Your (virtual) Indie Bookstore Day 2020 Guide
It’s time to show some extra love to our independent bookstore partners! Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, August 29, with loads of virtual activities. It’s an all-day party to celebrate our independent bookstore partners.
Independent booksellers are the lifeblood of our communities and vital partners for any small press like ours. This year they need our love more than ever–like many small businesses, independent bookstores have suffered during the pandemic. Independent Bookstore was moved from April to August 29, and events are happening virtually. We’ve put together a list below, and you can also check out the Independent Bookstore Day website(opens in a new tab) to search for a participating bookstore near you.
On Friday, August 28 kick off the party and join long-time friends, former New Yorker copy department colleagues, and literary icons in their own right, Mary Norris and Ann Goldstein, for “An Evening With Two Brilliant Friends”(opens in a new tab), in celebration of the forthcoming release of Elena Ferrante’s The Lying Life of Adults(opens in a new tab) (translated by Goldstein). Moderated by Michael Reynolds, Editor in Chief of Europa Editions.
Saturday, August 29
10 am (PDT): Goldfish Ghost Drawing Class(opens in a new tab)
A fun and interactive drawing demonstration with illustrator and author Lisa Brown (Goldfish Ghost(opens in a new tab), The Airport Book(opens in a new tab), Mummy Cat(opens in a new tab), Long Story Short(opens in a new tab), The Phantom Twin(opens in a new tab)).
10:30 am (PDT): Graphic novel discussion and drawing class(opens in a new tab) with Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops(opens in a new tab)).
1 pm (PDT): You Have Arrived at Your Destination(opens in a new tab) with Amor Towles
Explore the very near future with Amor Towles as he reads from the exclusive, signed Bookstore Day edition of his story “You Have Arrived at Your Destination.”
1:30 pm (PDT): Writing the West(opens in a new tab) with Reyna Grande, Rishi Redd and Lauren Francis-Sharma
Join authors Reyna Grande (The Distance Between Us(opens in a new tab)), Rishi Reddi (Passage West(opens in a new tab)) and Lauren Francis-Sharma (Book of the Little Axe(opens in a new tab)) as they discuss reexamining the history, culture, and myths of the West through their fiction.
3:00 pm (PDT): Alone Together(opens in a new tab): Stories of Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19
Join co-hosts Jennifer Haupt, editor of Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19(opens in a new tab), and Garth Stein, Author Leadership Circle Campaign Chair for Binc(opens in a new tab), for readings and conversations with Alone Together contributing authors Faith Adiele, Gayle Brandeis, W. Ralph Eubanks, Jamie Ford, Major Jackson, Sonora Jha, Scott James, Jessica Keener, Jean Kwok, Roberto Lovato, Ada Limón, Claudia Castro Luna, Kevin Sampsell, and Luis Alberto Urrea.
5:00 pm (PDT): Bookstore Day Ambassador Showcase(opens in a new tab) with Tayari Jones, Lauren Groff, and Emma Straub
Join three of Bookstore Day’s past Author Ambassadors for a lively discussion of books, bookstores, and the writing life. Featuring Tayari Jones (An American Marriage(opens in a new tab) and Silver Sparrow(opens in a new tab)), Lauren Groff (Fates and Furies(opens in a new tab) and Florida(opens in a new tab)), and Emma Straub (All Adults Here(opens in a new tab), Modern Lovers(opens in a new tab), The Vacationeers(opens in a new tab) and owner of Books Are Magic!(opens in a new tab) in Brooklyn).
And remember, most bookstores are open, so be sure to stop by your favorite local spot and buy some books!
