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Book Bound

These are a few of my favorite things: Amherst, MA, public libraries

November 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

by Shirley Reva Vernick

The Jones Library

Back when I was checking out towns in which to raise my children, one of the first local stops was always the public library. The Jones Library in Amherst, MA clinched it for me. Nestled in a stately stone building right off the main street, the library bustled with patrons of all ages that day—people reading, learning, enjoying group activities, installing exhibits, and generally creating an energized atmosphere of community. My family moved to town within a few months of that visit.

Originally housed in a local hotel, the 102-year-old Amherst library system now includes the main Jones branch and two satellites to serve the town’s 40,000 residents. Through the years, the library has loaned millions of books and digital media; hosted thousands of meetings, book talks and musical events; and continually applied new technology to the service of patrons. Need to borrow a ukulele, an air quality monitor, a museum pass, or a wireless hotspot? Incredibly, it’s just a library card away.

Literal—and literary—riches

Linda Wentworth, head of adult collections, says she has her dream job at the Jones. “I get to work with a community that’s insane about reading, and I have the privilege of managing a 300,000-item collection, some of it in multiple foreign languages.”

The Jones is now teaming up with another library in town, the national Yiddish Book Center, to (remotely) celebrate Coming to America. With the financial and intellectual support of the Yiddish Book Center, the Jones has arranged a reading group to discuss three books of Yiddish literature in translation, plus a fourth book related to one of Amherst’s larger immigrant communities: the Chinese. 

The discussion series, facilitated by Wentworth, will use these books to explore the ways in which immigrants change our country, and the ways in which our country changes those who immigrate here. Through these discussions, participants will explore the range of immigrant experiences and how these experiences are portrayed in literature. 

Another project on the drawing board is an ongoing book concierge service. Patrons will be invited to specify what kinds of books they like, and the staff will put two relevant selections on hold for them each month. Now, that’s my kind of book-of-the-month club!

Start ’em young

The library’s youth services have enjoyed increased attendance over the last five years, thanks to a trifecta of new children’s programs, the creation of a young-adult librarian position, and a focus on inclusivity.

A captivated audience

“Public libraries used to expect teens to act like adults and use the adult spaces,” notes library director Sharon Sharry. “Now that the Jones has given teens a dedicated space, their own programming, and a specialized librarian, we’ve become a cool place for YAs to hang out.”

The children’s room is continuously finding ways to embrace diversity. For instance, the library used to host an annual American Girl doll party, where girls could bring their American Girl dolls and participate in related activities. “But American Girl dolls are expensive,” says Mia Cabana, youth services director, “and are traditionally only for girls. So now we do a teddy bear/doll tea party, where both boys and girls are welcome, and the toy you bring doesn’t need to be fancy.”

Some children have adopted this party as a way to explore their sexual identity. Whether it’s a boy bringing a doll or a girl dressing up in a bowtie, all are welcome.

Something special

Many times over the years, I’ve lost myself in the library’s special collections. What a treasure—especially, in my opinion, the manuscript collections of local icons Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. I was so delighted to find a handwritten rough draft of Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” I was afraid I’d stare the ink right off the page. I’m also partial to the Amherst authors collection, which showcases books and articles written by Amherst residents from 1730 to today. You can find Noah Webster’s lexicographical studies, Robert Francis’s poetry, Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth (my personal childhood favorite), and much more.

“The special collections allow people to bridge Amherst’s past to its present,” says Cyndi Harbeson, head of special collections. “Whether I’m sharing famous historical manuscripts or tracking the provenance of local buildings, I love working with school children, high school and college students, genealogists, international scholars, and general Amherst residents.”

Harbeson points out that the collections also highlight non-celebrity residents, including “regular” people’s historic photos, scrapbooks, store records, maps and legal deeds. “We serve as a repository for local Cambodian refugees’ records too,” she adds. “My hope is to expand this initiative and make the special collections more representative of our community.”

When we’re apart

Quarantine, unfortunately, has closed the buildings. Nevertheless, the library services persist. The award-winning ESL and citizenship programs have thrived remotely. Dungeons & Dragons tournaments, wee sing-alongs, bilingual story times, tech support for personal computers—all these are thriving virtually, as are author interviews, art instruction, and music lessons.

In addition to keeping its digital materials and research tools available, the Jones has developed an effective protocol for socially distanced book borrowing. The main branch is offering home delivery, as well as weather-dependent outdoor pickup. Meanwhile, the South Amherst branch has taken a page from the “wine windows” that dotted Florence, Italy, during the 17th-century bubonic plague scourge. Wine merchants during that time built tiny windows through which they could pass wine flasks, thus avoiding direct contact with customers. In just this way, the South Amherst branch is passing bagged books to patrons.

Love ya, tomorrow

In 2021, the Jones is hoping to begin a significant building renovation, updating existing structures and adding new space. The library has already been offered a state grant to help support the renovation. Now the staff is awaiting a town council vote on whether to underwrite the balance. “I’m very optimistic,” says Sharry.

The library also plans to rev up its nascent anti-racism movement. “We want every person who crosses our threshold to feel at home,” Sharry says. Indeed, one highly visible example of this initiative greets patrons as soon as they walk through the Jones’ front door. The large painting in the entryway titled “English Nobleman” (often mistaken for Lord Jeffrey Amherst, the man purported to have sent smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans in the 18th century) has been replaced with a landscape.

