From the Land of SIBAA message from SIBA to its membership
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First Things First...
6/18: THIS! Angela Trigg demonstrates ManyChat 6/24: Cocktails and Conversation with HarperCollins Authors (
RSVP) 7/7: Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition: Marian Keyes, Grown Ups 7/9: Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition: Silas House, Clay’s Quilt, A Parchment of Leaves, The Coal Tattoo 7/21: Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition: Kristin Harmel, The Book of Lost Names 7/23: Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition: Jill McCorkle, Hieroglyphics 8/6: Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition: Odie Lindsey, Some Go Home
Beginning July 1, Wiley Cash will take over as host
of Reader Meet Writer, SIBA's virtual author series. Wiley Cash is the recipient of the 2020 Conroy Legacy Award, and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home,
and This Dark Road to Mercy. The founder of the Open Canon Book Club and co-founder of the Land More Kind Appalachian Artists Residency, Cash has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Weymouth Center. He
serves as the writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and lives in North Carolina with his wife, photographer Mallory Cash, and their two daughters. Wiley Cash is a passionate supporter of independent
bookstores, and a charismatic presenter, a winning combination for Reader Meet Writer and our guest authors.
Check out upcoming events on our Reader Meet Writer Schedule.
The SIBA Town Hall held on June 4, 2020 came after a week of protests that swept across the country in response to the murder of George Floyd. The town hall, as SIBA President Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
said in her introductory remarks, was supposed to be a chance for members to check in and tell the board how they were faring under COVID-19. But, she went on to say, “a lot has happened since then.”
The first issue addressed came from a series of questions submitted anonymously: What is SIBA doing to actively recruit black-owned bookstores as members? What is SIBA doing to support black-owned bookstores that aren't members? What
is SIBA doing to diversify the membership and the board?
Janet Geddis, a SIBA Board member and the owner of Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia took the lead in responding, freely admitting that “we do not know the answers yet” and that they were all questions that the SIBA Board had been grappling
with. The board itself, which currently has no people of color serving, has concluded that previous measures to make the membership of SIBA more inclusive have failed because they remained rooted in the experience of SIBA’s predominantly
white leadership. “The board members are actively reckoning with these issues,” said Geddis, “so that not only do we get a more diverse board and membership, but also so that people of color and marginalized communities have a
home in the book world.”
Some of the steps the board has taken include working with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) which is working on diversity and inclusion training scholarships for booksellers. The board has actively identified and begun
recruiting booksellers in the region who are people of color for the board, although the effort has been hampered by the pandemic crisis and the booksellers who have been approached have not been able to devote the time to board
membership. Kelly Justice announced that the board was reviewing SIBA’s own governance policies with a view to updating them and issued a call for volunteers to help with that process.
Booksellers shared their experiences and responds to the protests, reporting that sales of books dealing with race had skyrocketed. Store responses ranged from actively promoting black writers on social media to tweaking their inventory
systems to allow longer a shelf life for books by people of color. Mitchell Kaplan of Books and Books in Coral Gables, Florida noted that what booksellers do best is to be the conduit and the guide for their communities of what
titles are out there and what they can be reading.
Other topics covered included an appeal to booksellers to use Binc as a resource, feedback regarding the Reader Meet Writer Author Series, and the fulfillment of the fifth, currently empty board seat, and discussions of what challenges
were facing stores as they re-opened under Phase I and Phase II guidelines in their states.
Reader Meet Writer: Mary Kay Andrews & Kimberley McCreight
COVID-19: The Law and Your Legal Rights: The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is disrupting almost every part of life in the U.S. (and around the globe). In addition to fears for your health and loved ones, you may have critical questions about your rights to paid sick leave,
medical leave, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, or disability benefits. Below you will find legal updates and information on emergency orders, government policies, and laws that have been enacted in response
to the COVID-19 outbreak. Read more
Curbside Delivery Apps: The ARRIVE Mobile App is designed for merchants of all sizes, giving those merchants the ability to understand when customers are in transit and notifications when they arrive.
