A Bookshop Interview with Robert Vaughan

I remember sharing a stage with Robert Vaughan in 2014, connected by our mutual friend Bud Smith at a reading hosted by the late-great Chuck Howe at Jimmy’s 43 in NYC. It was a fantastic night of poetry shop talk, travel stories, and drinks with far-flung friends, and that kind of poetic camaraderie is what I think of when I think of Robert Vaughan, who is one of the hosts for a workshop series called Bending Genres, as well as the author of the stunning poetry collection Askew (Cowboy Jamboree Press). You can find more info about Robert and his many projects and books at his website, but I asked him about his favorite bookshop and I’m not at all shocked by his answer. I was just there myself and I can attest, this is the place to be.

Favorite Bookshop: City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco, CA

1. How did you discover the shop, and what do you remember about your first experience there?

I remember hearing about (reading about?) City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco way before I physically visited it in the middle 1980s. It had history, the Beat Poets, and the West Coast Avant Garde. I love its North Beach location, and turning on new friends to this motherlode.

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

The Vibe is somewhat hip, but filtered down since its essence, I mean how could a Bookstore that opened in 1953, not have morphed over the years? For a closer look at its rich history and why I adore it so much: https://citylights.com/our-story/bookstore-tour/

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

Anais Nin’s Journals, The Journal of Albion Moonlight by Kenneth Patchen, The Waves by Virginia Woolf, Kathy Acker books, Junky and Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, The Thief’s Journal by Jean Genet, Just Kids by Patti Smith, The Rainbow Stories by William Vollmann, Girl With The Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace, An Angel at My Table by Janet Frame, and many, many more!

4. What part of the shop would we find you hanging out in the most? 

The fiction is on the main floor, but I also love and revere the poetry room upstairs (used to be the basement), and the current basement, which houses CNF, and often has unknown or indie authors. Part of why I adore this bookstore is their unfailing support of all authors, famous or not.

A Bookshop Interview with Cord Moreski

I had the pleasure of meeting Cord Moreski at a recent poetry reading in Troy, NY and I really liked his energy and poetic style, and I’m really happy he took a few minutes to tell me about his favorite bookshop. Cord has a new book coming out from Between Shadows Press called Apartment Poems and I suggest grabbing a copy when you can. Check out his website and drop by Labyrinth Books if you’re near Princeton, NY!

Favorite Bookshop: Labyrinth Books (Princeton, New Jersey)

1. How did you discover the shop, and what do you remember about your first experience there?

I discovered the shop about a decade ago. Originally, I was at the Princeton Record Exchange(an awesome record store to check out), and I came across the bookstore when I was walking back to my car. I remember seeing tables of books outside, and I knew I totally had to go inside.

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

The vibe of Labyrinth Books is very warm and inviting. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a great place to get lost in for a few hours.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I bought a lot of books from there. My favorite ones would be Frank O’ Hara’s Meditations in an Emergency, Ted Kooser’s Flying at Night, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, William Carlos Williams’s Selected Poems, and Raymond Carver’s Fires: Essays, Poems, Stories.

4. What part of the shop would we find you hanging out in the most? 

Besides gravitating towards the poetry section on the first floor, I would probably be down in the bookstore’s basement. There are a lot of cool used and rare books down there. The basement also has some really fun reading events. I was fortunate to see the 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith read(she signed a copy of Wade in the Water: Poems for me), and I also saw Michael Dickman. The basement is where all the poets hang out.

A Bookshop Interview with Victor Clevenger

I’ve followed the writings of Victor Clevenger for a long while now and I’ve been lucky enough to have published some of his pieces in Hobo Camp Review. Since I don’t get out to the Midwest very often, I thought I’d check in to see what his favorite bookshop is out thataways.

Favorite Bookshop: Barb’s Books in Belle, Missouri

1. How did you discover the shop, and what do you remember about your first experience there?

Founded in 2017, Barb’s Books is a nonprofit bookstore created to serve the local Belle community and its overall mission is to support literacy and educational programs throughout the region.  I began visiting Belle approximately a year before the store was founded due to the Osage Arts Community also being in Belle, Missouri. All my experiences, from that first one in 2017 up to my visit just last week, have been fantastic.

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

The shop has a very laid back and welcoming vibe to it, with a vast selection of books. Barb’s offers books to the community at affordable prices and offer books in trade for those who volunteer at the store. The store donates all proceeds after operating expenses, on a project-by-project basis for materials for our local public library and three school libraries. In addition, Barb’s Books also offers a variety of programming, including a monthly open mic series and book readings/author signing events.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I have purchased a great assortment of books from Barb’s, mostly poetry, but I also search out books with large glossy photographs for the purpose of collage art. I would say that my fondest purchase from Barb’s would be the Richard Brautigan reader containing Trout Fishing in America, The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster, and In Watermelon Sugar. It was that very copy of Trout Fishing in America that I used to create my found poetry collection titled 47 Poems.

4. What part of the shop would we find you hanging out in the most?

You would definitely find me hanging out on the couch watching a good poetry reading/open mic.  Barb’s puts on events that bring in poets and artist from all across the United States.  It truly is something amazing to witness.

Victor Clevenger spends his days in a Madhouse and his nights writing. Selected pieces of his work have appeared in print magazines and journals around the world; it has also been nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology and the Pushcart Prize. He is the author of several collections of poetry including A Finger in the Hornets’ Nest (Red Flag Poetry, 2018), Corned Beef Hash By Candlelight (Luchador Press, 2019), A Wildflower In Blood (Roaring Junior Press, 2020), Scratching to Get By (Between Shadows Press, 2021), and 47 Poems (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2022). Together with American poet John Dorsey, they run River Dog. He can be reached at: crownofcrows@yahoo.com

His latest collection is 47 Poems, created in the found poetry & erasure poetry styles by collecting words from within each of the 47 sections of the Richard Brautigan novel Trout Fishing in America. Words were erased or rearranged on the page to create their own individual titles & pieces. People can purchase a copy from Crisis Chronicles Press or directly from Victor by reaching out to crownofcrows@yahoo.com

A Bookshop "Interview" with Cheryl Rice

Usually when I interview poets and writers about their favorite bookshops, it’s a quick Q&A, four or five questions, but Cheryl Rice took it another step and wrote a brief and fascinating saga about her favorite shop, one that has seen many transitions over the years and has become something altogether different, leaving Cheryl with a lot of memories and nostalgia. I hope you enjoy, and please check out Cheryl’s work and bio below. She’s a dynamic and prolific poet and writer and I’m happy to have her here!

