The Local Artisan in Ogden did not want to let the global pandemic get in its way of its annual Art Stroll, so owners, entrepreneurs and artists, Stephanie Saint-Thomas and Jenny Rawson de Venegas organized the virtual event from Facebook Live so local artists could have a platform to share their art while socially distanced.

This new way of life has left people with a sense of disconnectedness from the world. The Local Artisan started doing giveaways to get people interested in products, so a few local businesses and independent artists chose viewers from the Facebook streaming event to give away their products to as a method of establishing a closeness often hard to accomplish these days.

Some of the products in the giveaway were author Heather Green’s newly-released book titled, “Fan Girl,” a serving-size container of microgreens from Urban Prairie Agriculture and two hand-sewn leather credit card holders designed by Earl Talbot of The Local Artisan, among other prizes.

As the featured artist of the night, Earl Talbot, showcased the leather workshop from his basement at home. The shelves and work tables were littered with leather pieces of all different colors and designs.

Earl and his wife Marygail are business partners, where he sews leather backpacks, purses, satchels, wallets and card holders, and she stitches one-of-a-kind leather earrings.

Earl said he makes sure to use up as much leather as he can, and the leftover leather fabric can be used for jewelry, which often makes for a matching bag and earrings.

Putting to use new and antique leather, Earl finds it important to work with all types of leather for all ages and styles for women and men. He also teaches a wide selection of leather sewing classes at The Local Artisan.

Saint-Thomas and Venegas’ goal for their business was for people of all different backgrounds to become involved in the arts, so they chose an author who wrote a book about the worldwide issue of child trafficking.

When Green streamed for the event, she read from the prologue of her unreleased book “For Her” to see if her audience could tell her what the story was about and how it might end.

She described a 19-year-old daughter named Dasha with an alcoholic mother who later revealed that she had already sold her youngest daughter, and that she was going to sell Dasha the next day. After repeatedly calling her daughter vile names, the mother grew frustrated and threw her whisky bottle at the door so Dasha ran for her room. She’d planned to keep the money from her job so she could go save her sister.

Green left the story off there and let the audience write the ending for themselves to encourage the understanding that everyone can write.

Green confirmed the book was about child trafficking, but left with the message of paying close attention to the things more closely. Green said she hoped that reading from her prologue inspired others, writers and non-writers, to be thinking of new ideas.