What they’re reading: Vera Cornish

When Vera Cornish moved to the Harrisburg area, one of the favorite things she and her preteen daughter did was spend time at the East Shore Area Library. Even now, that adult daughter “loves to turn the pages of a book.” Vera is the publisher of Urban Connection, author of “Dare to Dream with Vera Cornish,” and a sought-after motivational speaker, facilitator, and strategist. “The life I live today, being in the company of presidents, decision makers, influencers, I can trace that journey back to the power of reading,” she says. 

What are you reading right now? The works of Toni Morrison and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as I’m preparing to give a presentation on the impact of their voices on history. 

Why those particular books? I love reading thought provoking elevated literature, and Toni Morrison exemplifies the power of the written word. She didn’t allow anyone to keep her approach to literature in a box. Her journey included being a novelist, a professor at Princeton University, and receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature.  

What’s your favorite thing about the library? While I was preparing for the upcoming presentation, I called and said, “Here’s what the presentation is about, but there’s nothing like holding a book in your hand. Can you pull together a collection I can take with me?” And they said, “Yes.” The Dauphin County Library systems provides outstanding access to resources.