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(Image borrowed from AlbanyPoets.com)

Having lived in the Hudson Valley for over forty years, there is no shortage of bookstores past and present that I might dub “my favorite” at any given time. I’ve been employed by the finest, and patronized the funkiest. So many of them are no longer with us, and that saddens me in many ways. As I clear my bookshelves to fulfill my Pandemic goal of making my tiny house work better for me and my arts, I let many books pass through my hands and into boxes headed for our local used goldmine, Halfmoon Books in uptown Kingston. Credit will be due there, and used gratefully to refill those recently emptied shelves, of course.

I often come across books in my collection with odd little prices penciled in the upper right-hand corner of the first page: 23¢, 43¢, 78¢. I immediately know where the book came from. Back in the early days, when I first arrived to attend SUNY New Paltz in the early 1980s, there was an outstanding used bookstore & art supply shop, Manny’s, in the heart of town, next door to P&Gs bar, and across the street from a book shop that some might have considered a rival but was actually the perfect complement—Ariel Booksellers.

Manny’s was really Manny’s back then, as the man himself, Manny Lipton, still held court. He was a loud New Yorker who’d come up from The City in the 1970s and, rumor had it, opened a bookshop to offer the many art students in town a place to buy supplies. The origins of the business are still shrouded in mist, since the original façade was clearly that of a ‘60s cocktail lounge, and the phone number was listed as “Manny’s Lounge” for many decades. The front of the store was pasted with photos and clippings, a community-created collage that got shabbier and thicker every semester. He frightened me really, since I was newly away from home and still finding out who I would become. But the draw of cheap books was too much to resist. I bravely slipped by Manny, perched up front, pontificating to a new crop of freshmen, and headed towards the deepest depths of the store.

You would mainly find me in Biography or Fiction. I was not yet a dedicated poet, although I’d been writing for most of my life. The art supplies were equally attractive to me, but not as big a bargain as the paperbacks. The stock overflowed the shelving, and piles of books sat in front of shelves overwhelmed by their loads. I remember getting a mass market edition of “The Other Side of the Rainbow,” Mel Torme’s tell-all about behind the scenes of “The Judy Garland Show.” You could find old copies of novels used in classes, but the textbooks, cleverly updated every couple of years, were worthless. Now and then a crumbling Henry Miller would pop up, and I’d snatch it quickly before the authorities showed up.

Eventually it was not the authorities, but the local fire commissioner who arrived. The place always was a fire trap, as well as a physical hazard should the shelves suddenly topple down onto some beatnik engrossed in a book of prints by Dali. Volunteers from the community came in to clear the aisles. Portions of rug that hadn’t seen daylight since the Camelot days of Kennedy winced at the brightness. It was cleaner, it was safer, but it was never the same treasure trove of gems. The pearls of Manny’s wisdom still flowed, but could the clean up have taken something out of the master? I’ll never be sure.

Graduation, marriage, divorce, and movement all led me away from Manny’s in its declining years. The business is still there, calls itself “Manny’s,” but the books are gone. Manny’s daughter and son-in-law took over the business some time ago, and it is a fine place to get a picture framed or to purchase a souvenir. Art supplies fulfill every student’s needs. But when I go in, now for fancy paper to make chapbooks with, I still wince a little. I still expect to see the Man himself, sharing his observations. I wish I’d listened then to what I’ll never know now.

Cheryl A. Rice’s poems have appeared in Home Planet News, Rye Whiskey Review, Up The River, and Misfit Magazine, among others. Recent books include Until the Words Came (Post Traumatic Press), coauthored with Guy Reed, and Love’s Compass (Kung Fu Treachery Press). Rice’s RANDOM WRITING WORKSHOPS travel from town to town at request. Her blog is at: http://flyingmonkeyprods.blogspot.com/. Rice lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

A Bookshop Interview with Gabriel Ricard

Gabriel Ricard is a poet, writer, and occasional actor currently based out of Long Island, and I originally came to know him through his role as the cinema guru at the always epic Drunk Monkeys site. But he’s as dynamic as they come, impossible to pin down to just one title or genre, and his newest book, The Oddities of Saturday Night, veers from essays and poetry and dives back into short stories. I’m grateful he took a few moments to tell us about his favorite bookshop below. Enjoy!

Favorite Bookshop: Chop Suey in Richmond, Virginia

1. How did you discover the shop, and what do you remember about your first experience there?

I discovered the shop when I was 18, and I was part of a theater group that was staying in Richmond for three weeks, doing our own plays and stuff. It was essentially theater camp, but it jumpstarted my career in a few different ways.

One of the activities we participated in was a reading with Clay Mcleod Chapman at the original Chop Suey bookstore in Richmond. The original location was this incredible, absolutely ancient brick building. It’s the kind of bookstore you hope to find in any given town or city you’re in. Creaky wooden floors, stacks of books in some corners. New stuff, rarities, a cat that hung around. You might open a book and find a Bob Dylan concert ticket from the 70s. It was just amazing in every possible way.

It was the best possible place, to be sure, to hear someone like Clay read.

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

It had that atmosphere of a store that just couldn’t say no to stuff. It was shockingly well-organized in spite of that, but you couldn’t hope to browse absolutely everything of interest in an hour. You could kill the whole day there with ease.

The store has since moved to a smaller location. Still a fantastic, independently-owned bookstore, but it’s just not the same.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

The three that always stick out to me:

-My first Charles Bukowski book

-My first William S. Burroughs book

-A book about the history of adult live performing in the United States that was unfortunately later stolen from me.

4. What part of the shop would we find you hanging out in the most?

Film. They had such a deep collection of stuff in that regard, I didn’t know where to begin, and I never got around to buying the books I really wanted from that section.

(You can also pick up Gabe’s book at Moran Press or by reaching out on Facebook. PS: I swiped the bookshop photo from NBC12.com.)

A Bookshop Interview with Daniel Sennis

Poet and rhyme-master extraordinaire Daniel Sennis has a funny and scathing new collection out called O Conman! My Conman! Sick Rhymes for Sick Times that is perfect for this fraught and befuddling year, and I asked him to share his favorite bookshop with me. I wasn’t surprised by his pick because it’s one of my favorites too.

