Ulster Publishing, NEW PALTZ TIMES
Aug. 11, 2005

An intimate portrait: Pride and Politics is Erin Quinn's revealing account of the historic same-sex marriages that rocked New Paltz and sent ripples throughout the country

By Anne Pyburn

I remember driving by New Paltz Village Hall during the media feeding frenzy occasioned by the initial round of same-sex marriages performed by mayor Jason West and gazing in wonder at the satellite trucks, feeling a twinge of desire to stop: it was homegrown history being made. I couldn't (I was probably late for something or other), but I took comfort in knowing that somewhere in the crush was my colleague Erin Quinn. Through her eyes and ears, I would be able to know what the center of the storm had been like.

She did an admirable job, as usual, getting way down under the surface and writing rings around the big kids -- an impression of mine that the New York State Press Association shared. But now she's really gone and done it -- published the story as a backstage, no-holds-barred nonfiction book:Pride and Politics: The Tale of a Big Story in a Small Town.

I can't count the number of times I've heard people of all persuasions say of the quirky, contentious sweetness that is New Paltz, "Somebody should write a book about this place." Well, folks, we just lucked out, big time, because the perfect gal for the job has done just that.

Pride and Politics utilizes the fresh, lively you-are-there style that Quinn applies to even the most mundane civic issues and takes it all the way on up to full throttle. Covering any interesting story, you end up with a lot of good juicy stuff that doesn't necessarily fit, spatially or otherwise, into a newspaper format: things people say to you or each other about it down at the grocery store, weird coincidences, deep background stuff. Multiply that exponentially, factor in a story with Constitutional ramifications, and add this hometown girl's insider access to the players.

Now run, do not walk, to Ariel for your copy.

Quinn told me via e-mail that she had to be coaxed into stepping out from behind the curtain and emerging as a character in the story. "It was a bit daunting to reveal more of myself. In the first draft of the book I was almost an omniscient narrator. But the publisher and the editor felt that I should put myself into the story more. They thought that my character and insight made the book more compelling. It was very difficult for me to do that, but I did.

"Obviously, I could have done much more, but chose a level of exposure I could live with. We live and work and write in a small town. I think many people know how I feel personally on some issues, but they also know I'll give all sides a chance to speak and a platform to speak on. In the end, we're all New Paltzians and community, at least for me, that comes before politics."

That awareness -- objectivity tempered with love -- runs through this book in a deep and vital current, as Quinn takes us into that ring of bright lights and all the way inside Village Hall in those first tumultuous moments, follows the story through court dates and hate group invasions, and deepens the context, drawing on her knowledge of politics and history in New Paltz and beyond. From the hilarious (how many people would remember that the mayoral election won by Jason West featured a dancing chicken and a janitor from P&G's who got 34 votes?) to the shocking, from Cabaloosa to the courthouse, it's one wild ride.

Although Quinn's feelings about gay marriage are made abundantly clear, she doesn't let them cloud her vision as she alternates hot and heavy phone calls with Jason West and Ulster County district attorney Don Williams, nor even as she races from church to church gauging the community response to the Phelps clan and their bile, probing beneath the surface to try to find out what they're really about.

It's a story with a lot of larger issues, set artfully against a vividly rendered background of New Paltz circa 2004, when a little village being governed by radical upstarts suddenly found itself in the spotlight, blinking a little at the glare.

"Exposure for New Paltz is always a double-edged sword," Quinn muses. "If we're going to be known for something -- scenic beauty, agriculture, rock-climbing -- education is not a bad place to start. Adding to that list a community also known for standing up for their fellow citizens' civil rights only enhances our image.

"The downside is, we have more people wanting to move here and our housing prices are sky-rocketing, our open space is getting chewed up by McMansions and our traffic congestion is reaching peak levels. Personally, I'd like to put up a roadblock at the Thruway entrance forcing those individuals looking to move from Westchester up to New Paltz to turn around and go back home.

"I don't think that anyone involved in this story anticipated, hoped for, or necessarily welcomed any degree of fame. I think that they did what they did based on personal and moral conviction...I believe both Don (Williams) and Jason (West), the two characters in my book who received the most notoriety for their actions, handled the spotlight very gracefully, each in keeping with their very distinct and disparate personalities."

At the production level as well, this book is a homegrown hometown miracle. It's the debut performance of a brand new publishing endeavor, Mix Multimedia, and shepherded by the Hudson Valley Media Arts Center. Quinn says she's honored and delighted to have her first book be their first book too. "Each of the six people working on this project took on tasks that an entire department would be responsible for at one of the larger houses and did just as good of a job," says Quinn. For a sneak peek at the book's first chapter, visit hvmac.com.

It's an odd experience to interview and write about a co-worker. Erin and I really don't know each other except through reading each other's work. When I began writing news and features, I read her work to learn how, and I'm always hugely honored when she likes something of mine. But reading this book was the first time I ever actually got a sense of what she's like to hang out with -- and it's a treat and a half, whether she's rummaging frantically for her last clean sweater, trying to keep from spitting Coke through her nose at something funny, or interviewing a presidential candidate or a five-year-old kid.

So go hang out with her at her book signing at Ariel Booksellers in New Paltz on August 20 at 7 p.m. The store itself is a character in the story, and the evening's going to snap, crackle and pop like few others. You could also make the sojourn to New York City for Quinn's book reading at The New Century Artist Gallery, 530 W. 25th Street on Thursday, August 25 at 7 p.m. Books can be pre-ordered at Ariel, your local bookstore, or at www.mixmultimedia.com. Books will be available on August 20.

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