From the Land of SIBAA message from SIBA to its membership
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First Things First...
5/13: Reader Meet Writer with Tom Clavin & Bob Drury, Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier (more info) 5/19: Bloomsbury
Glorious Girls Summer Celebration (register) 5/20: Coffee with the Board (register) 5/31:
Nomination deadline for SIBA Board (
here) 5/31: Deadline to submit ABACUS Survey (more info) 6/1: MPBA 3-Part Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Workshop co-sponsored by SIBA (register) 6/3: Reader Meet Writer: If or When I Call with Will Johnson (more info)
6/7: Reader Meet Writer: The Soulmate Equation with Christina Lauren (more info) 6/10: Reader Meet Writer: We Are Each Other's Harvest with Natalie
Baszile (more info) 6/17: Reader Meet Writer: The Killing Hills with Chris Offutt(more info) 6/17:
Coffee with the Board (register) 6/24: Reader Meet Writer: My Mistress' Eyes Are Raven Black with Terry Roberts (more info)
The Zoom session with RAMP held this week addressed a number of bookseller questions about the summer email program, including email list management, customization and previews, and a quick tour through the bookseller hub at Rampbooks.com.
Welcome new bookstore owners to a retreat
designed just for you. (By new, we mean 5 years or less.)
NAIBA and SIBA, through their joint event platform, New Voices New Rooms, is hosting a series of evening meetings July 19 – 22. Monday through Wednesday will be from 6:30-8pm ET and Thursday will be 7-8:30pm ET. This
schedule is out of respect for your limited availability during the day while you work your bookstore.
Seasoned booksellers and special guests will be on hand to guide you through your growth, share their experiences, help you envision your future, and answer your most pressing questions. It is a perfect opportunity to step away from
the store, look at your operations, finances, and resources for perspective, ideas, and solutions.
This event is geared for stores that have opened in the last five years and/or owners who have purchased an existing store in the last five years. The registration fee is $25 pp. Members and nonmembers are welcome.
June 1st is the deadline to nominate books for the Summer Read This Next!
list. Titles will be chosen from the books publishing between July and September which have received the most positive reviews from Southern indie booksellers. Any positive review of an eligible title posted to Edelweiss and/or
the Southern Bookseller Review is treated as a nomination, so now is the time to take a few moments to rave about some of your favorite forthcoming titles. Note that books do not have to be Southern in nature to be eligible, they
just need to be published in the summer season and loved and adored by you!
A quick guide to posting reviews:
Edelweiss Plus: Click the "Review" bubble icon in the book listing. Type or paste your review into the space that comes up. Under the "Share" column, make sure "Communities" is selected,
and then click the three "more" dots and make sure you have SIBA selected as well.
SIBA Bookseller Book Club selection Allies & Advocates by Amber Cabral
The SIBA Bookseller will be reading Allies & Advocates by Amber Cabral for the June selection. The reading period runs from May 7, 2021 to June 26, 2021. The discussion of this book will take place via Zoom on
Sunday, June 27 at 5PM Eastern/4PM Central. Sign up here
Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture delivers a powerful and useful message about inclusion and diversity in everyday life. Author Amber Cabral, a celebrated inclusion strategist,
speaker, and writer, shows readers how to move away from discriminatory and unjust behaviors to supporting and building meaningful connections with people across our diverse backgrounds and identities.
While some books settle for vague advice and catchphrases, readers of Allies and Advocates will benefit from the book’s straightforward style and applicable action items, real-world examples highlighting inclusion best practices,
and iImplementable tactics to assist people in seeing how they can help create an inclusive environment.
The Anti-Racist Bookseller
One of the most common goals cited by participants in SIBA's 21-Day Anti-Racist
Challenge was to make their bookstores a welcome space for BIPOC employees as well as customers. The Ask a Manager writer Alison Green spoke to Michelle Silverthorn about creating a healthy work environment for people
of color:
June Indie Playlist Contest Announced Booksellers are invited to use titles included in the IPC themed playlist to create a display. The store with the best display will receive $500.
The first five bookstores to sign up to participate will get $50 in co-op each. The theme for June is LGBTQ+ Pride. Read More | Titles | Register
Abacus Deadline is May 31 ABACUS is a free annual report filled with detailed information highlighting where your store falls across a range of areas, including profitability, productivity, and financial management.