Favorite Bookstore: Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Spring, New York and Manchester, Vermont)

1. How did you discover the shop, and what did you enjoy about your first experience there?

My extended family would often visit Manchester when we had family up from New Jersey. Northshire was the best part of the trip for me. The shop was a wonder. A completely different experience than the little corporate chains in the mall we usually frequented. There was so much to see. Multiple rooms, all spacious, with delightful novelty items spread throughout. At the end, we’d always get something at the cafe. 

In 2013, I was about to move back to Saratoga from New Paltz when I discovered that both Northshire was opening a new location in Saratoga and that Northshire offers self-publishing services. Since I wanted to self-publish a book of humor, I was incredibly excited that I could do so while supporting a business I loved (and having my book in a bookstore I loved). I published my second book with Shires Press this year!  

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

Grandiose may be too grandiose a term, but, something like that. There’s a lot—bookwise and otherwise, to empty your wallet. 

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

It’s hard for me to remember all of the books I’ve purchased at Northshire. Some recent purchases are The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Ani Difranco’s memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream, and Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.  

4. Is there a specific part of the shop you run to first, a section that really makes the place unique?

When my son is along, we go straight to the kid’s section, which is the whole upstairs floor. He loves it, though he is mostly enamored by toys at this point. When I can sneak away, I check out YA upstairs and then go down to the first floor and check out the front tables with new releases and bargain books. Then I’ll hit politics and fiction.

A Bookshop Interview with Darrell Epp

Image borrowed from ihearthamilton.ca.

I had the pleasure of meeting Darrell Epp in Troy, NY, when he was on tour earlier in 2019 and I’m glad he took a few minutes to tell us about his favorite bookshop. Take a look, and be sure to check out his books: Imaginary Maps, After Hours, and Sinners Dance.

Favorite Bookshop: The Printed Word (Dundas, Ontario)

My first experience there made me feel the way I'd imagine one feels when uncovering a trunk full of buried pirate's treasure--it was a real thrill to find such a lovely place, with a collection of books obviously curated with so much love and care...Browsing around it is, in a word, fun.

The 'vibe' is clear--James carries ZERO celebrity autobiographies, ZERO self-help books, but there's a great section of film books, theology books, philosophy books, a wild collection of dime novels from the 50's, the best selection of quality children's books you'll ever see, and a whole WALL devoted to poetry--since I write poetry and know how rare it is to see a retailer devoting his/her shelf space to it, I really appreciated that, but also just appreciated having so much great stuff at my fingertips...

I have bought a lot of books there...recently I bought A SMALL KILLING, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Oscar Zarate. Alan Moore is of course most known for writing WATCHMEN, but this book is a more personal work: "…chasing this puddle of piss-coloured light as it skims between flats painted post-war austerity mustard and maisonettes brick-built in scabby-knee burgundy during the macmillan years…through these streets; through this scrapyard of clapped-out utopias; failed social visions that came here to die…these houses are the furniture with which I stock my dreams. Night after night I rearrange them in my sleep…" I also recently purchased Robert Lowell's translation of THE ORESTIEA. I've loved Lattimore's translation for literally decades--it actually changed my life, as one big thing that motivated me to write poetry books was the dim hope that I might someday write something with the incantatory hypnotic effect of that...Lowell translates, not the Greek original, but the Lattimore version, with the aim of it being more stage-ready, able to be performed by modern actors in a single night...the end result is an ORESTEIA that really motors. it's really 'dramatic,' with an irresistible 'page-turner' quality. Also, the characters speak with a bluntness that makes the horror more horrifying...here's a sample, this is of course Cassandra speaking:

No, no, this is a meathouse. God

Hates these people. They have hung the flesh

Of their own young on hooks.

How I envy the nightingale—

When the nightingale died, the gods

Gave her beating wings,

And a bird’s life of song.

My life was, is,

And shall be the edge of the knife.

Ah, Troy, my city, the pitiful, munching

Sheep my father slaughtered by your walls

Were no help at all to save you!

I too with my brain on fire must die.

I do not wish to complain of my death.

What’s life? At best, its sorrows are hardly

More pitiable than its joys. At worst,

One sweep of a wet sponge wipes out the picture.

Hear me. I call upon the sun.

May the sun shine down on our avengers,

And on the final merciful hour of their vengeance.

When the avenge Agamemnon, may they also

Avenge a simple slave who died.

She was a small thing, and carelessly killed…

That is pretty hard to beat! So stop by The Printed Word the next time you're near the western tip of Lake Ontario...Man, I love bookstores!

BIO: Darrell Epp's poems have appeared in over 130 magazines on 6 continents. He is the author of 3 poetry collections: Imaginary Maps, After Hours, and Sinners Dance. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

Visit his Amazon page HERE.

Check out Darrell reading HERE.

A Bookshop Interview with Ally Malinenko

Ally Malinenko has been one of my favorite writers for a long time, and getting to share our cancer treatment experiences with each other way back when meant a lot to me and really helped during some tough times, so I’m doubly excited to finally interview her about her favorite bookshop. And how excited was I that she picked one of my absolute favorite places in the entire world! See below for more information about her books and social media links!

Favorite Bookshop: The Strand (New York, NY)

1. How did you discover the shop? Do you remember your first experience there?

I hate to say this because it's probably such a stereotypical New Yorker answer but The Strand is my favorite bookstore. Yes, I know it's full of tourists and yes I know they sell about as many trinkets as they do books, but I love it. I can't help it. The first time I went to The Strand, I was with my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time. Though I had been to the city plenty of times growing up I never went to that particular bookstore. Jay, on the other hand knew all about it, including the infamous tagline: 18 miles of books. Walking in I just remember row after row of never ending shelves that you needed a ladder to get to the top of. It's different now, but at the time, it was incredible.

2. What is it like to browse around? Does it have a particular vibe or atmosphere that stands out?

Once you get through the crunch of tourists at the front of the store, it's nice. My favorite part is the basement with a lot of the nonfiction: gender studies, science, music, etc. Also that's where the vinyl is - my second obsession after books I feel like Strand's atmosphere is non-judgmental which I appreciate. I never feel like anyone is paying attention to what I'm looking at and the staff are always really great at helping me find stuff. I went in there the other day to buy a book published in the 1950's about the history of the Black Arts: Witchcraft and the Occult and no one wrinkled their nose at me. It's not a "literary" store where you feel like your choices are frowned upon my a man at the front desk in a sweater vest. My kind of vibe.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

So many things! And not just witchcraft books, I swear! Most of the books that I purchase come from The Strand. The rest from the library. Christmas shopping for my husband usually involves spending enough money to get another tote bag! The most recent purchases, other than the Black Arts book would have been How Long till Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisn and Devil in the White City by Eric Larsen which were birthday gifts from Jay.

