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