Using the ABACUS report is like adding a financial officer to your staff; it clearly highlights areas that need improvement, areas in which your store is succeeding, and everything in between. Read More.
Free Passes to U.S. Book Show We’re pleased to have partnered with Publishers Weekly to provide our members with complimentary tickets to the U.S. Book Show (May 25 – 27). This not-to-be-missed virtual event will showcase PW Editors’
Picks panels, timely events centered on the state of bookselling, and inspiring keynote speakers such as Elizabeth Warren, Anthony Doerr and Brian Selznick! Use promo code SIBACOMP. (Register)
A note from Nicki: When we announced
the June Reader Meet Writer line-up last week, one event was still in the works. We've since confirmed Natalie Baszile, author of We Are Each Other's Harvest, for Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 PM.
I'm especially invested in this event -- in fact, after I read the book I actually asked if SIBA could get Natalie for Reader Meet Writer. Some of you may remember her as the author of Queen Sugar, or seen the mini-series
based on that novel. We Are Each Other's Harvest is a different animal: a collection of essays, poetry, stories, and conversations around the theme of Black farming and legacy, the book speaks directly to many of the communities
I know are within the reach of SIBA booksellers -- Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama. Anyone who follows me on Facebook knows I'm a gardener, and this book has some of my personal heroes --
Leah Penniman, Ira Wallace, Michael Twitty -- featured in it.
But I was amazed at how many of the farmers she speaks to were within driving distance of me.
We Are Each Other's Harvest is a book about honoring tradition and legacy, and also about reclaiming them. For the bookstores who have been pursuing anti-racist policies and goals, there is much to talk about in these pages. It's a great look at a movement
that addresses one aspect of systemic racism -- the loss of Black-owned land. But it is also an uplifting book, about perseverance, and the importance of community and connection, and the many creative ways people overcome adversity.
And of course, it is also a delicious "foodie" book as well!
Natalie Baszile, author of We Are Each Other's Harvest, for Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 PM. | REGISTER
Are you interested in joining the circle of bookstores sending invites to their customers? Please email Linda-Marie and we'll discuss what's involved.
Coming up next on Reader Meet Writer:
Blood and Treasure : Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier with Tom Clavin Thu May 13th 7:00pm - 8:00pm | REGISTER
Bob Drury and Tom Clavin are the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is, Lucky 666, Halsey's Typhoon, Last Men Out,
and The Last Stand of Fox Company, which won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's General Wallace M. Greene Jr. Award. They live in Manasquan, New Jersey, and Sag Harbor, New York, respectively.
If or When I Call with Will Johnson Thu Jun 3rd 7:00pm - 8:00pm | REGISTER
Will Johnson is a musician and songwriter who has played in the bands Centro-matic, South San Gabriel, Marie/Lepanto, Overseas, New Multitudes, and Monsters of Folk. He also releases records under his own name,
and makes paintings centering on the subject of baseball and its history. His work has appeared in American Short Fiction. He was born in Kennett, Missouri, and currently lives in Austin, Texas. If or When I Call is
his first novel.
This week on Circle of Sites
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.
From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs comes this new novel that is once again storytelling at its best. Real, raw and revelatory, Heaven shares the story of two young people who are joined at a broken
place and investigates the power of human kindness and friendship to help them move forward. -- Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC Buy from The Country Bookshop
If you thought Breasts and Eggs was good (and I did), Heaven will be a fierce competitor. It's a fascinating mental examination into how one is to survive under terrible circumstances and how far one would go
to break free from it. -- Easty Lambert-Brown, Ernest & Hadley Booksellers, Tuscaloosa, AL Buy from Ernest & Hadley Books.
What I appreciate so much about Kawakami is the strength of her voice, and her ability to convey the most basic aspects of human nature in a complex and thoughtful way. Pick up this book and then share it with everyone! -Kelsey
Jagneaux, Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg, FL Buy from Tombolo Books
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami offers a blend of devastation and hope, exploring both the desolation of lonely adolescence and the beauty of friendship. -- Alex Brown, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC Buy from Quail Ridge Books
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel On Edelweiss | Buy
Fans of Fun Home and Are You My Mother will not be disappointed by The Secret to Superhuman Strength! While Alison Bechdel’s previous two books mix her own memories with her parents’ stories,
her newest book is all her own, told through her relationship to exercise and the outdoors. It would not be a Bechdel book without bringing in philosophers; in this case, Bechdel touches on Jack Kerouac, the transcendentalists,
Buddhist thinkers, and more. I was particularly drawn to the vibrancy of the coloring in this book. I tried to only read one section of this book at a time to make it last longer, but I couldn’t resist consuming it in
two sittings!