4. Is there a specific part of the shop you love that really makes the place unique?

They have a rare books room on the third floor but I've never been up there! I'm sure it's fascinating. I like the second floor with the art books and the children's books. The children's room is pretty magical to me, not just cause I write children's books, but also because it still has those never ending shelves. I can only imagine being a little kid and seeing all those books.

BIO: Ally Malinenko is a novelist and poet. Her most recent poetry chapbook Princess Leia on the Back Deck Blues was published by Holy & Intoxicated Press. More information about her work can be found at allymalinenko.com or at @allymalinenko where she can be found blathering on about smashing the patriarchy, slaying cancer, writing books and other shenanigans.

A Bookshop Interview with Tim Suermondt

Poet Tim Suermondt has five full-length collections to his name, the latest JOSEPHINE BAKER SWIMMING POOL from MadHat Press, and he took a few minutes to share his favorite bookshop with me. I still haven’t made my way to Boston to visit any bookshops, and this makes want to go even more. Thanks, Tim!

Favorite Bookshop: The Harvard Coop Bookstore (Cambridge, MA)

Tim: My favorite bookshop is the Harvard Coop at Harvard Square. I actually came to the Coop a bit late, initially spending a lot of time at The Harvard Bookstore (which is not affiliated with the University) and Grolier’s (which surprised me by its tiny space when I first went there.) As for the Coop, I noticed how rather large it was when I went to check it out, especially when compared to the feeble MIT Coop. And seeing a lot of books is always inviting.

Browsing is easy. There are four floors (counting the basement), accessible by elevator or the nice winding wooden staircases. There’s a café on the second floor—can’t say I’m a fan of these outposts, but they’re here to stay. There are chairs for reading, though a few more would be better. I always feel smarter when I’m there; it’s the Harvard air I’m sure.

I quickly came to realize that the Coop has a terrific assortment of books, especially their poetry selection which is the best in town for the latest poetry. My wife, Pui, and I have bought a number of books from the Coop. Just a few days ago we bought Rilke in Paris from Pushkin Press. It’s the type of book I don’t think you’d find elsewhere. I really like the way the poetry anthologies lead in to the poetry books, and from there into essays on poetry then music and travel—a smart, good threading.

The Coop also has a decent section of poetry journals and magazines, along with other fare. I don’t know if it’s unique, but the blending of the students, the locals and the out-of-towners who go there makes for a bustling but most satisfying vibe.

BIO: Tim Suermondt is the author of five full-length collections of poems, the latest JOSEPHINE BAKER SWIMMING POOL from MadHat Press, 2019. He has published in Poetry, Ploughshares, The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Stand Magazine, Galway Review, Bellevue Literary Review and Plume, among many others. He lives in Cambridge (MA) with his wife, the poet Pui Ying Wong.

A Bookshop Interview with Kenning JP Garcia

I first met Kenning Jean-Paul García at the St. Rocco reading series xe helps organize and immediately appreciated xyr wit, creativity, and sense of humor, not to mention an exceptional insight into linguistics, literature, and unpretentious beer. I assure you, getting to share a tallboy of PBR after a poetry reading with JP is always a great time. Xe took a few moments to talk about xyr favorite bookshop (a comic shop, which cannot be overlooked when it comes to storytelling and creativity!) and in turn I’m more than happy to share zyr latest book, OF: What Place Meant, which is now available! Be sure to check it out!

Favorite Bookshop: Earthworld Comics in Albany, NY

1. How did you discover the shop?

Sadly, I had to discover Earthworld Comics due to the closing of Fantaco Comics. I knew that Earthworld existed but I was a hardcore Fantaco fan. That's where the goths, punks, and hardcore geeks went. It was our place but eventually they went out of business. Then after a few years of not being able to really afford comics I was a bit ahead financially and I had some newer and younger friends who never went to Fantaco. They were like this is the place and it certainly is.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? What's it like to walk through?

I love the back wall where the indie trade paperbacks are. I love seeing what I might have missed from Dynamite, Boom, Oni and others. This and the bargain bins always get me. I like a good deal and if a comic is good it can be read years after its initial publication. So, I get a few throwback volumes when I can from the bargain bins. As for a walk-through, first you get the DC/Marvel shelves and the new releases. It's cool. I mean, great art on the covers and all the popular heroes. Then you go further back for the new release indie comics. As well as some alphabetized characters and titles in with the mainstream releases, like my boys, Jughead and the Shadow, or my homegirls, Vampirella, Red Sonja and crossing my fingers for the return of Jennifer Blood. But, really every good trip to the shop starts and ends with a rundown of what's new and what I missed from the staff. Always knowledgeable and they know what I like. It's a nerdy neighborhood vibe. We all kind of know each other by face and by tastes if not by names.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I bought the entire run of New 52's Swamp Thing as well as all of my Vampirella titles And this is where I really fell in love with my favorite superqueero - Midnighter. Steve Orlando (who also resides in the Capital Region) wrote the New 52 run and it was magical.

4. What is it about the shop that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

The staff and selection make it special. I can find a lot of these books at Barnes and Noble but they don't have the pins. I'm a sucker for a new pin. My bags are all adorned in comic book pins. I'm always on the look out for a new pin. This adds a little something special to the place in addition to the comics and graphic novels. The other thing is, they do a good job of ordering based upon customer requests. I never leave there empty-handed and I often return specifically to pick up something that they ordered for me. It's monthly event for me and something that I set aside money and time for in my budget. In my opinion it's one of the great shops around this country. It's up there with some of the big city shops.

BIO: Kenning Jean-Paul García is a diarist, humorist, antipoet, and editor living in Albany, NY after growing up in Brooklyn and Queens. Xe spent most of xyr life in the restaurant industry and holds a bachelor's degree in Linguistics.  In addition to being the editor at Rigorous, the Operating System, and Five 2 One, xyr work has also been featured in BlazeVOX, eccolinguistics, Brooklyn Rail, Horse Less Review and Dream Pop. Slow Living is also available from West Vine Press along with They Say and Never Read.

(I definitely swiped the photo of the shop from the Fresh Comics website, so check them out too.)

