Stephanie Foulkes is a self-proclaimed book worm, so it's fitting that she's also at the helm of the Reading space in the Sault's new social platform.
SPACES is Village Media's hyper-local social network that connects your community. It brings neighbours together around shared interests, fosters real-world relationships and strengthens the city we call home.
SEE: SPACES is live! Welcome to Sault Ste. Marie’s very own social network
Foulkes is a community partner specialist with Village Media focusing on community partnerships and building relationships with local business owners in Sault Ste. Marie and area. When SPACES was looking for hosts, she jumped at the opportunity.
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“I figured that being a host would help me understand SPACES better, for my clients,” she explained. “I have always enjoyed reading, but at different times in my life, I didn’t have much time for it. When my kids were little and I was working full-time, it was hard to make the time. Now that they are teens, I am a voracious reader. On the weekends, I can devour a book a day!”
Foulkes rediscovered her love of reading as an adult with the Harry Potter series. She still will re-read it from time to time, it’s a timeless classic for her. Just before the pandemic, she challenged herself to read a book a week in one year, and easily succeeded, with a couple of weeks to spare.
“My husband thinks I’m weird,” she confessed. “If I find a series I love, I will buy all the books in that series, just to have them. I will follow the authors on social media, and if I can get the books signed, even better. One series I discovered, I asked my husband to buy me all 15 of the books for Christmas!”
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Foulkes prefers owning hard copies of books to reading on a tablet. "Nothing better than holding that book in your hands, and besides, I like to loan out my books . . . my daughter is into some of the same authors now, and it’s fun to be able to lend her the books as she reads them.”
Coworkers are a great source of new book finds for Foulkes, and the Reading space is full of Village Media team members talking about books they have enjoyed, or ones they are looking forward to reading. “One of my coworkers has started a Silent Book Club, and I would really like to check that out,” said Foulkes.
“They get together every couple of weeks in a certain spot, socialize a bit, then silently read together. That would be a lot of fun!”
Foulkes has used the Reading Space to ask for book suggestions, to talk about books she is enjoying, and to interact with other readers’ suggestions and questions. “It is getting more interactive, and we have a large number of members,” she said.
“Readers love to talk books and talk about what they are reading, so I think our space will probably continue to grow to be even more interactive!”
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After reading Harry Potter, Foulkes branched out from being a romance reader, to fantasy, and then to romantasy (a combination of romance and fantasy). Recently, she read Fourth Wing, the first book in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, which was recommended by a coworker. “I loved it!” she exclaimed. “I read it in one day, just took the whole day Saturday and devoured it. I am reading the next book in the series now, and can’t wait to read the others!”
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What are Foulkes’s goals for the Reading space? “To pass on and collect even more great book recommendations! I would love to start a Book Club, but it would be tricky because we have so many members. But I do think it would be cool for a whole group to be reading the same book at the same time. We will see what develops!”
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Foulkes added, “I am grateful for the community that the Soo Reading space gives me. It’s wonderful to hop on and see someone is enjoying a book I recommended, or get a new recommendation for me. I am really enjoying the local interaction.”