Fw: April & May Events
bdvo...@aol.com
It has been a weird year in the world of books.
The proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster was quashed by the federal government, only to have HarperCollins jump in as the new suitor for Simon & Schuster. Books have been challenged and banned across the United States at record levels. And librarians and teachers have had to put up with threats to their lives and livelihoods for the crime of providing access to literature for their patrons and students.
There has been some good news, too. Diverse and inclusive books are published every day by presses large and small. Libraries and bookstores are fully re-opened to the public after the pandemic. And we are starting to host more events again, too. There was also another annual uptick in membership numbers for the American Booksellers Association.
It is against this backdrop that we mark the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday.
And the following Monday will mark the 26th anniversary of after-words bookstore.
I was 26 years old when I first opened my doors to the public. In those days – in fact, for the first two years of our operation – I worked every hour the store was open - which was 81 hours per week then. I could never have imagined reaching the milestone we are passing next week (or the age that would allow me to get there for that matter).
I want to thank those of you who have remained loyal for all these years, and still have an interest in what I have to say in these sporadic newsletters. And for those of you who have discovered us more recently, welcome. I hope we can remain your go to for all things literary.
April 29th, 2023
We are set to have the largest Independent Bookstore Day
to date with 1,038 stores participating
Happy 10th Birthday, IBD!
In celebration, join us by visiting as many local Indies
Last year’s Indie Bookstore Crawl was so much fun,
your local independent bookselling community
has booked it for a return engagement!
--If we are the first bookstore you make a purchase on that day, Thank You!
--Please let the person at the counter know that you are participating in the crawl. You will be provided with a Passport that has a page for each participating store. Make sure we remember to stamp your passport as well.
--After that, no more purchases are necessary. You can just visit any of the stores and get a stamp at each one for your passport. (Though we dare you not to find something to buy if you go to all those wonderful Indies around Chicago in one day).
--If you already have your passport from visiting another great Indie here in the city, awesome. Just remember to ask us to stamp your passport whether you buy something or not.
Good luck and have fun!
-- If you visit
TEN stores on Independent
Bookstore Day, then you will get 10% off at all
participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!
-- IF you visit FIFTEEN
stores on Independent Bookstore Day, then you will get 15% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!
May 4th, 2023
5:30pm
Join us for A Taste of Brazil with Sheila Maloney
Co-hosted by the Brazilian Cultural Center of Chicago
Presentation With Book Signing to Follow
Family Gap Year
How We Moved to Brazil, Dropped Our Overscheduled Lives, and
Created a Sustainable, Happy Future for our Family
Tired of living the exhausting life of modern working moms?
So was Sheila Maloney, a forty-two-year-old lawyer from Chicago with three kids under ten. On paper, everything was great. She had a loving husband, a career, and a home.
But Sheila was exhausted by her life’s frenetic pace - running to and from practices, meetings, and other back-to-back appointments. Sheila wondered, “Is this life making us happy, or just driving me nuts?” She decided there had to be more, so she packed up her family of five and embarked on a journey to Vitória, Brazil.
In Family Gap Year, Sheila will tell you about their adventure. She will share what she learned when she stopped listening to what society told her she should do and started listening to what her soul was calling her to do instead.
Sheila’s mom will be providing traditional Brazilian brigadeiros (treats) for the event, with guaranás (Brazilian soft drink) provided by the Brazilian Cultural Center of Chicago
Click for a free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/family-gap-year-tickets-621181228777
May 13th and May 14th, 2023
Charity Book Sale
Noon-6pm
Get a bag FULL of books for only $10!
Bring your own, or use one of our bags - available for $5
after-words book sale to benefit charity is here!
The sale will benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
We’ll be setting up some tables in our event space for you to fill your bags with. For $10 you can fill your own bag. Or you can purchase one from us for an additional $5, but all proceeds go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, started with one purpose – to nourish neighbors at risk of hunger. And as the needs of those neighbors have evolved, so has the depository. Their work against hunger has expanded to address the issues that cause food insecurity and poverty.
Their mission is to end hunger.
Supplies are limited. There are no guarantees on what will be left when you get here.
Come check it out and get your bag full of books!!