Jorge Luis Borges imagined paradise as a kind of library. It seems to me that the Jones is, if not a literal paradise, then certainly a warm and welcoming place for exploration and self-expansion. I can’t wait to be able to pop back in for a browse, and I’m grateful for the staff’s creative and technical expertise that keeps me connected in the meantime.

Shirley Reva Vernick is the author of The Blood Lie, Remembering Dippy, and The Black Butterfly. Her work has garnered innumerable awards and recognition, some of which include: the American Library Association Best Fiction Books for Young Readers List, Simon Wiesenthal Once Upon A World Book Award, Dolly Gray Literature Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction. Fitzroy Books is proud to publish Ripped Away in 2022.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: BookBound, Shirley Reva Vernick, The Jones Library

Bookbound: Amherst Books

August 26, 2020 Leave a Comment

A literary powerhouse in Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley

by Shirley Reva Vernick

What better place to locate a bookstore—one with a sprawling poetry section—than just up the street from Emily Dickinson’s house and around the corner from Robert Frost’s home? Amherst Books proprietors Shannon Ramsey and Nat Herold knew what they were doing when they chose Amherst, MA for their indie bookstore in 2003. And they’ve been delighting customers ever since with their diverse collection (including small press offerings), outstanding literary events, and welcoming atmosphere.

Amherst Books and I arrived in town just months apart in the early 2000s. Even after all these years, I still get a special joy when I walk inside, like I’m coming home. The literature wall with the rolling ladder, the spacious children’s corner, the comfortable armchairs, and the warm lighting all combine to create a timeless, made-for-bibliophiles quality. As one Yelp reviewer wrote, “Pitch me a tent, and I’ll just live here.”

Discussing the magic of bookstores with me, Nat quotes French philosopher Roland Barthes, who said, “Every book chooses its reader.” Nat adds, “I like to say we’re midwives in that process.”

And what well-stocked shelves these midwives keep! The store carries new and used books from local, national and international authors, including no fewer than 45 books by or about Emily Dickinson alone. With particular strengths in philosophy and poetry, the collection also includes general and science fiction, children’s literature, and books about cooking, history, gender studies, women’s studies, black studies, the sciences, essays and more.

In addition, Amherst Books hosts around 170 literary events yearly (when the country isn’t in quarantine). Luminaries like Min Jin Lee, Jericho Brown, James Tate, and Norton Juster have given talks or done readings here. So have regular-Joe local authors like yours truly. As a writer, I believe that a book’s story isn’t complete until it’s read and, ideally, discussed. Platforms that bring authors and readers together in one room elevate this co-creation to new levels. I’m grateful to Amherst Books for hosting the launch of all my books to date. 

Booksellers’ origin stories

Nat grew up in a house of books and readers. “We were so bad about returning all the library books we borrowed,” he remembers, “that the Washington, D.C. public library would send a truck around once a year or so to take back their books. They never cut off our borrowing, however.”

Books were also a way for Nat to communicate with his father, who was an alcoholic. “Often the only way to spend time with him was to talk about books,” Nat recalls. “Recommending new books to each other was how we bonded.”

Shannon too took refuge in reading as a youngster. “Books carried me through a lot of lonely times,” she remembers.  “So, when I was looking at colleges and saw UMass’s 26-floor DuBois Library, I knew I was going to go to school in Amherst! Once there, I got a job at the library, which then opened doors for me at Amherst Books.”

Bookselling was a natural fit for Nat because it allowed him to continue surrounding himself with books and connecting with people through book recommendations. “In other sorts of retail, you don’t learn anything meaningful about the person who’s buying, say, tissues,” he notes. “But a person reveals a lot about themselves by the books they choose.”

Shannon is on the same page (pun intended). “What I love most about bookselling,” she says, “is the idea that reading, which helped me when I was lonely, could also be the thing that connects me to others.”

Lean times

Thriving as an indie bookstore is never a given in these times of fierce competition and consumer focus on the digital. Nat attributes Amherst Books’ success to strong customer service, a uniquely curated book selection, and a robust reading and book launch roster.

Shannon ascribes their progress to two components. “First and foremost, we have stayed true to our core, book-loving selves,” she says. “We constantly remember what brought us to reading and then do our best to translate that to our community.” Secondly, she and Nat know their community well. “This allows us to reflect the community back to itself by way of a carefully chosen collection.”

To supplement their revenue, Amherst Books now carries certain non-book items, including literary tote bags, postcards, and book-themed T-shirts. “We’re giving people an alternative to online shopping,” says Shannon. “An alternative that allows direct interaction with products and the chance to socialize with staff and other visitors.”

Going local

Shannon and Nat are personally committed to a vision of sustainability that promotes growing roots and being part of the local community. How lucky for readers and authors alike that this shared value produced Amherst Books.

Shirley Reva Vernick is the author of The Blood Lie, Remembering Dippy, and The Black Butterfly. Her work has garnered innumerable awards and recognition, some of which include: the American Library Association Best Fiction Books for Young Readers List, Simon Wiesenthal Once Upon A World Book Award, Dolly Gray Literature Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction. Fitzroy Books is proud to publish Ripped Away in 2022.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: Amherst Books, BookBound, Shirley Reva Vernick

BookBound: Avid Bookshop

August 15, 2019 Leave a Comment

A beloved local bookstore in Athens, GA

Lillah Lawson, author of Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree

There’s something about Avid Bookshop that makes me think of a charming Britcom. Standing in the quaint, historical building on Athens’ historical Prince Avenue, among rows of artfully placed books, the mid-day sun streaming brightly through the rounded windows, I half expect a blustering, quirky neighbor with a posh-but-flustered lilt to come barreling in, amid a flood of papers and manuscripts, the door slamming a little too hard behind him. He’ll take up residence in one of the corners, at home among the card-stock prints, magnets and coffee, and begin banging on the vintage typewriter, writing a whodunit to rival Agatha Christie, only popping up his head now and again to say something clever and a little biting, followed by a polite, clipped laugh track.

