Susan Buffum

Bending Birches Susan Buffum

Bending Birches is two connected novellas set in Amherst, MA and Stockbridge, MA. Professor Reid Lockwood is an English professor at Bircham College in Hadley. As student Jordan James' senior year winds up, he must find a way to let the pretty girl from southern CA know that he is interested in pursuing a relationship with her after she graduates. Unfortunately, a sex scandal erupts in the department and Jordan is preoccupied with getting the college's arts & literary magazine published, in addition to completing her senior thesis and other projects. In Seventh Year Itch, Professor Lockwood and Jordan have been married for nearly seven years. He's living in their Amherst home while continuing to teach at Bircham. She's primarily living in their cottage in Stockbridge where she works as a photojournalist for a local magazine. They have a three year-old son. On the night that Reid is on the brink of infidelity, a terrible accident happens. As Jordan recovers, the couple realizes that a major change needs to be made in order for their marriage to survive and their family to remain together.