A Bookshop Interview with Sam Slaughter

Sam Slaughter is a Food & Drink Editor for the men’s lifestyle magazine, The Manual, and spirits work has appeared in Maxim, Bloomberg, The Bitter Southerner, Thirsty, and elsewhere. His debut short story collection God in Neon was published in 2016 by Lucky Bastard Press, and his first cocktail book,  Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum? and Other Cocktails for 90’s Kids will be published by Andrews-McMeel in June 2019. I’m delighted he took a few minutes to tell me about one of his favorite places to buy books.

Favorite Bookshop: McKay’s Books in Greensboro, NC

1. How did you discover the shop?

In college, a professor mentioned that there was a used book store down the road in Greensboro. One weekend afternoon, my roommate and I decided to go. It was love at first sight.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? Give us a walkthrough of what it's like to browse around.

Being a used bookstore, there’s a ton of stuff, from books (obviously) to vinyl, video games, DVDs, you name it. I used to love start at the front in the fiction section and working my way down the aisle, then turning around and walking back up the other side, going through each little cubby to see what was there. One of my favorite things is that the entire store is, in a way, a treasure hunt. If there are multiple versions of a book, chances are that they are going to be different prices. This makes you want to keep hunting, just in case.

After working through the fiction I’d head down the stairs to the food & drink books to see if there were any cookbooks I was into. Those were the two main sections for me, but I’d also check out the anthropology/sociology section (one of my college majors) and the comedy section. There was also a free section, and you could sometimes get some cool stuff there.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I bought most of my collection of contemporary southern fiction there. Ron Rash, Barry Hannah, et cetera. I also got a number of Best American collections there that I still have.

4. What is it about the shop that makes you love it? What really makes the place unique?

As I mentioned above, it’s the treasure hunt thing that gets me every time. I love going through everything, not only to find great books, but to see if I can find a better deal on the book.

In terms of uniqueness, McKay’s has a couple locations, and at this point I’ve been to 3 of them. Each store has completely different inventory that changes all the time. Even if you went back two days in a row, chances are you’d find some new stuff.

For more by Sam, visit his site at http://www.thesamslaughter.com.

A Bookshop Interview with Anney E.J. Ryan

Image borrowed from Yelp.

Anney E.J. Ryan is an excellent poet and an educator down in Pennsylvania (I say “down” as if someone living south of me here in upstate NY is “downhill” from where I live or something). I keep meaning to get down to PA to check out some of their bookshops, but before I head out that way I thought I’d ask my pal Anney about her own favorite local. Here’s what she suggested!

Favorite Bookshop: Firefly Bookstore in Kutztown, Pennsylvania

1. How did you discover the shop?

Firefly opened in Kutztown in 2012, and I visited there immediately, as it’s the closest used bookstore to where I live. The shop sells used books, brand new books and current bestsellers, audiobooks, antique/vintage texts, games, puzzles, and special gifts. It also has a fantastic occult and witchcraft section. Every time I stop in, I find something to buy.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite?

The occult section is at the front of the first aisle, so I usually stop there immediately. I always check out the audiobook and vintage sections, but I spend the most time in the fiction section.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

Cherry Ames – vintage series for my mother. Superhero graphic novels and The Last Kids on Earth series for my nephew. Robert Bly and Ted Kooser poetry books for my father-in-law. The Jeeves series by Wodehouse, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Surfacing by Margaret Atwood, some David Sedaris books, a historical nonfiction book on Robin Hood, and two science fiction novels by C. J. Cherryh. There are more, but I can’t remember them all.

4. What is it about Firefly that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

The prices are fantastic. They have a bathroom. There are couches where one can hang out and drink coffee. There’s always excellent music playing – classical or instrumental folk music. While the shop carries brand new books and gifts, most of the store is comprised of tall shelves stuffed with old lovely-smelling books. The store welcomes you to wander and dig and get lost in the collections.

A Bookshop Interview with R.M. Engelhardt

When I asked poet R.M. Engelhardt about his favorite bookshop, I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened next: 1) that he eschewed my usual Q&A session and wrote me a couple paragraphs shooting from the hip; 2) that he picked two shops instead of one; and 3) that neither of the shops are still open. And why was I surprised? Because R.M. is a throwback kicking and smoking his way through the Era of Instapoets, and he’s not about to conform now just for a bookshop interview. But both of these shops sound pretty cool and I’m sorry I missed out on them when they were around. I hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to pick up any of his books, including Cold Ass Coffee Blues & Other Poems (Alien Buddha Press). You can also read his column The Half-Dead Poet Review over at AlbanyPoets.com. Enjoy!

Favorite Bookshops: Capital Bookshop and Nelson’s Bookstore, both formerly in Albany, NY.

Capital Bookshop: “The place looked like a bomb hit it inside. It’s closed now but I always referred to it as the ‘Bookstore Without A Name.’ I ran across the place many years ago in the late 1980s and just casually walked in to find a place where books of all genres were literally strewn all over the place from the ground up in piles and on shelves. There were dedicated sections, sure, but it looked like a book hoarders dream. I would make time to visit the store on my lunch break when I worked for a law firm in the 1990s around the corner. They had a poetry section of old paperbacks as well as hardcovers. Shakespeare, Milton, Dante's Inferno. A lot of classics. You could get lost in there or go missing. It was hard to walk around the books. I had bought several old copies of Poe & Baudelaire's books in Capital Bookshop, and even though the place smelled and had some mildew, it eventually became one of my favorite haunts because you never knew what you'd find. It was an impossible place of imagination, and it crossed your mind now and then that there might be a door in the back that if you opened you'd find some kind of posh secret society or spy headquarters or organization hiding behind the bookstore front like in a movie. But the best part of the store was this: pulp novels. Stacks of them. Detective stories and hard to find old Bantam copies of some of my favorite guilty pleasures for reading. Doc Savage, The Avenger, Science Fiction, Westerns/Louis L'Amour. They were in bad to decent condition but it was amazing what you could find in there. Old albums and comic books too. It was the kind of bookstore that the BBC Black Books was reminiscent of but with less room. Completely unorganized.”

