Last week, one of our authors, Sarah Stolfa, launched her new book, THE REGULARS, in her hometown of Philadelphia at Gallery 339, and in NYC at McNally Jackson Books. It was one of the hottest days in NYC this summer and despite the city heat, an impressive crowd gathered to hear her talk about the inspiration behind her award-winning photography series, “The Regulars”. (It didn’t hurt that The NY Times, Women’s Wear Daily and The New Yorker blogged about this event!).
As the publicist, I was pleased with the turn-out because July can be a slow month but apparently not for Sarah! Hundreds turned out for her event in Philly, but there’s a local connection as the bar fly portraits in her book were all taken at McGlinchey’s in downtown Philadelphia. The appeal of her work, however, is universal. It’s easy to understand why: her subjects (bar patrons) can be found in any watering hole in any American city.
Sarah told the NYC crowd: “I was a bartender before I was a photographer, and I got into photography to get out of the bar.” It was fascinating to learn how her interest and career as a photographer began. She had been working in this dive bar for 10 long years, and she was a frustrated photography student who was ready to quit. But one day her professor encouraged her to photograph her life so she started taking her camera to work at the bar.
The result: these amazing portraits. I was also struck by the fact that she waited 3 ½ months to capture one of her “regulars” in the right setting. Sarah just knew that this woman would keep returning so she could photograph her later at the perfect moment. Ah, the virtue of patience. Sarah’s story was not only interesting but inspiring.
–Amy Corley
Executive Director of Publicity
Artisan Books
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