(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring Heather Byer, class of 1986, appeared in Bexley News on July 21, 2008)  8/4/08

Bexley alumna Byer finds billiards to be a 'Sweet' refuge

By NICHOLAS A. LA TORRE

Heather Byer, a freelance writer and editor turned pool shark, will read from her memoir Sweet: An Eight-Ball Odyssey as part of the 2008 Thurber House Literary Picnics series Wednesday, July 23 at the Thurber House, 77 Jefferson Ave.

Byer, a Bexley High School alumna, moved to New York in 1999 and soon discovered her passion for the lifestyle surrounding pool halls. Byer said her fascination with pool began as a way to escape the routine of her career and the fast-paced streets of New York.

"I spontaneously walked into a pool hall that I had always passed," Byer said. "It seemed so quiet in pool halls. It was a release from life."

Soon after, Byer enrolled in "Pool School" at the former Chelsea Billiards pool hall. She said that before moving to New York, she had never even played pool.

"I am definitely not the typical misspent youth associated with pool players," Byer said. "I was hypnotized by it from afar and what it represented in the movies."

Now playing in leagues, having attained a No. 3 pool players' ranking, Byer said she misleads many of her opponents with her petite stature and polite words.

She said unlike other sports, pool affords its players the ability to perform well without having a burly, athletic appearance.

"I'm an accidental hustler, underestimated because I'm a female," Byer said. "Anyone can play it. The things that make you good at pool defy the things needed to be good at other sports.

"It's like when you see someone dancing -- a gigantic guy that would appear to be clumsy but is actually very graceful," Byer added.

She will entertain her audience at Thurber House by reading from her book as well as sharing childhood stories from a life in Bexley. She also will offer pointers for those interested in memoir writing.

"I'll talk about growing up in a place like Bexley as someone who isn't necessarily athletic," Byer said. "I always felt that I wasn't seen as someone who would be playing a sport or on a team.

"Pool is very solitary. The burden is on you, such as growing up as a bright person from Bexley, driven to excel and enjoy something even if you don't excel."

Guests will need to bring their own blankets or lawn chairs for seating.

Free parking is available after 6 p.m. at meters on Jefferson Avenue.

The neighboring rain site is State Auto Insurance, 518 E. Broad St.

A picnic will kick off the event at 6:15 p.m., followed by Byer's program at 7 p.m. Guests can bring a picnic meal; the deadline to order dinner has passed.

For the reading only, tickets for adults are $15 and children ages 12 and under are $5.

For more information visit the Web site thurberhouse.org or call 614-464-1032.

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