I have no idea where this fantasy comes from. In actuality, Avid Bookshop, located at 493 Prince Avenue, Athens, GA, just down the way from the infamous Daily Co-Op, and right beside historic Fire Hall #2, is as uniquely Southern as it gets. The bookstore, just shy of a decade old, is one of our storied town’s most beloved local businesses. With its loyal fanbase of dedicated readers and patrons, Avid has enjoyed immense success over the years; so much so, they opened a second location in popular Five Points a few years ago to meet customer demand. 

Avid Bookshop opened the Prince Avenue store – its first, original location – in 2011. The business, buoyed by the vision of owner Janet Geddis (and in part, crowdfunded by locals who thirsted for another indie bookstore, after the sad demise of everyone’s favorite newstand, Barnett’s, in 2008), started out small, with just seven shelves. Housed in the former Athens Fire Station, the store and it’s event room next door (tied into the Athens Heritage Foundation) still has the open, airy energy of it’s historical past – the building itself seems to almost beckon, to say, “come in.”  

Fire Hall #2 was built in 1901, and the polished, pleasantly-creaking wood floors and large, open windows tell the tale of a time gone by. According to a smiling employee, “you can almost still smell the firehouse,” which, for me, conjured up the smell of motor oil, rumbling engines, and cigar smoke (that’s just the writer in me projecting; I honestly have no idea what a firehouse smells like). The building was also briefly home to a hair salon, but it wasn’t until Avid moved in that the building once again came into its own. It didn’t take long for Avid Bookshop to take off running; with it’s artistic, creative local flair, emphasis on supporting fellow local businesses, and support of local authors and artists, Avid quickly gained a huge following. With readers and industry professionals alike beginning to sour on huge retail outlets like Amazon and Walmart, Avid easily stepped in to deliver what customers yearned for: a quirky local store with amazing books and engagement with the local scene. While I was there, snapping photos, several customers came in to browse, each of them greeted warmly, most of them greeted by name.

In addition to peddling books – bestsellers, children’s books, local literature and everything in between – Avid sells writing accessories, greeting cards, art, coffee and more. They host a wide variety of events every single week: book signings and launches for local authors (as well as notable celebrity authors such as David Sedaris and Chelsea Clinton, to name a couple); storytime and other child-friendly events (they recently took part in a nationwide Where’s Waldo event); the store also takes part in socially conscious activities, events and movements – they are active in local Pride events, Bookstores Without Borders, and more. I once accompanied my son to a huge Pokemon Go event at Avid; he had a ball searching for illusive Poke-whatevers while I thumbed through a David Bowie-themed coloring book that I’m 100% certain I never would have found at any other bookstore. For that alone, they get an A+ in my book!

Avid Bookshop’s Five Points location

The store’s Five Points location – which, built in the 1920s, enjoys its own historical legacy and clientele – is located at 1662 Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA, right beside Condor Chocolates (do go and have a latte and a cloud boulder after you buy your books). The Five Points store boasts a wider selection of genre-based literature, including larger Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical and Romance sections. I was pleased to discover this, as so many indie bookstores (rightly) face criticism for not considering Romance a legitimate genre. There’s also an amazing kids’ section, complete with a huge wooden boat with twinkling electric-blue lights that my son immediately set up as his second home (seriously, I had to force him to leave). It’s a homey space, the sturdy old building clean and every bit as inviting as the signature vintage typewriters that grace both locations. I’m still picturing that silly, charming neighbor pecking away at the keys, writing the Next Great Novel.

Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree by Lillah Lawson, a Regal House Publishing title
to be released September 20, 2019

The employees at Avid – all of them friendly and eager to please – are approachable and knowledgeable. They are always on hand to recommend their favorite novels to you, to participate in the myriad events that Avid hosts, and talk up the great reads that grace their shelves. When I went into Avid last week to take photos for this article, I was greeted with a wide smile. “You wrote Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree! I loved that book!” Reader, I must confess that made my day. Not to sound trite, but the staff at Avid love their store, love their job, love the books, and it shows. Just a cursory glance at their glossy, inviting Instagram page will prove it. It’s a haven, a book-lovers paradise.

When I got my publishing deal, and I began to think about things like book launches and signings, Avid was my first choice – I knew that my very first signing for my debut novel would have to be here. There simply was no other option. As a life-long Georgian, born and raised just outside of Athens, local culture is hugely important to me, and those reciprocal relationships between local indie businesses and their clientele are the lifeblood of creatives and business owners alike. There’s something about loving your home, sharing that love by supporting its art and the artists behind it, and championing the entrepreneurs that make it possible. In the era of the chain-store, and shopping with a click, it can be hard for local businesses to stay afloat, especially when many of these large retail outlets undercut so extensively. It’s hard out there; and we all know that not everyone can afford to always shop local. But when you can, do. Just that bit of support can make all the difference in helping a local business thrive. Plus, it just makes you feel good.

