Martin Durkin is the latest local talent this columnist has had the pleasure of welcoming to Second Saturday Stories.
Martin is a military spouse and has been living in North Bay for the past 5 years. To date, Martin has published 3 books of poetry. The last book entitled SteelTown for Mary: Memoirs from a Dick was short-listed by the Hamilton Literary Arts Council in 2015.
Since 2015, Martin has been the editor for the 8 Wing newspaper, been published in various literary magazines, and performed at events such as the inaugural Al Purdy Residency, Night Kitchen Too in Belleville, First Tuesday Muse in Tweed, and will be heading to the Picton Armoury to record for an upcoming video series through the Picton Arts Council.
Currently, Martin is creating new work reflective of his years living inside the gateway to the north.
Martin has two separate stories that will be featured in the next two installments of Second Saturday Stories. Debuting today at 3 p.m. comes a story about a female police officer who comes to a town and needs to set the tone of what her leadership will be like as she protects the local citizens, and deals with how social media dictates people's success....or failures.
The story is titled 'New Town, New Sheriff.' The poet in Martin shines through like the glean of a badge in this story as he delivers a well-sculpted tale that's highly satisfying.
Martin told Second Saturday Stories that his approach to short stories is to incorporate a voice through poetry and micro fiction. You won't want to miss it.