A store’s employees can then use this information to organize orders by projected customer arrival time, which creates a more seamless ordering and pickup process. Read more
Using Tik Tok for Good: TikTok wants to inspire and encourage a new generation to have a positive impact on the planet and those around them. Check out some organizations that have used TikTok to grow their audience,
activate supporters, and raise awareness around specific causes. Read more
Glory Magical Visions of Black Beauty | Kahran and Regis Bethencourt
This week on Lady Banks Pick of the Week:
Read more about SIBA's Circle of Sites Program (aka the "banner for dues" program) and find out whether your store is eligible to participate and
receive free membership dues.
Read This! Highest Rated Reviews from SIBA Booksellers
Some of the reviews submitted this week on Edelweiss+ from your fellow SIBA booksellers. SIBA members earn B3! points for every review if they join the SIBA community on Edelweiss. Email nicki@sibaweb.com to
be added.
Devolution by Max Brooks
June, 2020 Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
On Edelweiss | Buy
From the author who brought you World War Z, a fresh take on Bigfoot! (Bigfeet?) A small community of eco-neutral pioneers is living more or less happily in the shadow of Mount Rainier when it erupts, cutting them off
from civilization and they find themselves less self-sufficient than they had originally thought and also being hunted by a tribe of giant, hairy, and extremely hungry Sasquatch! It's tempting to write off books starring cryptids
as the stuff of camp and cartoons, but this book is truly frightening and thoughtful in its exploration of what makes us human and who we are when we are called upon to explore our animal nature.
The New One by Mike Birbiglia
June, 2020 Reviewed by Jon Thomas, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC On Edelweiss | Buy
Self-deprecatingly honest, uncomfortably relatable, and tragically hilarious. Birbiglia is an infectious story-teller and Stein’s poetry gives the story balance. A charming and moving literary experiment.
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
June, 2020 Reviewed by Jean Lewis, Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda, FL On Edelweiss | Buy
Heart-thumping thriller that will have you gripping the arms of your chair. Saying this novel is a page-turner simply does not do it justice. This is the summer thriller to beat. Period.
The Lion's Den by Katherine St. John
June, 2020 Reviewed by Ellen Linville, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC On Edelweiss | Buy
This was exactly what I needed: fun without being fluffy, juicy without being cheesy. The story went back and forth between the actual trip, and the time period leading up to the trip, and I was so engrossed in each part, I would
be hurrying through it to get to the next perspective to find out all the things! I will be recommending this book to as many people as I can. Bravo Katherine St. John!
1. The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett, Riverhead Books, $27, 9780525536291 2. The Book of Longings Sue Monk Kidd, Viking, $28, 9780525429760 3. Camino Winds John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385545938 4. Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens, Putnam, $26, 9780735219090 5. A Burning Megha Majumdar, Knopf, $25.95, 9780525658696
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson, Crown, $32, 9780385348713 2. Untamed Glennon Doyle, The Dial Press, $28, 9781984801258 3. Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi
Coates, One World, $26, 9780812993547 4. How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi, One World, $27, 9780525509288 5. Hidden Valley Road Robert Kolker, Doubleday, $29.95,
9780385543767
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
Supporting independent bookstores in the South
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
Useful Links SIBA Office Hours on Zoom:
Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00-2:00 PM EST
Available during regular business hours at 803-994-9530, or anytime at siba@sibaweb.com
Thank you for your interest in SIBA,
Nicki Leone
SysAdmin nicki@sibaweb.com
THANKS TO OUR INKREADIBLE SPONSORS:
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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Beginning July 1, Wiley Cash will take over as host
of Reader Meet Writer, SIBA's virtual author series. Wiley Cash is the recipient of the 2020 Conroy Legacy Award, and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Last Ballad, A Land More Kind than Home,
and This Dark Road to Mercy. The founder of the Open Canon Book Club and co-founder of the Land More Kind Appalachian Artists Residency, Cash has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Weymouth Center. He
serves as the writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and lives in North Carolina with his wife, photographer Mallory Cash, and their two daughters. Wiley Cash is a passionate supporter of independent
bookstores, and a charismatic presenter, a winning combination for Reader Meet Writer and our guest authors.
Devolution by Max Brooks
The New One by Mike Birbiglia
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
The Lion's Den by Katherine St. John
