The ABA speaks out on the Orlando massacre; a soon-to-open Chicago bookstore contemplates cutting the WiFi and banning laptops; a South Bronx indie moves one step closer to reality; an African-American bookstore and art gallery thrives in Little Rock; and more.
ABA Speaks Out on Pulse Nightclub Shootings: On the eve of Children’s Institute, which will be held in Orlando (June 21-23), the American Booksellers Association released a statement in which it offered its sympathy to the families of the Orlando nightclub victims and wished those injured a full recovery: “It is our belief that intolerance and violence have no place in America During these trying days for the entire country, as always, bookstores stand ready to serve as community resources for information as well as gathering places where people can gain strength from being together and sharing their thoughts and emotions.”
Indie Bookstore Headed to the South Bronx: For the past two years, ever since she learned that Barnes & Noble wanted to close their store in New York City’s Bronx borough, Noelle Santos has been working with Nicole Sullivan at the BookBar in Denver to make her vision for an indie bookstore in the Bronx a reality. She plans to open The Lit. Bar, a bookstore/wine bar in 2017. In the meantime, she blogs about being “bossy and bookish.”
Kibbitznests Books, Brew, & Blarney Wants to Eliminate Screens: The bookstore/cafe, which will have a soft opening in August in the Lincoln Park section of Chicago, is not offering free WiFi. In fact, owner Anne Kostiner wants to ban laptops entirely and discourage smartphones to facilitate face-to-face communication. “We have to create the culture because if we expect people to just change on their own without anyone taking action, it might not happen,” Kostiner said.
Pyramid Arts, Books, & Custom Framing Celebrates Its 28th: The Little Rock, Ark., bookstore, which has served as a hub for the work of black authors and artists for over a quarter century, will mark its birthday this Saturday with a marathon reception with a dozen local authors.
SIBA Creates Pat Conroy Scholarships: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is establishing $1,000 scholarships in honor of the late author for booksellers who have previously not attended the region’s fall Discovery Show. The scholarships will be awarded to two booksellers annually in each of the next four years with funding provided by Conroy’s publisher, Penguin Random House.