As I was outside, cursing myself for trying to take a photo of a shopfront in the midday sun (the worst light ever), it occurred to me that my own O.T. Lawrence and Sivvy Hargrove might have passed by this historic shopfront in their old beat-up truck, on their way back to Five Forks, Georgia. It’s the type of building O.T. Lawrence would appreciate – beautiful without being boastful; sturdy and built to last.

Living in Athens means being spoiled for choice when it comes to historical buildings and cool places to visit. From the old Farmer’s Hardware building to the “R.E.M” steeple; from the beloved Georgia Theatre that rose from the ashes to the celebrated Morton Theatre where I once saw Alice Walker speak; from the double-barreled cannon to the Tree that Owns Itself – any tourist would find a lot to marvel over. I humbly suggest popping into Avid Bookshop the next time you’re exploring our town. The books are the main draw, of course, but the atmosphere of the place alone makes it well worth the visit, and the main reason why Avid is named among the “Best of Athens” almost every year. I’ve been a patron of Avid’s for years, and I’m super proud that next month, I’ll not only be a customer, but an author whose book graces their storied shelves.

Check out Avid online to peruse their selection, buy a book, or to find out more about my signing and other local events, at www.avidbookshop.com. You can also find out more about the shop and their upcoming events on Avid’s Facebook Page (Facebook.com/AvidBookshop).


Join Lillah Lawson at Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA, for the launch event of her lush work of historical fiction, Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree, that has been hailed as “a love letter to the resilient people of Georgia.” We encourage you to purchase a copy of the book from Avid Bookshop (help support indie bookstores!) and get it signed by the author!

Lillah Lawson lives in North Georgia—not far from Five Forks—with her husband and son, a silly dog and two slightly evil cats. When she’s not writing, you can find her baking, playing bass, marathoning ’80s sitcoms, or out on her bike. She is currently working on another historical
fiction novel, set in the late 1960s.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: Avid Bookshop, BookBound, Lillah Lawson

Book Bound: Flyleaf Books

June 13, 2018 1 Comment

by Von Wise

Flyleaf Bookstore, Chapel Hill, Bookbound series, Regal House PublishingThe modern world provides us with countless conveniences. Almost anything we could want is available for purchase within seconds, at any moment. Amazon can deliver a package to our house within days for free, and this convenience is exemplified by book deliveries, its flagship service. So why then do we still go to book stores to buy books? This simple answer is that we don’t; we go for the experience. The more complicated answer involves our relationship with books and our emotional responses to seeing them, browsing them, the wholly deliberate de-commodification we enact by treating books as something slightly more sacred than most of the other objects we buy. Bookstores evoke a complex web of interconnected desires, sensations, and visceral satisfactions, all of which can be more or less articulated as the smell of books. As services like Amazon out-supply big-name stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble with its unlimited capacity and as sleek e-readers pose as practical upgrades to thousand-page tomes, an independent bookstore like Flyleaf Books continues to thrive because it is an important member of the community for which simple convenience could never substitute.

While visiting Flyleaf, the store itself immediately engages in dialogue, as, walking through the door, you encounter a table arranged with Notable Books, each with a handwritten card detailing its contents and the thoughts of the staff member who filled out the note. You then begin to notice these penned columns peeking out of various books all over the store, inviting you to take a look and to perhaps share an experience. It’s easy to get distracted with all of the tables pulling you from island to island of books and bookshelves lining the walls drawing your eyes in countless right angles. Even on my most focused visits to go pick up one specific book, I’ll still find myself aimlessly browsing, almost by accident. And that’s exactly the point. Flyleaf Books isn’t simply a location that facilitates transactions; it’s a place to be, to savor, a “third place.” In other words, the books are for browsing as much as for buying.

Flyleaf Bookstore, Chapel Hill, Bookbound series, Regal House PublishingThe interior almost seems designed to facilitate a sense of discovery and opportunity. After meandering through the front area, browsing the newest releases and staff favorites, the staff-curated poetry section and various fiction and non-fiction sections, you are inevitably drawn towards the back of the store to discover the—again, curated—children’s section. The space is semi-contained by half- and full-sized bookshelves and resembles a play area. To the other side, an entrance opens up into a large, spacious room containing the used books section. This space serves as a reflection of the front, with bookshelves lining the walls and tables set up in the middle. This is also the space where the community engages itself in the events hosted by the store.

Community events are undoubtedly an important part of what makes a store like Flyleaf so vital. By hosting readings and similar community-oriented literary engagements, the store becomes a living part of the social process. It becomes a locus for the public engagement with ideas, facilitating and realizing the community’s literary body as a coherent, conscious entity. With its mix—and equal promotion—of local and non-local authors, Flyleaf grows alongside and through the community in more ways than one. Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf’s owner and general manager, noted that she found herself to be a staunch supporter of free speech through organizing and managing the readings. She noted that there have occasionally been readings which attracted protesters, and that these tend to be opportunities to resolve conflicts. This is exactly what makes a space like Flyleaf so important. It is more than simply a place to buy books; it is a place to come together.

Even from the beginning, Flyleaf has been shaped by necessity. The owner of the building had the space and knew he wanted it to become a bookstore, however, following the financial crisis in 2008, there was trouble finding someone to fill it. The owner knew Jamie through the publishing industry and eventually convinced her to head a new business. By November 2009, Flyleaf was ready to open its doors. Despite the unforgiving economic climate, the store persisted, and after spending some time in it, it’s easy to see why.