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (List Price: $24, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9780544387652, 5/4/2021) Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Linda-Marie: Reading: Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, a darkly funny novel reminiscent of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by
Leidy Klotz. Listening: French Cafe Radio Station on Pandora, Watching: The Great British Baking Show “The Early Seasons”.
Lucy: Reading:Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean - This is my month of backlist TBR reading, and I’m thrilled to finally be getting back to the world of the Bareknuckle Bastards! Listening:You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar - This book talks about racist encounters that Lacey Lamar has had with laugh out loud hilarious wit and candor.
I highly recommend it, but know that it’ll DEFINITELY make you mad. Watching:Mythic Quest, Season 2 - I LOVE this show! The two episodes that they released between seasons which dealt with the pandemic in two very different ways were absolutely beautiful, and they both
deserve all of the awards!
Nicki: Reading: Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones by Carole Boyce Davies, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels (I am a sucker for oddball group
reads on LibraryThing.com!), Paradise by Toni Morrison, (because of what she had to say about writing it in The Source of Self Regard) Listening: This Bitter Earth, Veronica Swift Watching: The 2016 BBC series of War & Peace, God help me.
SP: Reading: I just got a copy of Sylvia Townsend Warner’s After the Death of Don Juan in the mail. Who knows when I will have time to read it. Listening: Lots of Laura Marling and Angel Olsen lately. Really love both of them. Watching: The last movies I watched were Passion Fish and The Red Shoes. Both absolutely fantastic movies and the respective directors at the very top of their game.
1. Sooley John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385547680 2. Project Hail Mary Andy Weir, Ballantine, $28.99, 9780593135204 3.
The Hill We Climb Amanda Gorman, Viking, $15.99, 9780593465271 4.
The Midnight Library Matt Haig, Viking, $26, 9780525559474 5. The Newcomer Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's, $28.99, 9781250256966
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Premonition: A Pandemic Story Michael Lewis, Norton, $30, 9780393881554 2. The Bomber Mafia Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown, $27, 9780316296618 3.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy, HarperOne, $22.99, 9780062976581 4. World Travel Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever, Ecco, $35, 9780062802798 5. Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest Suzanne Simard, Knopf, $28.95, 9780525656098
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 by appointment. 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 You have received this email because you are currently subscribed to receive general correspondence. Please click @@unsubscribe_url@@ if you
no longer wish to receive these communications.
Deadline is May 14 for first RAMP Summer email 
Welcome new bookstore owners to a retreat
designed just for you. (By new, we mean 5 years or less.)
June 1st is the deadline to nominate books for the Summer Read This Next!
list. Titles will be chosen from the books publishing between July and September which have received the most positive reviews from Southern indie booksellers. Any positive review of an eligible title posted to Edelweiss and/or
the Southern Bookseller Review is treated as a nomination, so now is the time to take a few moments to rave about some of your favorite forthcoming titles. Note that books do not have to be Southern in nature to be eligible, they
just need to be published in the summer season and loved and adored by you!
One of the most common goals cited by participants in SIBA's 21-Day Anti-Racist
Challenge was to make their bookstores a welcome space for BIPOC employees as well as customers. The Ask a Manager writer Alison Green spoke to Michelle Silverthorn about creating a healthy work environment for people
of color:
A note from Nicki: When we announced
the June Reader Meet Writer line-up last week, one event was still in the works. We've since confirmed Natalie Baszile, author of We Are Each Other's Harvest, for Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 PM. 
We Are Each Other's Harvest is a book about honoring tradition and legacy, and also about reclaiming them. For the bookstores who have been pursuing anti-racist policies and goals, there is much to talk about in these pages. It's a great look at a movement
that addresses one aspect of systemic racism -- the loss of Black-owned land. But it is also an uplifting book, about perseverance, and the importance of community and connection, and the many creative ways people overcome adversity.
And of course, it is also a delicious "foodie" book as well!
Blood and Treasure : Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier with Tom Clavin
If or When I Call with Will Johnson
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel 
