Three northeast Denver residents have published books for every shelf: a memoir of healing and hope, a deep dive into the wines of Italy, and a children’s book celebrating relaxed weekend mornings with family.

My Pretty Baby: Seeking Truth and Finding Healing

By Wendy B. Correa

At a time when mental health conversations feel urgent, Central Park resident Wendy B. Correa has written a memoir about her life as a Los Angeles music industry insider and her journey of healing from trauma. My Pretty Baby: Seeking Truth and Finding Healing, published by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, will hit shelves Nov. 4.

Correa said, “The inspiration for my book was my resilience and healing from my lived experience and my desire to provide a survival guide for other people who may be grappling with how to begin to heal from their own childhood trauma.” With more than two thirds of adults reporting traumatic childhood experiences, Correa added, “My Pretty Baby is a call to action to educate, prevent, and heal childhood trauma. My Pretty Baby isn’t just my memoir, it’s everyone’s.”

Correa has worked in the film, television, multimedia, and music industries in Los Angeles and as a radio DJ in Colorado. She wrote her first draft “three days a week for three hours in a stuffy attic room with other writers” at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.

My Pretty Baby will be available from Tattered Cover, as well as online from Book Shop, Amazon, and Simon & Schuster, among others.

Opening a Bottle: Italy 

By Kevin Day

While Central Park resident Kevin Day has written for his online magazine Opening a Bottle for more than a decade, writing his first book was an opportunity for him to lean into the permanence of the printed word. In Opening a Bottle: Italy, which was released on July 15, Day explores 24 wineries “reshaping the worldview of Italian wine.” Drawing on his travels through Italy, from the hills of Barolo to the lava fields of Mount Etna, Day combines photography and storytelling to reveal how the natural environment in which wine is produced is enriched by the people who cultivate it.

Day said he was stirred to write his book, in part, by the people behind Italian wine. “Their personal stories have touched me profoundly over the years, and it is an honor to tell them in print,” he said. “The landscape of Italy, its multi-layered history, and the present-day culture of conviviality that surrounds Italian wine have also served as inspiration.”

Opening a Bottle: Italy also explores how winemakers are turning to ancestral practices to secure the future of fine wine despite the difficulties of climate change. Day’s wife, graphic designer Hailey Day of HeyDay Creative, produced the layout, and the book includes a list of 100 “must-try Italian wines for every level of enthusiast.”

Opening a Bottle: Italy is available from the online sites BookBaby and Ingram Spark. Limited edition signed copies are available through openingabottle.com.

Waiting on a Pancake 

By Natasha Gulley

A kindergarten teacher at Park Hill Elementary School, Natasha Gulley was inspired by her relationship with her daughters to write her first book, Waiting on a Pancake. The children’s book tells the story of a young girl who wakes up on a Saturday morning and anticipates cooking pancakes for breakfast. “The story is a celebration of the small joys in life and the fleeting, yet sacred, rites of childhood,” Gulley said. Waiting on a Pancake was published in September.

“I wanted to impart the joy and creativity that cooking and nourishing our bodies can bring,” she said. “Weekday mornings can always feel so rushed. It was such a reprieve to finally wake up on a Saturday and have the whole morning ahead of us to cook, laugh, and be together.” While the book is written for children, it is also a reminder to parents that their presence, time, and attention are of significant value to their family.

While Gulley first wrote the book while snuggling on her couch with her daughters in 2021, “it took courage and grit, however, to finally present it to the world,” she said. She opted to self-publish, realizing a longtime dream of turning her original poem celebrating Saturday mornings with family into a book to share with others, including her students.

Waiting on a Pancake is available from Amazon and Ingram Press.