Nelson’s Bookstore: “This was another store which I'd like to mention that is also gone now. It was a huge influence on my work and where I got most of my poetry. Nelson's Bookstore was on Central Avenue a few blocks away from the old Qe2 (an notable former punk/rock club that is now The Fuzebox) and it was the best counter culture, beat poetry bookshop around. Bill Nelson, the owner, sold me my first Bukowski book there in the early 90s, Love Is A Dog From Hell. I bought loads of poetry books there, from Burroughs to Kerouac, Jim Carroll, and so many others that I've forgotten but still have in my collection. Bill Nelson and I would have conversations about authors and I'd show him my poems when I was starting out as a writer. He was like a mentor and his store also carried tons of zines and local poets books. Eventually he carried mine as well. He encouraged me to send my work out and I had a few interesting visits there where I met other, more well known writers there in passing. I even met Serpico there. Yes, the real Frank Serpico, the detective that the old Al Pacino movie was based on. So, in the end, I miss two bookstores. Two favorites that are now just memories of what downtown Albany used to be.”

A Bookshop Interview with Brice Maiurro

The holiday season is a busy one, but poet and editor Brice Maiurro took a few minutes out of his day to tell me about his favorite bookshop, and it sounds like an amazing place. Take a look!

Favorite Bookshop: Mutiny Information Cafe (Denver, CO)

1. How did you discover the shop?

I discovered Mutiny Information Café in what I imagine is the way that most people discover Mutiny Information Café. I was walking down South Broadway with some friends one night and we passed by Mutiny and through their big open glass windows I could see crowds of people crammed up against counters and at tables and mixed in with their records all watching a comedian perform. It was magic, of course, to feel a heartbeat like that. South Broadway is magic in general. I’ve seen so many incredible bands and events all over that long mile, but there amongst the bars on what I’m sure was a Tuesday night or something were people creating space for art. I wandered in and found what space I could amidst the huddled masses and listened to some comedian. I could be wrong on this, but I think it was Jordan Dahl too. I don’t know if this is just a Denver thing or a comedian at large thing but damn, Denver comedians are some of the most self-deprecating, nihilistic humans I’ve ever met. They’re also very funny.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? Give us a walkthrough of what it's like to browse around at Mutiny.

Mutiny is a living, breathing thing. It’s constantly evolving. I’ve seen performances go from the front windows for passerby’s to see, now tucked intimately in the back surrounded by books, biographies and vintage copies. The pinball machines this week have their own aisle. The record collection is encroaching on the book section and the comic book section is encroaching on the records. They have this beautiful golden display case upfront which clearly must have harvested fancy chocolates or something similar at some point and it’s now filled with any Little Debbie or Hostess snack you might crave on a weeknight bender down South Broadway.

I’d have to say my favorite part of Mutiny is the back. I will never forget the feeling of wandering into Mutiny to a seemingly low-key scene and sneaking to the back space to find anything from an anarchist puppet show to an ambient light event to a fashion runway to an open night magic night. I’ve seen cyphers in the back of Mutiny, I’ve seen some of Denver’s most prolific punk bands in the back of Mutiny. I’ve kissed women in the back of Mutiny. I’ve seen some of the people I’m closest to strip down to their underwear, covered in the hateful words that people have thrown at them in the back of Mutiny. So yeah, I think the back, surrounded by all those biographies of people who time may or may not forget. That’s gotta be my favorite part of Mutiny.

There’s also outside of Mutiny, a dozen of the same dregs smoking weed no matter if it’s 75 and sunny or -10 and dead cold.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I think the two most memorable books I’ve bought at Mutiny are “Coyotes” by Ken Arkind and “Retrospect/ed”, an audio poetry collection by Charly Fasano. Those two dudes are always in the spirit of anything I do in Denver. Seeing the names of people I saw around the city on a shelf in a bookstore is what made me myself realize two things. One, that I could do it. That I could someday get my book out onto the shelves at Mutiny, and two, that being on a bestseller list or getting a book deal with Simon & Schuster could be really gratifying, but I realized there was so much talent just lurking up and down the streets of Denver, and I’ve been so blessed to witness all of it.

4. What is it about Mutiny that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

I asked Jim Norris, who owns Mutiny Information Café along with his business partner Matt Mega C one night how he came to own Mutiny and he told me how he came up through Denver’s music venues and at some point, he wanted to step out of the craziness of those venues and bring that same energy into a book shop. Mutiny has some great books. Early editions of Vonnegut novels, Hemingway novels, Kerouac novels. To call Mutiny a book store alone would be limiting. Mutiny is a safe haven for art that is done for the passion, something that Denver believes strongly in. Denver is notorious for having free events. Even so many live music shows I know are $5 suggested donation.

Mutiny Information Café has been a space that has helped me to find some grounding. I’ve hosted open mics there, Matt Clifford and I decided to start Punketry there. If I really like someone, I take them to Mutiny. I had my book release party at Mutiny. I’ve been in Mutiny on a Sunday morning and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read Dr. Seuss to a room full of kids. I’ve been in Mutiny at the witching hour when the pinball machine plays reverend and I confess my sins to Ghostbusters in multi-ball. Mutiny is this big family of weirdos and the only rules I’ve gathered to be kicked out of that family is being a hateful or violent person.

My friend Squidds, Daniel Madden, told me that the intersection outside of Mutiny is the nexus of Denver, the zero-zero point of the city, and I believe that because I can’t think of a more resetting place. Mutiny is church, and it’s meant a lot to me.

BIO: Brice Maiurro is a poet and writer from Denver, CO. His work has been featured by The Denver Post, Boulder Weekly, Horror Sleaze Trash and Birdy Magazine. He is the Editor-In-Chief of South Broadway Ghost Society. You can find him at @maiurro on Instagram.

A Bookshop Interview with Clifford Brooks

(Photo from the Avid Bookshop website.)

Clifford Brooks is a poet, teacher, and one of the founders of The Southern Collective Experience, an organization that has always been supportive of my own creative projects, and so I wanted to loop Cliff in to my bookshop interview series to pick his brain and see which shop tops his own list of favorites.

Favorite Bookshop: Avid Bookshop (Athens, Georgia)

1. How did you discover the shop?

The launch, and my first reading - ever, of my book, The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? Give us a walkthrough of what it's like to browse around at Avid Bookshop.

The poetry section is my favorite. It is not a sliver of one shelf, but generously represented. The location close to my heart has large windows in front, an open, airy interior, large enough for room to casually browse, but small enough for that total literary experience we bibliophiles need to get our fix.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

Selected Works of Robert Pinsky, several novels by Pat Conroy, All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg, the Collected Work of Rilke, and the Collected Work of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

4. What is it about Avid Bookshop that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

The knowledgeable staff, the space they give you, closeness to The Grit, and comprehensive stock. What sets it apart is the business model and philosophy that makes them thrive as an independent bookstore.

