Lately I've had cause (again) to celebrate the independent bookstores. That they exist. That their owners and their colleagues work so very hard. That they know books. That they believe in culture, literature, and ideas.
That they are endlessly innovative, funky, fun.
In and out of the shops I've gone. Toward the events they have supported. No single event has been like any other event. Every single store is its own vibrant cluster of possibility.
And so today, a photo thank you to the stores that stand at the heart of our communities. To Ann of The Spiral Bookcase, who lugged all those books out to those very special events at the
Ambler Theater and Laurel Hill. To Heather of Children's Book World, who sent
One Thing Stolen to our Philadelphia/Florence party at
Radnor Memorial Library (where I learned that the book was in its second, newly colorized printing). To Cathy and Anmiryam of Main Point Books, where we had the nicest Sunday afternoon. To Ashley at Penn Book Center, who placed LOVE in the window and talked to me for a long time one afternoon. To Michael at Joseph Fox Books, who supported the Free Library launch. To the glorious Bank Street Bookstore, which sold
Small Damages to this beautiful reader during that
be-all-end-all conference. To Caroline of Frenchtown's Book Garden, who organized
our memoir retreat at the Rat (where James Agee once wrote) as well as my morning at the art-filled Delaware Valley Regional High School. And to Stephanie of Harleysville Books, who brought out a crowd on a rainy night and who invited the great baker Ann to share her special treats (pretzel brittle, in honor of Philadelphia!).
I'll be visiting a few more bookstores—both the incredibly hospitable Barnes and Nobles and two more indies, Chester County Books and Big Blue Marble Books—in December, the dates below.
It's restorative, being around people who care about holding the world close and safe.
December 3, 2015, 7 PMLOVE signingChester County BooksWest Chester, PA
December 5, 2015, noonLOVE signingBarnes and NobleDevon, PA
December 10, 2015, 12 - 2PM
Barnes & Noble signing
Rittenhouse Square
Philadelphia, PA
December 12, 2015, 2 PM
In-store signing
LOVE, etc.
Big Blue Marble Bookstore
551 Carpenter Lane
Philadelphia, PA
I'm not sure I'll ever be very good at simply moving forward with my own life when I am vividly aware of the terrible loss and hurt that has utterly rearranged the lives of others.
It doesn't feel right. But it's the only choice we have. Keep living.
And so, this week, there will be (between pauses, within silence) moments of study, moments of reflection, moments of celebration, moments of friendship, many interesting corporate projects, one unexpected audition, and three hours with some wet clay.
You are welcome to join us for the public events:
Today, November 15, on behalf of The Book Garden in Frenchtown, NJ, I'll be teaching a three-hour memoir workshop. Details are
here. There is room. You can join us.
Tomorrow, November 16, at the Delaware Valley Regional High School, I'll be talking about the writers' life to an assembly of students and then providing insights on crafting the college essay.
Tuesday, November 17, I'll return to my work with the fourth and fifth graders of West Philadelphia, who will be refining the essays they began writing last week.
Thursday, November 19, I'll be at the wonderful Harleysville Books for the November Book Club Happy Hour, talking about our city and the power of love, an especially important topic, I think, in these days. The details are
here. On Friday and Saturday I will be at Radnor High School, joining my brother for his Radnor High Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We are, I believe, the first brother-sister pairing on that wall. I am over the moon for Jeff and grateful to all those on the committee who recognized his contributions to
his rarefied world of engineering and mathematics.
Finally, the paperback of
Going Over, my Berlin Wall novel, is being launched this month, and in celebration there are currently ten copies being offered in
this Goodreads giveaway. Finally, finally, words of thanks to Chronicle Books and Junior Library Guild.
This Is the Story of You has been selected for the Guild's Book Club.
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| Page 19 of THE SPY GAME |
About my book THE SPY GAME
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Page 20 of THE SPY GAME
~JD Holiday |
Peter Taylor, the multi-talented SCWBI Coordinator , Queensland chapter, and the Book Safari Coordinator, the inimitable Jenny Stubbs roped me in to help with the Book Safari tents at Woodlands. This was a first for me and proved to be an excellent networking and promotional activity. Opportunity abounded to talk to lots of teachers, students and other writers, illustrators, publishers and editors. In other words it was reading, hearing, viewing and doing STORIES, pretty much non stop!
Here is a pictorial overview from the days I was there – 2nd, 3rd and 5th of September. PHOTOGRAPHS: 1-3 Woodlands;
Woodlands, Ipswich from the approach road
The heritage listed Homestead with the Book Safari banner at the entrance
Why it is called Woodlands.
4-6 Editors, Presenters, Writers and more…
Kristina Schulz, UQP, Leonie Tyle, Random House, Dr. Robyn Sheahan-Bright
Julie Nickerson, Cheryl Gwyther, Dee White
Justin D'Ath's very unique book launch
7-9 Illustrators and workshops…
Behaving like Wild Things at the mask making workshop with Lee Fullarton
Lucia Masciullo shows us her new books x 2
Lachlan Creagh inspires us with his own brand of wild things
10-13 The nomads at their tents…
Peter Taylor,writer, illustrator, calligrapher and SCWBI coordinator
Author/illustrators, Helen Ross of Miss Helen Books and Lynelle Z. Westlake
Lynelle Z. Westlake using every spare minute to create!
J.R.Poulter + books, Peter Taylor not losing a moment in the background
Jenny Stubbs and Book Safari Coordinators in hand-painted, South African t-shirts designed for the festival
MS Readathon Tent
14 & 15 Jenny Stubbs and the Coordinating Team outside the Jacaranda Room; MS Readathon Tent
16 – 19 The people who keep the writers and illustrators viable – the amazing folk of the BOOK GARDEN!
