The setting for my upcoming picture book, Hosea Plays On, is the City of Rochester Public Market. The Market has been a part of my life since I was a child. I used to ride the bus with my grandmother (Gaetana!) and witness her barter with vendors, as she collected fresh fruits and vegetables for the wonderful dishes she created. Once I discovered a story that took place there, I was already grounded. What I affirmed through my research for Hosea is that the Market remains a place where folks meet, conducting their weekly routines of buying and selling, chatting and laughing, enjoying a cup of coffee. Feeling connected to their community. It’s a beautiful place, and I’m honored to have a book centered on a person and place in “little old” Rochester, New York. My home town.