A Literature Legacy
Source Booksellers owner, Janet Webster Jones and daughter., Detroit, MI
Growing up, there were no bookstores in my town, and so, it was in the stacks of the Malden Public Library where I first discovered books. I tagged along each week when my mother visited the library weighted down with armloads of books she was either returning or picking up. Shelves of titles towered over me and all could think was, one day I’m going to read every single book in here.
The library was my second home. A place that was inviting and welcomed me to explore its every inch. Being among books is my comfort, my greatest joy. I have stacks in each room in my house. While others pare down, I pile on, enjoying the promise of what those stacks offer: the downtime to savor; the discovery of a new topic or author; much needed workday diversions; brilliant inspirations of beautifully constructed characters and stories; the answers to all of my burning research questions. Often, as I rush out of my door, off to the airport, to one event or another, I can grab whatever is at the top of one of my many book piles to accompany me on my travels. But, even when I arrive at my destination, I still often seek out a local bookseller to visit.
When I return home to MA for visits, it is Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury, Porter Square Books in Somerville and Eight Cousins in Falmouth; In New York City it’s Books of Wonder and Word Bookstore; Politics and Prose in Washington D.C.; Source Booksellers in Detroit; EyeSeeMe in St. Louis, MO; Anderson’s and SemiColon in Chicago, Let’s Play Bookstore in PA. Of course, back at home, it’s my hometown hero, Oblong Books, a treasure in the center of town, where owner Suzanna Hermans has created a haven for the writing community with author talks, book launches and virtual events. Whether or not I’ve named them here, each indie bookstore is serving a vital need in their communities.
Though some of these brick-and-mortar indies couldn’t survive the big box and online giants, those that remain continue to do the work of shoring up communities. Each time a bookseller is lost, it is a loss for a community as well because booksellers aren’t simply selling titles, they are giving life to neighborhoods and serving the needs of diverse communities. In many instances, they are the new community centers, performance spaces, gathering spots, work centers, play group stops, launching pads, employers. Booksellers are reimagining the way we are experiencing and expanding our interactions with the written word.
This month, NAIBA, the North Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association honored me with the 2022 NAIBA Legacy Award for my contribution to children’s literature. The incredible journey to this incredible honor began among the stacks of towering titles, begging me to read, to explore and of course, to write. Thank you NAIBA, libraries, and all of the Indie booksellers across the country who continue to feed our reading and writing lives.
