a window in the attic. When Father decides it is time for Son to venture outside, Son’s desire to please Father overpowers his fear, and he must contend with questions he never wanted to face. What are the relentlessly grinning ghosts hiding? Has a ghost taken control of Father? What answers or horrors lie in the forest? And who will stop the mysterious encroaching shadows? Nghiem Tran’s debut inverts the haunted house tale, shaping it into a moving exploration of loss, coming of age in a collapsing world, and the battle between isolation and assimilation.
Many Ways to Shop the NGBC
Shop In Store
You can shop with us in store and browse the shelves. Find the book you're looking for, or find a book you didn't know you were looking for! Our booksellers are happy to help you find the title, make recommendations, or order a book if we don't have it in stock.
Shop Online
We have an indie commerce website, through IndieLite, that allows customers to place orders online. Just go to narrowgaugebooks.com and click on the "Shop Online" button. Then, click "order a book" and you'll be redirected to our indie commerce site. You can search for the book you want, and then place your order from wherever you are! There are options to have your book shipped to you, or to pick up your book in store! You can even have your book shipped to someone else, if you're looking to skip the hassle of shipping the book yourself.
Call Us!
You can call us at 719-589-3464 to see if we have a book on the shelf. We'll be happy to put it aside for you! We can hold books for up to one week, so you can be sure that title is ready and waiting next time to stop in!
Preorders
You can preorder your next greatly anticipated book! Preorders help us know what our customers are excited about, and help us more effectively judge how many copies we should order. Often, we get new releases ahead of their publishing date, so when publishing Tuesday rolls around, we'll have your shiny new book ready and waiting for you to dive into the pages!
Be sure to check out this week's Shelf Awareness newsletter. Don't miss releases by your favorite authors, what's going on with your preferred genre, or find an obscure gem. NGBC can order any title referenced, and we can ship it direct to your house.
Happy Book Hunting!
Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting us, and thank you for being our community! - Jean A.
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