Flyleaf Bookstore, Chapel Hill, Bookbound series, Regal House PublishingFlyleaf is clearly managed by people who care about what they do. Over the course of interviewing her, Jamie stopped several times to personally make sure that people in the store had help if needed. When speaking about the store, she mentioned that, growing up in Chapel Hill, she had always wanted someone to open up the kind of bookstore Flyleaf has become. One can’t help but think of Toni Morrison’s advice to write the book you want to read; the same can be said of the stores that sell them. It certainly isn’t the largest bookstore in the area, but with its carefully managed selection, that hardly matters. Each section is constantly curated, and Jamie joked that five different people touch each book before it makes it to the shelf. When browsing the selections, that level of care is obvious. Jamie worked to find the right mix of people to help her manage the store and noted how happy she is with the staff group and culture.

It’s about more than making a living wage selling books: it’s about creating a positive work environment, about making books available, about enriching the community. Jamie noted how, today, there is a place for independent bookstores like Flyleaf to succeed. That place is located in the space between the publishers and the people who read their books and involves forming relationships with each. It involves filling that bookstore-shaped absence in the community. It’s about serving the community while being part of it. Flyleaf isn’t going anywhere because it provides something that cannot be replaced: a third place for anyone who loves the smell of books.

 

Von Wise, assistant editor at Regal House Publishing

Von Wise is an assistant editor at Regal House Publishing, and an MFA student at Florida International University, where he studies creative writing. His work has been previously selected for the Donna Grear Memorial Award for poetry. He currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he runs a writing workshop.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: Chapel Hill, Flyleaf Books, Von Wise

Writing In New York – Part I

March 12, 2018 1 Comment

by Nora Shychuk

Like so many others, I had moved to New York City with a dream to write, to be at the center of things and pay attention. But such a reality, even in the service of a great dream, is a hard and often lonely one. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy move to make, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t harder than I guessed it would be. I was out of my element and struggling to find my place. I knew very few people. To say that I was overwhelmed and scared on a daily basis would be an understatement.

I remember, just twenty-four hours before, feeling completely exposed walking through Times Square. Peddlers tried to sell me tickets to comedy shows and shoved CDs in my hands. The rumble of the subway underneath my feet was jolting, the perpetual traffic and honking became its own temperamental rhythm. I felt as if I was on another planet.

But the West Village is, comparatively, quiet. It was an early October afternoon. The sun shined, the blue sky above was soft and cloudless.  As I walked, people were few and far between.  I could hear my footsteps and birds in the trees. Colorful leaves blew across the cozy streets, drawing my eyes to the red brick buildings as I made my way to Bank Street.

I had an appointment. I was set to interview Carol Hebald, author of the novel A Warsaw Chronicle. We had exchanged e-mails for months, setting up a time and place to meet to discuss her new book. As a young, emerging writer just having arrived in the cultural, literary hub of the world, the chance to sit down with a seasoned writer and lifelong New Yorker struck me as a great professional opportunity.

And I suppose it was. But it was so much more than that.

When I arrived, Carol had food ready and waiting on the table. After a warm welcome, she asked if I’d like coffee, tea, or wine. Having to work later that afternoon, I passed on the wine and opted for coffee. While she got it ready, we talked about New York and my recent year and a half abroad in Ireland where I earned my graduate degree.

“Do you miss it?” she asked me.

She smiled easily and when I spoke her eye contact was unwavering. She was a woman – and writer – who knew how to listen. I felt at home immediately.

“Yes,” I said. “I really do.”

When my coffee was ready, I walked it to the living room where Carol and I both sat down on her couch at opposite ends.

A Warsaw Chronicle follows Karolina Heybald, an American exchange professor teaching at Warsaw University during the inception of martial law in 1981. Always present in the novel is the conflict between the Communist party and the Solidarity movement.  Karolina finds herself in the midst of political turmoil as she tries to find a missing cousin. Everywhere she looks, there is danger, real and unavoidable.

Carol and I started the interview by looking back. Amazingly, A Warsaw Chronicle was inspired by very true events. From 1981 to 1982, Carol was the visiting American exchange professor at Warsaw University in Poland. She had just received tenure as an associate professor at the University of Kansas but jumped at the opportunity to go abroad.

She explained that at the time, Poland was behind the Iron Curtain. Politically, it was divisive and violent. Many people asked her why she’d ever want to travel to Warsaw. She was doing well professionally. Didn’t she know the risks? But her reasons were never professional. They were personal and close to the heart.

Her father was born in Krakow and died when Carol was only four. To go to the country where he was born presented her with an opportunity for closure. Not to mention, she saw it as an opportunity to challenge herself.

“I was very naïve in many, many ways,” Carol told me. “Two classes and a handful of students in each. I’d have a world of time to write, I thought, [but] I was in something of a shock when I got there.”

When she arrived in Warsaw, it was sunny and clear. “People looked at me as though I was crazy because they were having such a difficult time,” she said. “It was only two or three months before martial law was declared and I didn’t realize what was happening politically. They kept saying, ‘why did you come here? Why did you come here? Nobody wants to come here.’”

She recalled waiting in long lines for food and how there was never enough to eat. She went hungry herself, a feature common in A Warsaw Chronicle.