For more about Cliff and his work, visit his Facebook page.

A Bookshop Interview with Melinda Wilson

Melinda Wilson is a poet, essayist, editor, professor, reading host, and all around creative superhero, and she graciously agreed to fill us in on what was once her favorite spot to load up on books!

Favorite Bookshop: Baldface Books (Dover, New Hampshire)

1. How did you discover the shop?

I heard about Baldface during my time as an undergraduate English student at University of New Hampshire. Dover was a stone’s throw away from Durham where the main campus is located, and many students chose to live off-campus in Dover. I was one of those students. Several of my friends with similar literary interests had raved about Baldface, and I eventually visited the shop.

2. What part of the shop was your favorite?

Baldface is…well, was…the storefront recently closed permanently and the bookseller now sells from his rare book collections online only and has a few racks of records at a storefront called Cracked Skulls in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Baldface was a crowded but delightful space with a mishmash of different types of shelving of different colors and sizes. Since it’s no longer open, I can probably say without causing backlash for the store that it was most definitely a liability issue. Any one of those top-heavy shelves could have collapsed on me as I browsed the lower shelves. Nevertheless, this was kind of the best part. The shop had character. I remember holing up in a corner of the poetry section, sitting legs crossed on the carpeted floor, god, that carpet must have been a century old, reading Plath, Lowell, and Berryman. The poetry section was at the back of the store in a somewhat narrow space, and often I would get sidetracked in the excellent vinyl section at the front. I remember my then boyfriend, now husband, having several lengthy and energetic conversations about Dylan with the bookseller…I think his name was Clyde.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I’ve bought a number of books there over the years: a couple of Seamus Heaney collections, Gary Snyder’s Turtle Island, some older editions of Anne Sexton’s early work, Louis Simpson’s A Dream of Governors, W.D. Snodgrass’s Heart’s Needle…I can’t remember them all, but grab any worn book off my shelves, and it’s got a decent shot of having been acquired at Baldface.

4. What was it about Baldface that made you really love it? What set it apart?

I was studying with the poet Charles Simic during the years I was a Baldface regular, and I could almost see Simic’s influence on the poetry shelves there. The Elizabeth Bishop collections he would tout in class were all over the stacks. James Tate’s books also feature prominently in my memory. My memories of Baldface are obviously tied up with my nostalgia for a period in my life when I consumed poetry voraciously, definitely more so than I do now, when my entire life was devoted to the study of poetry and my craft. Life has definitely gotten more complicated…or something akin to that… since those days, so thinking of Baldface now, I end up in a headspace of pure joy and enthusiasm for what the world contains. I’m sad that Baldface isn’t a brick and mortar location anymore. It’s sad to think I can’t revisit the physical space from which much of my poetry’s root system grew. I guess Baldface has always felt to me like a space in which I could converse with the past. So many of the books were second-hand with previous readers’ annotations, and even seeing the handwriting of someone who likely read the book I was reading decades and decades ago felt like a kind of communion. Because the books were used, they were often cheap, which also solidified my love of the place. Beyond that, Baldface was a space in which I felt welcome. Every time I walked in, I got the distinct sense that I was the audience for the product, this was my place, I belonged there.

Melinda Wilson is a published poet, critic and essayist. Her work has appeared in journals such as Verse Daily, The Cincinnati Review, The Minnesota Review, Arsenic Lobster, The Agriculture Reader and Coldfront among many other publications. She holds an MFA from The New School and a PhD in English from Florida State University. She is a Founding editor and current Managing Editor of Coldfront. (www.coldfrontmag.com)

Bookshop Interview with Melanie Faith

Melanie Faith is the author of two new books on the craft of writing, Poetry Power and In a Flash!, and she’s here to tell us a little about her favorite bookshop. But there’s a twist: her favorite bookshop isn’t quite a bookshop at all. Take a look!

Favorite Bookshop: My choice is a bit of a maverick: thrift stores. Specifically, a treasure-trove- filled Goodwill in the Show Me state.

1. How did you discover the shop?

My fantastic fellow-bookworm sister introduced me to her Goodwill book section a few years ago, and it’s become one of our favorite go-tos during my visits. We go at least two or three times in the summer weeks I spend at her house in Missouri.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? Give us a walkthrough of what it’s like to browse around at Goodwill.

From the plate-glass double doors clear across the open-concept warehouse-type building, the book section calls to me, just past the donated dining sets and a synthesizer from someone’s garage, beyond the racks of clothes arranged by hue, and motley bric-a-brac on shelves. Tucked beside the VHS and DVDs and CDs (and even a few tapes) lined up in neat stacks in a metal bin, there are three jam-packed book shelves against a brightly-painted back wall.

It may not be a particularly elegant set up and it doesn’t have chairs to invite a good long beverage-soaked-paging-through like my beloved-now-gone Borders used to, but elegance and comfiness are beside the point when books are at stake. This place is authentic and a bit of a throwback. The thrill of the search is keen and energizing.

I’ve found novels that were clearly 100% new with pristine, undog-eared pages and remaindered from a popular chain store down the street alongside poetry volumes baring oodles of squiggly red and blue and black pen notes in the hand of a college freshman (or senior or professor—part of the fun, as in Billy Collins’ poem “Marginalia”—is in the imagining). It’s a serendipitous, almost mystical process, and when it comes to book browsing (much like a yogini doing Tree Pose), I can stand for marathon stretches if good books are in the offering. Did I mention I can hold almost my own body weight in book bargains in my arms? No reading weakling here!

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

Everything from poetry to bestselling recent novels to memoirs and classics (lots of college students in my sister’s town donate batches of lit books, whole semesters-worth, at a clip- I can’t decide if that’s wonderful or wonderfully sad) and some children’s books for my darling nieces’ library. Most books are just a dollar a piece, and even rare books are usually, at most, $2 or $3 for gently-used texts. A few times I lucked out and the books I wanted to purchase were on sale for 50 cents each—my stack wobbled in my arms on the way to the register on those days.

During my last week at my sister’s place last summer, the final four books I purchased there were (drumroll, please!): The Paris Wife (about Hadley Hemingway) by Paula McLain (which I’ve devoured and sent off for a writing pal to read next), a dishy old-Hollywood memoir of Ava Gardner (which I’ve also read cover-to-cover and happily sent off for a second writing friend who loves and writes well about old-Hollywood), Kim Edwards’ The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (can’t wait to dig into that one this fall), and an awesome book about the making of one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, that I gifted to my sister and plan to read next summer when I visit.

