Barry Coulter
Looking forward to an awesome, auspicious day, dedicated to small, independent bookstores everywhere.
Lotus Books in Cranbrook is marking Authors for Indies, Saturday, April 30, with a day filled with events and good times.
2016 marks the second annual incarnation of the national event Authors for Indies — which coincides with Independent Bookstore Day in the U.S.
"It's a North America-wide celebration of independent bookstores, demonstrating that small bookstores are alive and well," said Erin Dalton, owner of Lotus Books in Cranbrook. "Predictions of doom and death of the printed word are all the rage, but independent bookstores are still there, doing their thing."
Lotus Books is joining the more than 100 bookstores and more than 500 authors who are celebrating Authors for Indies in Canada on April 30 — when authors and publishers from around the country get out and about, to help support the bookstores that carry their works.
Pictured: Jerry Auld
"It will be neat to see different authors doing their different things," Dalton said.
Joining Lotus with be Fernie's Angie Abdou — authored of three acclaimed novels and numerous short stories, and Jerry Auld of Canmore, a renowned mountain fiction writer and member of the Imaginary Mountain Surveyors Press, and independent publisher specializing in mountain stories.
The authors will be at Lotus from 1 p.m. To 3 p.m.
"They'll both be in attendance, with a list of books they're reading and love, and they'll be discussing these books with the public," Dalton said.
There will be give-aways of merchandise throughout the day, including special offers from Geist Magazine, who will be using the occasion to market their 100th issue.
And every participating store in Canada will be connected via social network.
But the afternoon with Abdou and Auld is just the beginning. The second part of the day will see the local world of writers at the HeidOut Brewhouse and Restaurant, for the event "En Cervisia Novellus" (think "In Vino Veritas"). Six authors from around the region, and their writings, will be paired with a particular brew from the HeidOut, for a book and beer tasting. Featured guests are Keith Powell, Keith Liggett, Brenda Babinski (whose book is coming out later this summer), Jim Cameron, and Abdou and Auld. The event is free, but as seating is limited, making a reservation is strongly recommended, Dalton said. Call Lotus Books to make such a reservation.
Events take place at 7 p.m. in the basement facilities of the HeidOut.
So mark April 30 on your calendars — a day to celebrate the writers, books and bookstores in our lives.