Some of the characters in the novel are drawn from life. Karolina’s tutor, for example, is real. When Carol arrived in Warsaw she met him immediately. The two are still in touch today.

Another driving force in A Warsaw Chronicle is Marek, Karolina’s star pupil who dreams of becoming a poet. Their connection entangles Karolina in a high-stakes conflict concerning Marek’s fate. The relationship between the two is fully formed, fully realized. But, Carol told me, Marek is complete fiction.

“I shouldn’t say complete,” she clarified. “There was a meeting somewhere around November right before martial law was declared when a student raised his hand and asked a question I remember having at his age. [He asked] about great work. Does it come from a great idleness or does it come from an enormous amount of work. Which was true? And I just remembered that I had asked that question myself. I looked at him and his face remained in my mind. I never saw him again, but he became Marek.”

Carol went on to say that she felt the closest to Marek, that his character was the most her. He developed organically, as all her characters do. Instead of planning and plotting, Carol allows the moving pieces and voices of her novels to develop naturally, to come to her when the time is right. “[Marek] became a character who was very much alive. And my part was already there. And then I created the father. I don’t know from where. I didn’t consciously sit down and decide to write what I wrote.”

The father, first Lieutenant Maciesz, is a ruthless presence in A Warsaw Chronicle. But, Carol said, he’s a part of her, too. “They come out of me. The father. His cruelty, his bitterness, the fault in his thinking that because he has suffered so much, he knows more.”

The novel developed from old journal entries Carol wrote during her time abroad. Every day, she was chronicling observations about life in Poland. “I simply made diary entries every day and the story took off on its own.”

I told Carol I worked much the same way, going off of notes, feelings, and observations rather than outlining down to the very last detail. I told her I barely ever made a conscious decision in terms of pace or what’s best, practically, for plot. Instead, I go with my gut and allow a certain emotional tug to sway me.  I let the ideas grow as I work.

“Yes,” she said. “You have to listen. You have to have the confidence. If someone tells me, for example, in the writer’s group, that they lost interest in a certain moment, I’d be interested in that because there is, in a novel, necessary places where you want to insert certain information and want the reader to be bored. You don’t want to get rid of too much of [the reader’s] energy. You’re writing and listening at the same time and you’re saying ‘I’ve had enough of this and want to get back to the action.’”

And only the writer knows their characters and how they must navigate through life as the story develops. For Carol, it can’t be all gunfights and obsessive love triangles. Writing is about life, and that includes the mundane, the slow, quiet moments of the every day. “Deep down,” she said, “you know when a moment should drag. It lets the reader rest so they have the energy to feel more when the next crisis comes along.”

It was easy to talk about the process of writing with Carol, about the importance of feeling a story and understanding our characters and where they come from. Personal experience always helps, too. For her, A Warsaw Chronicle was always waiting to be told. It formed from isolation and the reality of displacement. “It was the loneliness that I felt,” she said. “There was very little teaching that went on there. It was mostly waiting in line for food. It was mostly waiting for the day to end.”

But she remembered her time in Kansas and knew that her reason to leave was warranted. “It certainly didn’t do me any good professionally, but Kansas was more of a foreign country to me than Warsaw could ever be. I was a lot lonelier in Kansas than I was in Warsaw. I’m from New York City. Born and bred. And Warsaw was another city, at least. And my father was from there; I wanted to explore where he lived. I wanted to forget him – that was the central thing in my life because he was so much a part of me.”

At this point in our conversation, Carol stopped and looked far off. I followed her line of sight. She was looking out the window, at the streams of autumnal light. Whatever she said next would be carefully considered. She took a deep breath.

“This is hard to explain,” she said. “He was on my mind all the time. He died when I was four years old. And I wanted that to end. I thought if I went I could put it all behind me and just get on with my life as a woman, you know? I was nearly 50 at the time.”

I spoke openly about my own readiness to go abroad to Ireland two years prior. Of course, Ireland was much safer and free of any comparable political upheaval, but it was still a drastic move that few people I knew had ever taken. I wanted to get out of Florida and away from the people I never understood. I told Carol that, quite similarly, I felt the need to leave in order to understand something larger. I moved four-thousand miles away and felt immediately more rooted. I felt like a better version of myself.

I spoke of my own mother next. She died of lung cancer when I was ten. Carol’s father had also died of cancer. We both knew the pain of untimely death, of lives cut short. When such a loss disrupts your life, it’s not hard to understand the simple but heartbreaking fact that life doesn’t last forever. We’re not guaranteed long, happy existences. It was clear to both of us, in the quiet way in which we remembered them, that our parents passing away triggered something in us: the need to make our days count.

Nora Shychuk, Pact Press contributor
Nora Shychuk

“My mom is in everything I write,” I told Carol. “It’s interesting, the loss of a parent.  There’s so much you don’t know, but it still impacts so much of what you do.”

“Everything,” she said. “When I was three I was alone in the house with him. My mother took over the store, my sister was in school. There was a nurse taking care of me, but we were alone for an entire year. My dad and I. And even though I don’t know remember all the details of that year, it’s a central part of my life. I remember, shortly before he died, I asked my father what I should be when I grow up. He told me to be somebody.”

In 1984, after she returned from Poland, Carol resigned her tenure and moved back to New York City to write full-time. I told her that a lot of people would consider such a move reckless, to give up comfort for a life of instability and uncertainty. But Carol knew what it was like to struggle and scrape by. Poland proved that to her. She wasn’t afraid of being poor or of struggling all over again. As long as she was doing what she wanted to do, it was worth it.