4. What is it about Goodwill that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

The Goodwill is not many other readers’ first thought when deciding on a new read, and yet thrift stores all across the US contain gems just waiting for readers. Like an antique store or swap meet or yard sale or craft fair, you can’t go in with one book and one author in mind. Instead, the smorgasbord of possibilities await! Why limit oneself? Give yourself at least a good half hour to 45 minutes—you’ll need it.

My other favorite element of the shop is that all of the goods are donated new by chain stores or gently-used from the community, and the money raised goes back to local nonprofit charities to assist people in nearby communities. Everybody gets a good deal from the purchases. While I love a good, long recline on a comfy chair with a book or three in a reading marathon as much as anybody, there’ll be plenty of time for that post-purchases, and I’d love for my fellow readers and writers to consider a stop by your local thrift store for a good perusal. You’ll do your book shelves and your local community some good and return home with quite a few treasures to entertain for endless hours.

Bio: Melanie Faith is a poet, professor, and photographer. She loves the Tiny House movement and collecting twinkly costume-jewelry pins. She wrote a craft book about the flash fiction and nonfiction genres to inspire fellow writers, In a Flash!: Writing & Publishing Dynamic Flash Prose (Vine Leaves Press, April 2018), and Poetry Power (also Vine Leaves Press, Oct. 26, 2018). Her short stories are forthcoming from Red Coyote (fall 2018) and Sunlit Fiction (Nov. 2018), and her poetry will appear in Meniscus Literary Journal in New Zealand and Up North Lit (Oct. 2018). This fall, she is teaching a few writing seminars, including a poetry-thesis-writing class and a class she created that combines two of her passions, called Photography for Writers. See more of her photography, writing, and projects at: https://www.melaniedfaith.com/blog/

Bookshop Interview with Kevin Ridgeway

Photo borrowed from Elder Zamora's Portraits in Poetry, May, 2018.

Kevin Ridgeway is a California poet with at least six books under his belt, and I’m sure plenty more coming. His latest is a split chapbook with Gabe Ricard called A Ludicrous Split and is well worth your time. Here he tells us a little about his favorite bookshop, one I very much need to visit myself one day. Enjoy!    

Favorite Bookshop: Gatsby Books (5535 E Spring Street, Long Beach, CA)

1. How did you discover the shop?

On November 28th, 2012, I was asked to do a featured reading by a local press at a growing literary hub in Long Beach, CA. It was Gatsby Books. I met Sean Richard Moor, the personable owner and master of ceremonies of every reading. I had finally found an independent book store to get chased out of for hanging around too long.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite?

My favorite part of the shop is the poetry section. It has a wide range of the greats--from local authors to the classics. I'm always browsing that shelf.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

Hammer and the Hearts of Gods by Fred Voss, Poets and Pleasure Seekers by Gerald Locklin and The Early Death of Men by Clint Margrave are among the titles I've scored at Gatsby's.

4. What is it about Gatsby’s that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

This place is a place where everybody knows your name. Ruby the Cat meows during readings and Fred Voss, Gerald Locklin and Joan Jobe Smith are regulars and personable yet brilliant scribes. And Sean Richard Moor is the glue that holds it all together. He also even sold my books. Whata guy. The best indie book store around.

Bookshop Interview with Rachel Nix

Rachel Nix is a poet, reviewer, and editor extraordinaire who deserves a hurricane of praise for putting together what I tell everyone is my favorite poetry anthology, America Is Not The World (available at Amazon!), and in this interview she takes us on a tour of her favorite bookshop down in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Enjoy!   

Favorite Bookshop: Coldwater Books (101 W 6th St, Tuscumbia, AL)

1. How did you discover the shop?

It’s been at least a decade ago, but I believe a friend first took me there. Coldwater Books is in a historic area of Tuscumbia, Alabama, where I imagine folks discover the bookstore by both purpose and accident, but always with as much affectionate as I first did. For those unfamiliar, it’s near the Helen Keller Public Library, which was the first public library in all of Alabama, and of course the Keller birthplace. Spring Park, one of the most beautiful parks in the Shoals, is also nearby – making this tiny little community a perfect place to easily pass an afternoon.

2. What part of the shop is your favorite? Give us a walkthrough of what it's like to browse around at Coldwater Books.

There’s so much to love about this bookstore, but my favorite thing is the way local writers are featured so thoughtfully. There are various spots within the store to happen upon works by area writers: typically in the front of the store; almost always mid-store on a table with books spread out all over and a chair pulled up next to it for intimate gandering; mingled in where applicable; and then upstairs where artists’ works, such as paintings, postcards, soaps, and other handmade crafts are lined along the shelves near books by locals broken up by genre.

The walkthrough has to start with a coffee – you can order just about any variation of brew imaginable and often enough, the shop has a special drink made up for current events. (I had a frozen Butterbeer this past weekend with a nod to Harry Potter.) Coffee in hand, I then tend to loafer from room to room, seeing what’s new or what’s recommended by its shelfmates – the organization there is neat and dependable but also has a way of recommending books we might not otherwise notice and could fall in love with. If my nephew is with me, we spend a lot of time in the back room; this section of the store offers a long stretch of children’s books and toys all located in a play area, which includes a reading cave.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

I usually buy poetry books at bookstores and I do this at Coldwater, too – specifically local works, but this is also one of the few places where I branch out the most. I’ve bought several books on local myths and history covering everything from the musical richness of the area to hauntings dating back to the Civil War era.

4. What is it about Coldwater Books that makes you love it? What really sets it apart?

Coldwater Books is a place for community and local pride, nurtured with an old-fashioned approach to business and with a progressive reach in blending what readers are offered. It’s a quiet place to escape to, an energetic and celebratory meeting place for local events, and the single best place to witness what’s being offered by people of the area and those outside of our little corner of the map.

Bio: Rachel Nix is an editor for cahoodaloodaling, Hobo Camp Review and Screen Door Review. Her own work has recently appeared in Anti-Heroin Chic, L'Éphémère Review, Occulum, and Rogue Agent. She resides in Northwest Alabama, where pine trees outnumber people rather nicely, and can be followed at @rachelnix_poet on Twitter.