Miss out on Stardust's Poetry Slam? Read all about it!
Submitted by Sam Zaber & Annie Volmer
On April 17th, Stardust Books and Cafe hosted their first ever Poetry Slam with terrific results. The night featured several local and not-so-local Vermont poets, ranging in age from mid-teens to the golden years. With poems discussing topics from dealing with senior moments to the pressures of jobs to organic living, the audience seemed enraptured with the scenes spun before them.
The judges for the night were three local college students selected for their unique talent of being in the right place at the right time, and all seemed to truly enjoy themselves thoroughly. After hearing all the poems presented (in the tradition of true Poetry Slams, poets were invited to bring two origianal poems, in order to share the full breadth of their talent) the judges voted on a young teen poet who presented two fast-paced, lively poems. The winner was presented with the collected donations from the audience.
The staff of Stardust was very excited with the turnout of poets and audience--the combined total nearly filled up our cozy store.
4.30.2009
4.24.2009
My Internet 2.0 Paradox
Written by Sandy
No doubt about it, the Internet rules our current culture. Look at you--you're reading a blog online, where you once might have been reading a column in a newspaper or magazine. Look at me--I'm writing a blog post instead of a diary entry or a letter. How many people do you know that have never used Google to search for the answer to a question? I'm guessing the answer is few to none.
In the business world, the common thinking is that you need to have an online presence in order to stay competitive. At bookselling seminars over the past ten years, this message has remained constant, even while the dialogue changed to fit the current trend: get a website, send your newsletters by email, get on MySpace, start a blog, get on Facebook, start Twittering, start a vlog.
At the same time, independent booksellers--for that matter, all independent retailers--are trying to focus on the things that make us different from the "big guys." The number one feature that we pride ourselves on is our customer service. What you won't find (or, at least, I have never found) at any online discounter or big box retailer is the personalized attention that you can get when you go to your neighborhood bookstore (for example) where the booksellers know you--and vice-versa--where the staff knows the inventory and takes time to help you find exactly what you want, where you can engage in conversations and bump into friends and neighbors, where you can have serendipitous moments of coming across a book you weren't even aware of, but which turns out to be exactly what you were looking for all along.
Basically, it's all about the in-person/personal experience, as opposed to the self-serve model of online retailers and the solitary experience of interacting with a computer screen. So, how do these two seemingly disparate approaches work together? I've resisted jumping on the "social media" bandwagon for several years, even while people many years my senior were telling me that "this is the way that the next generation is connecting. We have to be a part of this (insert trend here) thing." I guess I'm a little old fashioned. We had a website. A few years later, we started a regular email newsletter, and that did allow us to reach out to our customers in an affordable and simple way that we hadn't been able to accomplish before. Still, I wasn't interested in joining MySpace or blogging or any of that other stuff. To me, it felt antithetical to our way of being. After all, we love interacting with people in the store, we love the neighborly, old fashioned feeling of seeing people we know and talking to them, face to face.
And yet, I succumbed to the peer pressure: I put Galaxy on Facebook and started a blog. As it turns out, the internet is a great way to make connections with people. I'll even go so far as to admit that it can be a fun addition to those face-to-face meetings.
Why the sudden reversal? I suppose it was a slow realization--recognizing my own growing use of those social media outlets and becoming aware of the potential for reaching out to people in a new forum, hopefully in a way that will keep them engaged and invested in continuing this friendship between the bookstore and the reader. Through Facebook, we can keep people updated about events in a timely fashion. Here on our blog, we can share the thoughts that might not come up otherwise, and maybe get some conversations started. I've also discovered that people like to talk in person about their online interactions. We've already had a few fun discussions about our online ventures with some of our Facebook fans who stopped by the store to do some shopping.
So, while I still think that people should write more letters, talk in person more often, and stop texting every living minute (a serious pet peeve of mine), I'm enjoying our small digital evolution. Change, as they say, is good.
