The Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Mairi Oliver, owner of Lighthouse Books, about radical bookshops, feminist writers in Edinburgh, how the world can seem overwhelming, and books! Lighthouse Books is a queer-owned and woman-led independent community bookshop located at West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh. The store is an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, lgbtq...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Heidi Stemple about her writing practice, the rules and skills needed to write children's books, having  a celebrity writing mother (Jane Yolen), and keeping the writing business in the family! Heidi Stemple didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Two Friends Books owners Monica Diodati and Rachel Stuckey-Slaton about Bentonville, Arkansas, local authors, books they love, and what they learned about bookselling during the pandemic. After spending too much time lamenting the lack of an independent bookstore in Bentonville, friends Monica Diodati and Rachel Stuckey-Slaton resolved to launch their...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Fonda Lee about what prompted her decision to become a serious writer, her innate love and respect for animals, her novella Untethered Sky , and her path from her first finished manuscript to finding an agent and publishing deal. Fonda Lee is the author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City, continuing in Jade War, and concludin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Claire Harris, manager of Lutyens and Rubinstein Bookshop, about how the demographics of Notting Hill affect the curation of the bookshop, their bespoke services, independent stores in the area, and books! Lutyens and Rubinstein Bookshop was founded in 2009 by literary agents Sarah Lutyens and Felicity Rubinstein.  The emphasis for the curation of the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Annabelle Gurwitch about her career in acting, speaking, and writing, her experience with SPY (Safe Place For Youth), her first publishing story, and her new book You're Leaving When? Annabelle Gurwiitch is a New York Times Bestselling author, actress and activist whose most recent collection of essays You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downw...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with journalist, documentarian, and author Livia Manera Sambuy about her new book In Search of Amrit Kaur , the difficulties of researching her subject, her work as a journalist, and Indian culture. Livia Manera Sambuy is an Italian writer whose book of profiles of American writers, Don't Write About Me , was published in 2015. She has been a staff wri...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Jan Smedh, co-owner of The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden, and the events manager Stina Björkelid about what it's like to live in Sweden during the winter months, the history of the area, and how reading fiction develops empathy and tolerance. In 2018, The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden was chosen by the London Book Fair as its Internati...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Daniela Barani about living in Verona, global travels, languages, and books! Daniela Barani is an English book club and event planner in Verona, a member of the library committee in Sommacampagna, and an Educational Consultant for Oxford University Press. She is an avid supporter of independent bookshops and runs the Albion Road Book Club in Verona, It...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with E.A. Aymar about his latest novel No Home For Killers, the D.C. Noir at the Bar series, and the Latino BIPOC thriller writing community. Anthony Award-nominated E.A. Aymar’s most recent thriller, No Home for Killers , received praise from the New York Times, Kirkus, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. His previous thriller, They’re Gone , was published...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with voiceover actor and author Candi Milo about her memoir Surviving The Odd , her childhood in a halfway house, homelessness, mental illness, and alcoholism.  Candi Milo is a successful actor, most famous for her extensive, award-nominated career voicing cartoons. Born in Palm Springs and raised in San Jose, California, Candi is an actor, singer, and come...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Katya Cengel about her life as a journalist,  interviewing refugees from Cambodia, and her book Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back. Katya Cengel is a freelance writer and author based in California. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal , and the Washington Post, am...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Jane Yolen about her new book, The Scarlet Circus , short stories, and romance! Jane Yolen’s books and stories and poems have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards , two Christopher Medals, three World Fantasy Awards , three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, two Golden Kite Awards, the Jewish Book Award and the Massachusetts Center for the Book aw...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Mervyn Sloman, owner of The Book Lounge, about how shipping affects the supply chain, local authors, the diverse population of Cape Town,  and his favorite book to hand-sell to customers. Mervyn Sloman owns The Book Lounge, an independent bookshop in the heart of Cape Town featuring passionate staff, great coffee, and fantastic books! The Book Lounge H...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Michael Moorcock about growing up in London during WW II, his life as a journalist, writing Gloriana, Or The Unfulfill'd Queen , and his latest music. Michael Moorcock is one of the most important and influential figures in speculative fiction and fantasy literature. Listed recently by The Times (London) as among the fifty greatest British...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Zibby Owens about opening Zibby's Bookshop, Zibby Media, curating her bookshop, and books! Zibby Owens is an author, award-winning podcaster, entrepreneur, and CEO. Owens founded Zibby Media, a privately-held media company, in 2018, with her award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books . The company has since grown to include the publi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author TJ Klune about his new book In The Lives Of Puppets , the importance of libraries and indie bookshops, the two people who sparked his love of writing, and books! TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea , The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer hi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Dr. Tim Jarvis, director of Fullers Bookshop, about taking over the 103-year-old bookshop, local authors, what to see around Hobart, and books! Fullers Bookshop was established in 1920, by W. E. (Bill) Fuller, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. In 1961 the shop was taken over by Cedric and Ian Pearce, famous not only as booksellers but also as...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Deborah Levine Herman about the republication of her book, Spiritual Writing , The Seven Lessons of Soul Odyssey, being okay with rejection, and building your author platform. Deborah Levine Herman is a gifted spiritual teacher who believes we are here to raise the vibration of others and to live with love, authenticity, and, most of all, ho...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Jenny McCann, director of Bear Bookshop in Smethwick, U.K., about her career as an English teacher, why she opened a children's bookshop, her favorite children's books to hand-sell, and how to encourage children to read.  For Jenny McCann, Bear Bookshop began as a dream… a long-held fantasy of owning a bookshop and surrounding hers...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Marie Moser, owner of The Edinburgh Bookshop, about children's books, local authors, and illustrators, Edinburgh, and her favorite books to hand-sell to customers. Marie Moser took over The Edinburgh Bookshop in 2012, bringing with her twenty years of experience in retail sales and marketing.  Over the last decade, the bookshop has grow...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Emily Moore, Curator at the Library of Congress, about an exciting event happening in January 2023. Emily Moore is the Assistant Curator of the Aramont Library in the Rare Books and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress. She has a double BA in Art History and Cinema from the University of Toronto and an MLIS from the Univer...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Terry Craven from Desperate Literature in Madrid about his art, working at Shakespeare & Company in Paris, the Desperate Literature Short Literature prize, and his life in Madrid. Desperate Literature is a joint project between Craig Walzer, Corey Eastwood, Charlotte Delattre, and Terry Craven. Between them, they own Atlantis Books in Sa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Dr. Paula Marantz Cohen about empathy, Shakespeare, teaching, and her book Of Human Kindness: What Shakespeare Teaches Us About Empathy. Paula Marantz Cohen is Distinguished Professor of English at Drexel University where she teaches courses in literature, film, and creative writing. She is the recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguish...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Rosamund De Le Hey, the co-owner of Mainstreet Trading Company, about opening a general store, the four things she wanted to make sure her store included to draw in customers, Bookshop.org, and books! Husband and wife team Rosamund and Bill De Le Hey opened Mainstreet Trading Company in 2008. The store is located in St Boswells, Scottish Bor...