“When I was in Brooklyn I was writing full-time in a little room which was about $275 a month, so you can imagine it was in the middle of nowhere. But that’s all I wanted, that room to write. If I wrote well I felt well.”

She paused and smiled again, remembering. “It was my whole life.”

“And what did you learn from devoting your life to writing?” I asked next.

I expected an answer that is heard quite often. A mixture of “never give up on your dreams” and the value of hard work, the earned freedom of going after what you love and want to do. That worthwhile joy of a life spent seeing, feeling, and experiencing. But Carol’s answer was surprisingly refreshing and true: she learned nothing.

“I’ve learned nothing, except that books make books, not experience, not human relationships. Books. And that’s the same advice I’d give anybody who was just starting out: Read! Read! Don’t stop reading! Read what you hate, read what you love. Decide why you love it, how you can borrow from the structure of a novel. You’re not doing anything but borrowing a way to tell a story. You’re trying to learn to tell a story.”

You’re not doing anything but learning to tell a story. Yes, that’s nothing—but everything all at once. By learning to write, you’re learning about yourself.

 

A Warsaw Chronicle is  available from Regal House Publishing.

PART II, to be posted forthwith.

Nora Shychuk has an M.A. in Creative Writing from University College Cork and a B.A. in Film Screenwriting and English from Jacksonville University. Her writing has appeared in The Lonely Crowd, The Quarryman Literary Journal, The Rose Magazine, and Pact Press’s Speak and Speak Again Anthology. In 2017 she was shortlisted for Cork, Ireland’s From The Well Short Story Competition and was also awarded one of two full Alumni Awards to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat (IWR) in April 2018. She lives in New York City.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal Authors Tagged With: A Warsaw Chronicle, Carol Hebald, Nora Shychuk, Regal House, regal house publishing

Book Bound: A Celebration of Independent Bookstores—Microcosm Publishing

October 17, 2017 1 Comment

Microcosm Publishing
2752 North Williams Avenue
Portland, Oregon
97227
503-232-3666
https://microcosmpublishing.com
Visit: 23 May, 2017

Ruth’s Bookstore Safari Part III: Microcosm Publishing—Not Your Mainstream Bookstore

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(Full videos will be available soon on our imminent Regal House YouTube Channel)

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Microcosm Links to Topics Mentioned Above:

“The Publishing House of My Dreams”

About Microcosm

BFF Subscriptions

Rad Dad Series

Business of Publishing

 

 

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: Asperger's, Biel, Bookstore Bound, Bookstore Safari, Celebrating Independent Bookstores, Celebrating Independents, Diversity, Independent Bookstores, Joe, Joe Biel, literary fiction, Marginalized, Microcosm, Microcosm Books, Microcosm Publishing, Oregon, People of Color, Portland, Punk Rock, ruth feiertag, Women of Color

BookBound: Broadway Books

September 25, 2017 Leave a Comment

Ruth’s Bookstore Safari, Part II: Just in Time for the Party!

In Portland, I was able to hit four amazing bookstores. The first was the bijou Broadway Books. Broadway Books is a small indie store, fortuitously located on a busy and popular stretch of the street for which it’s named. (It’s also across from my favourite brunch place, the Cadillac Café, where the food is always excellent and satisfying, the staff pleasant and courteous, and the Cadillac pink and operable.)

The store-front windows of Broadway Books make the shop light and airy, and its well-organized shelves draw customers on to explore the next book, the next topic, the next table. Over the shelves hang poster-sized covers of other volumes for which readers might want to search.

One of our authors, Paula Butterfield, lives in Portland, and she gave me a heads-up that the store was going to be celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary while I was in town, and I put the party on my calendar. However, I couldn’t help stopping by a couple times before the anniversary fête. Despite its small size, the book selection never feels inadequate. I made four trips into the store, and each time came out with a book or two, cards and postcards, or beautiful wrapping paper. The staff were invariably charming and helpful. I make particular mention of Rose, who was kind and informative both times I encountered her there.

The birthday party on Saturday made it obvious what a community asset the store is. I met a trio of women who had been friends for forty years. Regular customers milled about, chatting, talking books with the owners and staff, having their photos taken at the picture booth set up for the day, and eating cake and drinking champagne. Despite the bustle of the celebration, I saw the staff continuously assisting customers by making recommendations and finding books. One of the owners (alas! I did not discover which one) asked everyone there to please go out and tell the story of their book store, and I am happy to comply with that request here.

Do check out the website for the history of the store and a calendar of events. But the best, most moving tribute to the store can be found on its wall, in the form of a paean by Brian Doyle. It perfectly captures the magic Broadway Books holds for anyone who enters.

P.S. Very shortly after my visit to Broadway Books, Brian Doyle died of brain cancer. Broadway Books has a memorial planned for him on September 21, 2017.

Ruth Feiertag, Senior editor Regal House Publishing

Ruth Feiertag is a senior editor at Regal House Publishing. She has an M.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She meandered towards a Ph.D. but arrived in the realm of independent scholarship and NCIS instead. Ruth is the founding editor of PenKnife Editorial Services, and a member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: BookBound, Broadway Books, Portland

Book Bound: A Celebration of Independent Bookstores

September 1, 2017 Leave a Comment

Ruth’s Bookstore Safari, Part I: An Indie in the Pacific Northwest

Third Place Books
Visited: 15 May, 2017

          I began my bookstore safari in Seattle, Washington, where I was visiting my particular friend Maren Donley. Before I arrived, I explained my quest to her, and she immediately recommended a visit to the Third Place Books. While there are three Third Places (I’m not sure how the math works on that, whether it requires simple addition or some kind of quantum exponential multiplication), Maren suggested we drop by the Lake Forest store. “I drive by it twice a week. I had never been in until I met my priest there for a meeting. Then I said, ‘Oh! I have really been missing out!'” she told me.

