This Month’s Featured Articles…
The importance of local libraries & why they matter more than ever
Public libraries are one of the few places in modern society where nothing is expected from visitors. There is no status or membership required to access them, and you can stay all day without having to spend a dime. In recent years, public libraries have increasingly taken on roles in their communities that fall well outside of the range of merely checking books in and out. A study titled, “The Role of Rural Public Libraries in Providing Access to Online Government Services,” from the University [...]
Goddess Goodness: An exhibition at the Athens Cultural Center explores the concept of “goddess”
Above: Ntangou Badila, Cells horizontal. When Niva Dorell was approached by the Athens Cultural Center to curate an exhibition around the theme of ‘goddess,’ she was of course intrigued. “There were so many directions it could go,” she says when I catch up with her to talk about the show and her role in it. Her first task, she knew, was to distill her thinking around the theme. “For me,” Niva explains, “‘goddess’ is a powerful energy; the source of all things: creation, creativity, femme [...]
Book Clubs: A brief history and why they’ve stood the test of time
Born out of a desire to spend more time in third places – locations separate from home (first place) or work (second place) – this year, in the midst of winter, Lindsey and I created a book club with a few of her friends from high school. Part of the reason we started a book club was that we are all bookworms and recent grads between the ages of 22 and 23 years old who were searching for a low stakes, academic hobby that included [...]
Indie romance authors & the always altering universe of BookTok: Approaching tropes, cover designs, and piracy in today’s digital landscape
When August rolls around, I get to thinking about books. It simply can’t be helped – in past years, I’ve written about Romance Awareness Month and Read-A-Romance Month for our August issue, highlighting a vast selection of independent authors and their writing processes. Last year, I even expanded this inquiry to encompass plenty of other roles in the online book community, from readers and influencers to photographers and PR. So naturally, when the weather gets warm, my mind wanders to the book world. My goal [...]
Celebrating 50 years as a regional cornerstone: Reading up on the story & evolution of Oblong Books
Above: Dick with Oblong's billboard. All photos courtesy of Oblong Books. As the well-loved independent book shop commemorates 50 years in business, founders Dick Hermans and Holly Nelson, as well as Dick’s daughter and the store’s co-owner Suzanna Hermans, reflect on Oblong Books and its half-century of success. With locations in both Millerton and Rhinebeck, NY, the store’s presence and impact in the region has undoubtedly been extraordinary. As a true general bookstore, Suzanna highlights that Oblong stocks just about everything, but that their passions [...]
