A love story for the pages

Dr. Alexandra Mason will give a talk based on her newly released book, “A Handbook for Love,” at Newport Public Library this Saturday, Jan. 7.

Based on her own struggles and experiences, the universality of religious truths across cultures throughout time, portrayals of love in literature and film and observations on the topic by historical and current writers, the book establishes love as the foundation of our being.

Each chapter ends with “Loving Exercises” to help readers to liberate the love within, beginning with themselves and moving into their larger communities with mindfulness of thought and action.

In reviewing the book, Dr. Ruth Miller said: “In this wonderful little guide Dr. Mason has done what few of us are able to do: take a complex subject and present it in a way that we can feel as well as understand what she means … A blessing indeed!”  Fellow coastal author Brent Burford calls it “A deep, thoughtful, and delightful book.”

Mason is also the author of “The Lighthouse Ghost of Yaquina Bay,” “Shakespeare’s Pipe,” “Shakespeare’s Money Talks” and two volumes of poetry. She is former dean and professor emerita of Eastern Oregon University, former president of Writers on the Edge, founder of the Northwest Poets’ Concord and a long-time member of the Tuesday Writers of Waldport.

“A Handbook for Love” and Mason’s other books will be available at the presentation at a discounted price.

The talk begins at 11 am in the McEntee room at Newport Public Library, located at 35 NW Nye Street. For more information, go to newportoregon.gov or call 541-265-2153.