When current and former residents of Buxton gather for Homecoming, they share memories of fishing for smelt, practising for the North Buxton Maple Leaf Band, building the local museums; of Sunday School picnics and grandma’s pumpkin pies.

Buxton residents also share more painful memories. Memories of prejudice, of learning that in the world outside Buxton, black stars would have to shine doubly bright to be seen.

In this memoir, Karen Shadd-Evelyn celebrates the heritage of Buxton, combining prose, poetry, and personal photographs in a shimmering evocation of life in a very special community.

Karen Shadd-Evelyn is one of six children, the sixth generation of Shadds born and raised in North Buxton. Several of her poems, stories, fiction and essays have been published in magazines and anthologies. Karen, her husband and their daughters currently live in London, Ontario.

Karen Shadd-Evelyn's profile page

"Poignant stories of growing up, of growing up black, of growing up black in small-town Ontario. This is a book about a group of people tied together by geography, history and family."

The London Free Press