MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
On March 30, Sigma Tau Delta hosted an open mic night at the 21 East Bookstore in Dunkirk.
The bookstore is almost hidden in a brick building on East Second Street. However, once inside, you’ll notice the store is open and inviting with comfy chairs to read in.
Both students and faculty members alike got up in front of the room to share some of their favorite pieces and personal work.
Sigma Tau Delta is the international English honors society on campus. This Fredonia chapter sponsors events for English students, faculty and community members. Past events have included coffee talks with different professors regarding the English major and Bedtime Stories, which involved reading environmental related stories to children to help celebrate Earth Day.
The group hosts an open mic night once every semester at the same bookstore.
“It’s a great way to link our education with the community, which is what Sigma Tau Delta strives to do . . . events like this are important because they help make our campus more aware of what goes on around them in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area,” said Alijah Fox, a senior double major in English and international studies and secretary of Sigma Tau Delta. “A majority of the students who go here don’t even know that 21 East exists, so bringing it to their attention is, again, a way to connect our school to the community.”
21 East Bookstore opened its doors back in 2010 and offers hundreds of used books for bargain prices. They are the only local bookstore in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area after the closing of the Book Nook in 2013. They sell hardcovers for $2, paperbacks for $1 and children’s books for $0.50. All proceeds go towards supporting literacy services.
The bookstore is a part of the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County. The group is a non-profit organization devoted to improving people’s lives through free literacy instruction. One-on-one and group tutoring sessions are offered in reading, writing and speaking skills.
21 East Bookstore is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also accept book donations.
If you missed out on their open mic night, Sigma Tau Delta has a supplies drive for refugees in the Buffalo area planned for the end of April.