Cultural Cross Sections Alizah Holstein I stepped out of Keflavík airport at 4:30 a.m. Far off in the dimly lit parking lot was the bus to Reykjavík—parked, empty, still off-duty. Winds buffeted me from above, the cold air curling its way up my wrists and down my neck. The landscape around me was shrouded in night. I could see nothing but desolate airport roads unfurling like tendrils out into the void. I made my way to the unlit bus, pulled my jacket tighter around me, and waited. I had come to Reykjavík for a new beginning. This September day marked the official start of my master’s program in creative writing and literary translation—Vermont College of Fine Arts’ new “International MFA”—a program dedicated to literature with a global perspective. And Iceland, a nation with one of the world’s deepest and most abiding literary traditions, would be the site of our first weeklong residency. But really, what on earth I was doing? I already had a PhD in medieval Italian history, a degree that had gifted me many things—Italian, Rome, lifelong friends, a life of the mind—but not, alas, a tenure-track job. After deciding not to accept adjunct positions, I left academia to try entrepreneurship. I had sewn a fleece vest for my infant son that other parents had wanted. Before long, I had a business designing and manufacturing outerwear. As an entrepreneur, I was inspired by all there was to discover. If the past is a foreign country to... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2019-12-03 17:31:19 UTC ]
The publishing party for my first book was held in the bookstore I used to work at. My book was piled on the table. People with flowers, people with cups of wine, people who didn’t understand Icelandic all filled the store. I felt like it was my birthday. Ten days earlier, I’d been awarded the […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-19 08:52:49 UTC ]
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I first read Carl Sagan’s Contact and Cosmos in high school, when I was working at a bookstore that let us borrow any book we had at least two copies of on the shelves. I loved them then and was excited to revisit these books in the course of my research for The Possibility of […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-18 08:54:28 UTC ]
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We talk with Annie Carl, founder of the Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds, Wash., a community bookstore that focuses on genre titles and children’s and YA. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I have imbibed fairy tales ever since I was six years old. I used to sneak into the public library and scatter several books on the floor to read, even if I couldn’t read them. My mother used to read the Grimms and Andersen tales aloud to me every night until I could read them […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-06 08:53:02 UTC ]
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In December 2022, author Chelsea Banning had 37 people RSVP “yes” to her book event. On the day, only two showed up. In March 2023, Jamar Perry showed up to his 7 p.m. book event to find the bookstore empty, and figured he would give it another 40 minutes. Still, no one came. This week, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-05 11:57:06 UTC ]
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The five finalists for PW's 31st Bookstore of the Year and 25th Sales Rep of the Year awards have been selected. Winners will be announced at the U.S. Book Show, which is set for May 22-25. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the last two decades, Amazon has grown from an online bookstore into one of the largest tech brands on the planet. No longer just dealing in paperbacks and printing runs, Amazon now sell everything from TVs to wholefoods to clothing. And a huge part of their business model hinges... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-24 03:23:00 UTC ]
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In FBI documents recently acquired by Unicorn Riot, a left-leaning independent media outlet, Chicago’s worker-owned Pilsen Community Books was said to be a meeting place for “anarchist violent extremists, or ‘AVEs,’ environmental violent extremists, or ‘EVEs’ and pro-abortion extremists.” As... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-15 16:14:24 UTC ]
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Park Slope of the east, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, has had its own Greenlight Bookstore since 2016, an addition to the neighborhood that made people feel, We have our own bookstore! All we need, now, is a good place to buy sourdough bread. But in an unfortunate sign of the times, Greenlight has... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-14 12:56:57 UTC ]
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After more than 6 years in business, co-owner Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo announced that the location will permanently close on May 14, 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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One day, the friends have had enough with their husbands, their jobs, their lives, and decide to make a break for it. They grip hands, stuff their weapons* into the glove box, and… open a bookstore together. It’s a thing. “Over a drink in the pub one evening, we started to sketch out what our […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-08 14:08:31 UTC ]
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Attention book lovers yearning to get out of Dodge: a down-on-its-luck bookstore in the Welsh mining town of Blaenavon (population 6,055) is headed to (online) auction next week, with bidding to open at the low low price of £72,000. Sure, it needs some work. But it comes with all the books, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-01 15:27:18 UTC ]
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James Daunt launched his first indie bookshop in London 33 years ago. The Barnes & Noble CEO is now bringing the lessons he learned to the biggest bookseller in America. If you’re strolling down the Marylebone High Street in London, you’ll stumble across a popular bookstore called Daunt... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-02-28 04:30:00 UTC ]
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A ransomware attack compromised the data of current and former employees at Canada's biggest bookstore chain, Indigo Books & Music Inc. says. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-02-24 19:32:50 UTC ]
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After Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry died in 2021, his bookstore in Archer City, Texas, was turned over to the long-term store manager, Khristal Merklin. But as CNN reports, in November 2022, the deed was snapped up by Fixer Upper’s Chip Gaines. Will Gaines tear out the bookshelves and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-23 14:27:50 UTC ]
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If you’ve ever been derailed from an on-time departure by a set of lost keys or misplaced wallet, you’ll benefit from a Bluetooth tracker. These small devices attach to your stuff and use your smartphone to keep tabs on where they are. There aren’t a ton of players in the field yet, but we... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-22 14:00:28 UTC ]
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The Black, Indigenous, and people of color-focused bookstore in Pasadena, California opened to customers lined up around the block. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-20 14:38:53 UTC ]
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The American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute conference convened in Seattle, the first such event since 2020. Four days of events began with city-wide bookstore tours, a meeting of independent publishers and networking receptions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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When publishers Rare Bird and Unnamed Press moved into Highland Park, North Figueroa Bookshop soon followed, putting down roots in a bookstore-starved neighbohood. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-02-14 14:00:08 UTC ]
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Russell Books in a third-generation family bookstore in Victoria, BC. On Wednesday, $55,000 in antiquarian books were stolen in a break-in. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-10 15:03:28 UTC ]
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