The Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author Stephanie Cotsirilos about her novella My Xanthi , Greek heritage, The Writer's Hotel, and books! Stephanie Cotsirilos is an essayist in the anthology of New England writers, Breaking Bread (Beacon Press), and was published finalist in Mississippi Review’s Prize in Fiction. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, her work has app...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m back at the Library of Congress chatting with Stephanie Stillo and special guest Marianna Stell about the Giant Bible of Mainz, scribes, the digitalization of medieval manuscripts, and books!  Stephanie Stillo is the Curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald  Collection and Aramont Library in the Rare Book and Special Collection Division.   Marianna Stell is a Refer...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Linda Kass, co-owner of Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio, about her career as a journalist and author, the four ingredients needed to create an excellent indie bookshop, and Pelotonia! Gramercy Books is a locally-owned, independently-minded neighborhood bookstore located in the heart of Bexley, Ohio. Their philosophy is simple: they’re about i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author and poet David Ebenbach about his new poetry collection What's Left To Us By Evening , publishing, his creative process, and his short story The Guy We didn't Invite to the Orgy . David Ebenbach is a writer. Chronically preoccupied with the human condition. He’s been writing ever since he was a kid, when he kept his whole fa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author Ellen Pall about her new novel Must Read Well , her career as a journalist, and the craft of writing. ELLEN PALL is the author of more than a dozen novels, including Among the Ginzburgs, Corpse de Ballet , and Slightly Abridged . She has also written many features about people in the arts for The New Yorker and The New York Times, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m chatting with Jacqui Delbaere, the owner of The Little Green Bookshop, and bookseller, and in-store pianist Tim Jenkins about Herne Bay, literary events, and where to visit, dine and explore in the seaside town on the north coast of Kent in southeast England.   The Little Green Bookshop   The Whalebone Theatre , Joanna Quinn   Hamnet , Maggie O’Farrell   Persu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m chatting with David Rocklin about his novels, creativity in Los Angeles, Roar Shack, and books!  David Rocklin grew up in Chicago and graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Literature. After attending law school, he pursued a career as an in-house attorney and continues to serve as a mediator. David is the author of The Night Language and The Luminist....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Bob Keefe , executive director of E2 and author of CLIMATENOMICS: Washington, Wall Street and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet , about his life as a journalist, the effects of capitalism on the climate crisis, phytomining, how and why Bidenomics morphed into climatenomics, and his new book Climatenomics. Bob Keefe is executive director of E2 (Env...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m in Whitby, North Yorkshire, chatting with Fiona Duncan, manager of The Whitby Bookshop, about gothic novels, their extensive selection of vampire books, the housing crisis, and what sites to visit in Whitby! The Whitby Bookshop is a much-loved independent, family-run bookshop known for its eclectic choice of books, friendly, knowledgeable staff, quirky gifts,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Abdulzarak Gurnah about how his life has changed since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, 2021, his new novel, Afterlives , colonialism in Africa, and what drew him from Tanzania to the county of Kent in the UK and a life dedicated to teaching. Abdulrazak Gurnah is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021. He is the author of ten...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Maddalena Fossombroni and Pietro Torrigiani, the co-owners of Todo Modo, about the innovative steps they took to keep afloat during lockdowns, how the current Italian government supports independent bookshops, the Uqbar Cafe, and Florence's newest hub, Manifattura Tabacchi! Todo Modo is a bookshop and café located in the heart of the Sa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author David Pepper about his new novel A Simple Choice , independent bookshops, his non-fiction book Laboratories Of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call From Behind The Lines, and the importance of strengthening democracy at the state level. David Pepper is a lawyer, writer, political activist, former elected official, and adjunct professor, and serv...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Mary Callopy Mollman, owner of Madison Street Books in Chicago's West Loop, about small publishers and imprints, sites to see in Chicago, what to consider when opening an indie bookshop, and books! Madison Street Books is an independent bookshop in Chicago's West Loop owned by Mary Collopy Mollman. Its focus and vision are to be a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Bruce Holsinger about his latest novel , The Displacements , emotional fatigue brought on by the climate crisis, the socioeconomic disparity in the United States, and choosing names for characters. Bruce Holsinger is a novelist and literary scholar based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is the au...

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm chatting with Emma Corfield-Walters, co-owner of Book-ish in Crickhowell, Powys, Wales, about diversifying your library, Welsh writers, the beauty of Wales, and what it takes to open an indie bookshop. Book-ish is an independent bookshop in Crickhowell, Powys, in the UK. The bookshop thrives because it’s more than a bookshop: it’s a community endeavor.   Besides hos...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Sophie Irwin about her new novel, A Ladies Guide To Fortune Hunting , women finding autonomy in Regency England, character arcs, and Bridgerton! Sophie Irwin grew up in Dorset before moving to south London after university. She spent several years working as an assistant editor before going freelance. Sophie has spent years immersed in the study of his...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Meg Prince, owner of The Ironbridge Bookshop in Shropshire, England, about buying an indie bookshop at age 18, Penguin Books, coffee and cakes, and what she's currently reading! The Ironbridge Bookshop is located in the main square of the historic town of Ironbridge, with views over the River Severn and the Ironbridge, set right in the heart of Sh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author KJ Dell'Antonia about her new novel In Her Boots , her podcast #amwriting, and books! KJ Dell'Antonia is the author of The Chicken Sisters , a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick , and a timely, humorous exploration of the same themes she has long focused on in her journalism: the importance of finding joy in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Carrie Morris, co-owner of Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, UK, about bookish events, the stunning county of Shropshire, the future of indie bookshops, and books! Booka Bookshop is an award-winning independent bookshop located in the center of Oswestry, a thriving UK market town on the border where Shropshire meets Wales. Since opening in October...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Tamar Haspel about her new book, To Boldly Grow , eating for a healthier planet and you, the beef industry, and getting your hands in dirt! Tamar Haspel writes the James Beard Award-winning Washington Post column Unearthed, which tackles food from every angle: agriculture, nutrition, obesity, and the environment. She is the author of the book To Boldly...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Mary Ellen Hartje, the owner of Old Town Books, about reinventing retirement, the San Angelo community, the ASU Writers Conference, and books! Old Town Books came about, as most independent bookstores do, as a labor of love—love of books, love of bookstores, and love for the “book community.” This labor of love also includes a love for the broader comm...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author Ashley Poston about her new novel The Dead Romantics , ghostly encounters, and switching from writing Young Adult to adult fiction. Ashley Poston is a national best-selling author who writes stories about true love and found families for both teens and adults. She studied English at the University of South Carolina and now lives with...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Anne Holman and Calvin Crosby, co-owners of The King's English Bookshop, about diversity in Salt Lake City, what led them both to bookselling, the food scene in Salt Lake City, and Books! Over the bookshop's 33 years of existence, the staff has created a welcoming environment for readers, a carefully selected inventory, a staff-wid...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with author Lucy Clarke about her becoming story, writing in notebooks, Tasmania, and her new novel One Of The Girls . Sunday Times bestseller, Lucy Clarke, is the author of seven psychological thrillers - THE SEA SISTERS, A SINGLE BREATH, THE BLUE/NO ESCAPE, LAST SEEN, YOU LET ME IN, THE CASTAWAYS, and ONE OF THE GIRLS. Her debut novel was a Ric...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m chatting with Jennifer Caspar, the owner of Village Well Books & Coffee, about community, books, and moving through tragedy. Village Well Books & Coffee is a community-focused & impact-driven bookstore-café in the heart of Downtown Culver City, California. Supporting the community is part of their DNA as they regularly explore various social causes...