As always, Maren’s advice proved invaluable. I contacted the store and was put in touch with Zak Nelson, the Events and Marketing Manager. Mr. Nelson gave me some background, drawn from the website, on the store and its philosophy. He explained that “Third Place Books is the deliberate and intentional creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them” and that the name, Third Place Books, comes from sociologist Ray Oldenberg’s idea “that each of us needs three places: first is the home; second is the workplace or school,” and a third place “where people from all walks of life interact, experiencing and celebrating their commonality as well as their diversity.”

Maren, my trusty guide

Maren commented on this aspect of the store as well. After our visit, she remarked, “I appreciate that so much of that space is devoted to the community and I will go out my way to make purchases there because I value that space. I have never found anywhere else that can do that.” Before visiting the book store, Maren and I fortified ourselves with lunch at the Everest Kitchen, a few doors away from Third Place. We find Indian food tends to be the best way to prepare for about anything, and we wanted to ensure we would have sufficient stamina for an extended exploration.

When Maren and I walked into the Lake Forest Third Place, the atmosphere and layout were genuinely comfortable and intriguing. It felt almost as much like a library as a book store, a place where one could take the time to get to know a book before deciding whether to take it home.

Mr. Nelson had suggested that I speak with Robert Sindelar, the Managing Partner and now president of the American Booksellers Association. When Maren and I arrived, Mr. Sindelar was working in the back, but one of the clerks at the customer service desk cheerfully went off to find him. Mr. Sindelar came out and showed me around the store and talked about his store’s commitment to authors.

Third Place hosts authors—both new, local writers and established celebrities—fifteen times a month. The traditionally published authors have their publishers behind them to arrange readings and signings, while local authors must approach the store in person to arrange appearances and apply to have Third Place carry their books in the stores. When considering self-published works, the Third Place staff take into account not only the quality of the books, but also whether the authors are motivated self-promoters.

As an additional support to Seattle-area authors, the book store offers Third Place Press for those who want to self-publish. The Press designs books and publishes them using its Espresso Book Machine. The Third Place Press office is located not in the book store itself, but in the Commons, near the stage. Many of the books produced there are displayed in the window of the office. It should be noted that publishing with Third Place Press does not guarantee that the book store will carry the book produced. TPP authors must go through the same application process as other independent writers. Mr. Nelson wrote me that the stores carry local authors’ works on consignment.

          The selection of books, Mr. Sindelar told me, has a curatorial aspect. The staff have a lot of say in the choices, which are also guided by the interests of customers and the diverse ideas and opinions that represent the neighborhood. It seems that every aspect of Third Place is indeed geared toward fostering community and neighborhood. The Commons area not only has ample seating and a play area for small children, it has three restaurants as well: sustenance for both mind and body.

And then there’s the stage. The bookstore uses it for readings and signings, and shares it with schools, musicians, and theatre groups as another way to create inclusive and cohesive bonds between various individuals and groups in the area. Mr. Nelson, in one of his e-mails, had assured me that Third Place “depends on having a well-rounded and enticing events program.”

When Mr. Sindelar had to take his turn staffing the information counter, I explored the store some more on my own and eventually found Maren in the children’s section with Rene Holderman, one of the store clerks who had greeted us when we first arrived. Maren was looking for books for her children, both voracious consumers of literature. On the way home, Maren confided that “This is the second time that Rene has been able to help me select books for my daughter. She’s an avid reader with VERY specific tastes. It’s such a pleasure to have expert help.”

          As we wended our way toward the registers at the front of the store, Maren pointed out the cards that annotated the books on the tables and shelves. The cards offered reviews by the staff, noted awards won by the book and author, and even let browsers know that a less expensive edition of the book in question was available on a different shelf in the store. I had seen cards similarly deployed in other stores, but never to such good effect. Walking through the store while looking at the books and reading the cards was like enjoying a stimulating conversation with friends or taking part in a silent book club discussion.

Third Place is a community epicenter that extends opportunities for education and enjoyment. While Third Place strives to be a place apart from home and work or school, I think it might be something better: a place that embraces aspects of all our important environments and makes room for members of the community to nurture their separate selves within while forging connections with the world around them.

The umbrella that marks the children’s section.

A selection of Third Place Press publications

The Den sits in the heart of the store.

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A quick look at The Commons and Third Place Books.

          I want to thank Zak Nelson and Rene Holderman for their assistance; I am particularly grateful to Robert Sindelar for his time and kindness in showing me around. And especial gratitude to Maren Donley for leading me to Third Place Books, and for more than I can articulate here.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: Bookstore Bound, Bookstore Safari, Celebrating Independents, Espresso Book Machine, Independent Bookstores, literary fiction, Maren Donley, Rene Holderman, Robert Sindelar, ruth feiertag, Seattle, Third Place Books, Third Place Press, Washington, Zak Nelson

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Regal House Publishing is the parent company to the following imprints:

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