Sedley Ambercrombie of Pig City Books in Lexington, NC and Sally Sue Lavigne of The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, SChave each received a Wanda Jewell Scholarship to attend the SIBA Annual Conference at New Voices New Rooms in Arlington, VA next month. Each will receive $400 for travel expenses and a full event pass for the show.

Ambercrombie, who describes owning a bookstore as a childhood dream come true, says "Opening the bookstore has been a labor of love, but two years into the game, I am still a volunteer. Every penny goes back into the bookstore. I have three part-time employees and we have grown our business at a scalable rate." She wants to attend NVNR to keep that growth going. "Things are going well, and I would like to learn as much as I can to help our business grow and serve our community for years to come."

Lavigne regards NVNR 2023 as an important networking opportunity, especially in the current political climate. "By attending New Voices New Rooms I would like to connect with book sellers to discuss positive ways to fight back against all the attempts to ban books. Learn strategies from other booksellers to guide conversations in a more positive direction." She sees her bookseller colleagues as a support. "I believe that the strongest voices in a room are often the booksellers. I wish to learn from and commune in the fellowship of my peers."

The Wanda Jewell Scholarship was created in honor the much-beloved former SIBA Executive Director who retired in 2020. The scholarship, which is funded by authors, provides financial support for bookseller professional development through education and networking at in-person SIBA-sponsored events. Funding for the 2023 WJS comes from the four author co-hosts of "“Friends & Fiction” —Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry.