The Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Helga Schier, Ph. D.  Helga is the founder and owner of  withpenandpaper.com , an independent editorial services firm, and Editorial Director of CamCat Publishers, an independent publisher of genre fiction.  After a stint in academia, Helga has served as editor and executive editor in several publishing houses, large and small. With over 25 years of experience po...

Send us Fan Mail Today I’m in stunning San Francisco chatting with Elaine Petrocelli, owner of Book Passage. Later in the episode, I speak with Patti Niemi, author, and percussionist with the San Francisco Opera Company. Book Passage has two locations; Corte Madera and the San Francisco Ferry Building. Elaine has been a bookseller for forty years, and her knowledge of the book industry is vast. Sh...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Walter C. Clemens, JR.  Walter C. Clemens, JR. is Associate, Harvard University Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston University. His many books include America and the World 1898 – 2025: Achievements, Failures, Alternative Futures ; and more recently, The Republican Virus in the Body Politic – How to Re...

Send us Fan Mail Back when the beautiful Hudson Valley was green rather than covered with snow, I chatted with Suzanna Hermans, co-owner of Oblong Books & Music. In the second part of this episode, I caught up with podcaster, lawyer, and thriller author Jodé Susan Millman. Enjoy! Mandy Oblong Books & Music You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey – Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar Jodé Su...

Send us Fan Mail One doesn't need to go far to find people who are making a difference in the world. Our communities are filled with caring neighbors helping others. My guest today is one such person. Evan Graham Arango holds a J.D. with a specialization in environmental law from UCLA. He advocates for law and policy changes that support soil health, regenerative agriculture, and small-scale...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Chicago!  Like indie bookshops across the world, there has never been a time when Bookie's Bookstore has needed its customers more. How can you help? Well, the first thing is to buy books from your local indie bookshop. If you can't go into the shop, order online, or call a bookseller.  Bookshop owners aren't in the business to make millions; they're...

Send us Fan Mail New York is synonymous with the literary world. From book publishing, agents, indie bookshops, and of course, great pizza!  I hope you like this episode as much as I enjoyed interviewing my two guests; Sarah McNally, owner of McNally Jackson Books, and Paul La Rosa, author, journalist, and producer.  Sarah’s openness about being a single, working mother in the business world is ho...

Send us Fan Mail Join poet Jane Harsthorn and me for a discussion about chronic illness and female sexuality. Hear Jane recite some of her poetry and explain what it's like living and working with Crohn's disease. Jane Hartshorn is a poet and Ph. D. candidate at the University of Kent. Her first pamphlet, Tract, was published in 2017 by Litmus Publishing, and her second pamphlet, In the...

Send us Fan Mail This week, I enjoyed chatting with Mary Williams, general manager of Skylight Books in Los Angeles. Mary tells us how the store is coping in pandemic mode and what makes the booksellers at Skylight Books stand out. I later chat with the author, actress, screenwriter, and super fun lady Heidi Mastrogiovanni about her comedic series Lala Pettibone , adopting senior dogs and finding...

Send us Fan Mail After chatting with Anjula Gogia from Another Story Bookshop, and author Lisa de Nikolits, Toronto, Canada, is now high on my list of places to visit once we hit the safe-to-travel mode! Anjula’s knowledge of the literary world, specifically themes of social justice, equity, and diversity, is impressive. Lisa explains what it was like growing up in apartheid South Africa and her l...

Send us Fan Mail Are you craving sunshine and in need of more books for your TBR list? You’re at the right place! Join me, Jenni Marchisotto from Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, and author Marie Brennan for a fun discussion about genre fiction, a wall in London, and a real Australian ghost story from my mid-twenties.  Enjoy! Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. Mys...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Wednesday edition of The Bookshop Podcast.  Join me as I chat with guests who specialize in topics dear to my heart – the humanities and our environment. My guest today is Ari Popper, founder and CEO of SciFutures.  Ari's vision and insights about the future are in high demand on the speaker's circuit. He specializes in making disruptive and visionary futu...

Send us Fan Mail This week I’m in Ventura, California, speaking with Megan and Kyle Murai, who recently opened Timbre Books. Next, I chat with Karla Olson, publisher at Patagonia Books, about “green publishing” and what we can do as consumers of books to change the book publishing industry.  And of course, in case you’re looking for more books to add to your TBR pile, you’re in the right place. En...

Send us Fan Mail I’ve been to Florida twice, both times for work. The first for a commercial, which we started shooting in and around Miami, mainly at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering. So begins my essay for this week’s episode featuring Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida, and maritime author, teacher, and lecturer, Robert Macomber. Enjoy!  Here’s...

Send us Fan Mail This week I'm in Washington State, USA, speaking with poet and Book Tree Kirkland bookshop owner Christopher J. Jarmick and author Adrienne Ross Scanlan. Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. Book Tree Kirkland Christopher J. Jarmick Not Aloud, Christopher J. Jarmick, Moon Path Press Spare Parts, Joshua Davis Caste, Isabel Wilkerson The Warmth...

Send us Fan Mail Finally, I’m back in Italy again – albeit virtually! This week I’m in Rome speaking with Christina and Alessia from the Anglo American Bookshop and author, photographer, and advocate of Italian artisans and regenerative travel, and of course, food and Italian culture, Elizabeth Minchilli . Enjoy! Mandy  Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast.  Anglo A...

Send us Fan Mail This week I’m in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA, speaking with Suzanne DeGaetano from Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry and author and poet Larry Smith. Larry is also director of the literary publisher Bottom Dog Press, Inc. Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry The Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah Resisting Segregation b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm at The Book Den in Santa Barbara, California, speaking with owner Eric Kelley and the author Arthur Hoyle. Arthur's biography of Henry Miller, The Unknown Henry Miller , was published in March 2014 by Skyhorse/Arcade. His second non-fiction book, Mavericks, Mystics, and Misfits: Americans Against the Grain , was published March 17, 2020, by Sunbury P...

Send us Fan Mail This week I start the show on the Californian coast before heading off to Sarasota, Florida, where I catch up with Georgia Court, the owner of Bookstore 1. I later speak with author Karen R. Koenig LCSW, M.Ed. Karen is a licensed psychotherapist, motivational speaker, and international author who has specialized in the field of compulsive, emotional, and restrictive eating for mor...

Send us Fan Mail This week I'm in the village of Woodstock, Vermont, speaking with Kari and Kristian, co-owners of The Yankee Bookshop, and author and poet, Geza Tatrallyay. If you enjoy poetry—and ghost stories—I'm sure you'll enjoy this episode! Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. The Yankee Bookshop Woodstock Vermont  Libro.fm Bookstock Vermont U...

Send us Fan Mail Every so often, I’ll be posting an interview I feel is time-relevant. It is imperative to support local businesses during the pandemic, not only bookshops but all small businesses. Today my guest is Allison Hill, CEO American Booksellers Association. While her work is focused primarily on independent bookshops, she is knowledgeable in entrepreneurship, anti-trust issues, eCommerce...

Send us Fan Mail This week I'm in Larchmont, New York, speaking with Andersons Larchmont bookshop owner Paulene Greeman and author Jacob M. Appel . Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. Thoughts On Homeschooling Essay Andersons Larchmont Funny Farm Movie Carrie Dean, IBCLC  Jacob M. Appel Jacob -- Documentary  Tina Howe  Order Jacob’s Books From Bookshop.org  ...

Send us Fan Mail This week I’m in Enola, Pennsylvania, chatting with Michelle Haring, owner of Cupboard Maker Books, and author Maria V. Snyder. Here’s a list of links, authors, and books mentioned in this podcast. Cupboard Maker Books The Booksellers Documentary Bookshop.org Castaway Critters Libro.fm Spiral Path Farm CSA Maria V Snyder Support the show The Bookshop Podcast Mandy Jackson-Beverly...

Send us Fan Mail West Side Books is an independent bookstore in the historic Highlands neighborhood of Northwest Denver, providing new, used, and unusual books to the community since 1997. I’m speaking with West Side Books’ owner, Lois Harvey , and store manager, Matt Aragon . Later I talk with local author Kali Fajardo-Anstine , author of Sabrina and Corina.  Here’s a list of links, authors, and...

Send us Fan Mail Sometime around mid-March, my Earth Mother alter ego kicked in and has since gone into overdrive. Every few days, a malodorous smell wafts from the kitchen—that's the sourdough starter telling me it's ready for attention. I've lost count of how many pics of flowery-patterned loaves I've posted on Instagram. Gone are the bookish images and texts that filled my f...