Melanie Faith writes: "These photos were taken in Central Pennsylvania. En route to an afternoon seminar, the serendipitous sign for the country store beckoned and a stop was made. One of the first memories I have is of going with my dad to little country stores, like this one, that used to dot the countryside in every community when I was growing up here in Pennsylvania, before the giant conglomerates shoved them out of business. Part of the joy and discovery of a farmer's market was always the candy counter where a myriad of choices awaited. Yet that wasn't the only pull of the country store. The colors of the fresh produce and deli, the chilly press of the ice cream case against a palm, the section of second-hand yardsale treasures, and the homemade displays-- often incorporating hand-lettered signs, stuffed animals, and whatever else the store keeper and family had on hand-- made shopping at the market an unforgetable experience. True to form (and memory), I left this store with a heaping bag of assorted candy."

Melanie Faith is a graduate of the Queens University of Charlotte MFA program in Creative Writing and works as a tutor at a college preparatory high school. Her poetry chapbook, Restless: Relative Poems, was published by Foothills Publishing. In 2005, her poetry was published in UK, Canadian, and US presses, was featured on the World Poetry Radio Show (Vancouver, Canada), and earned 3rd place in a "boys/girls" themed Maison Neuve Magazine (Montreal, Canada) contest. She was reader featured in the Wilson College Visiting Writers Series and was selected recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Young Alumnae Award. Her poems and photography are forthcoming in Arabesques, De-Fault, Cab/Net, Armada Quarterly, The Long Islander and The Watch List.

Her photographs appeared in Six Little Things #5: Tiny, Tiny Objects.