No doubt about it, the Internet rules our current culture. Look at you--you're reading a blog online, where you once might have been reading a column in a newspaper or magazine. Look at me--I'm writing a blog post instead of a diary entry or a letter. How many people do you know that have never used Google to search for the answer to a question? I'm guessing the answer is few to none.
In the business world, the common thinking is that you need to have an online presence in order to stay competitive. At bookselling seminars over the past ten years, this message has remained constant, even while the dialogue changed to fit the current trend: get a website, send your newsletters by email, get on MySpace, start a blog, get on Facebook, start Twittering, start a vlog.
At the same time, independent booksellers--for that matter, all independent retailers--are trying to focus on the things that make us different from the "big guys." The number one feature that we pride ourselves on is our customer service. What you won't find (or, at least, I have never found) at any online discounter or big box retailer is the personalized attention that you can get when you go to your neighborhood bookstore (for example) where the booksellers know you--and vice-versa--where the staff knows the inventory and takes time to help you find exactly what you want, where you can engage in conversations and bump into friends and neighbors, where you can have serendipitous moments of coming across a book you weren't even aware of, but which turns out to be exactly what you were looking for all along.
Basically, it's all about the in-person/personal experience, as opposed to the self-serve model of online retailers and the solitary experience of interacting with a computer screen. So, how do these two seemingly disparate approaches work together? I've resisted jumping on the "social media" bandwagon for several years, even while people many years my senior were telling me that "this is the way that the next generation is connecting. We have to be a part of this (insert trend here) thing." I guess I'm a little old fashioned. We had a website. A few years later, we started a regular email newsletter, and that did allow us to reach out to our customers in an affordable and simple way that we hadn't been able to accomplish before. Still, I wasn't interested in joining MySpace or blogging or any of that other stuff. To me, it felt antithetical to our way of being. After all, we love interacting with people in the store, we love the neighborly, old fashioned feeling of seeing people we know and talking to them, face to face.
And yet, I succumbed to the peer pressure: I put Galaxy on Facebook and started a blog. As it turns out, the internet is a great way to make connections with people. I'll even go so far as to admit that it can be a fun addition to those face-to-face meetings.
Why the sudden reversal? I suppose it was a slow realization--recognizing my own growing use of those social media outlets and becoming aware of the potential for reaching out to people in a new forum, hopefully in a way that will keep them engaged and invested in continuing this friendship between the bookstore and the reader. Through Facebook, we can keep people updated about events in a timely fashion. Here on our blog, we can share the thoughts that might not come up otherwise, and maybe get some conversations started. I've also discovered that people like to talk in person about their online interactions. We've already had a few fun discussions about our online ventures with some of our Facebook fans who stopped by the store to do some shopping.
So, while I still think that people should write more letters, talk in person more often, and stop texting every living minute (a serious pet peeve of mine), I'm enjoying our small digital evolution. Change, as they say, is good.
4.22.2009
If you missed Open Mic Night...
Our Open Mic Night on Tuesday was a fantastic kick-off for our 2009 Reading Series. I venture to say that we were treated to the widest range of styles and subjects we've ever seen at one of these events. A novelist shared the first chapter of his not-yet-published mystery, we heard a ballad of the Gold Rush, a song about springtime, and a poem written in Abenaki and English. There were verses on the lure of cigarettes and junk food, the village blacksmith, love enduring and love disintegrating, flowers, bombings, and one conversation at the Greensboro Garage.
Although most of our audience had sat quietly while waiting for the evening to begin, at the end of the night I overheard many lively conversations about what had been read and information about writing groups and other open readings being exchanged. It was wonderful to see this meeting and mingling of talented writers, and I thank everyone who attended and participated!
4.21.2009
Hardwick Book Group Picks Pulitzer Prize Winner
Just last week, we had a rush of orders for Olive Kitteridge, a novel by Elizabeth Strout that was chosen by a local teachers' book club. Yesterday, Olive Kitteridge was announced as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Coincidence? Well, you can decide.**Okay, yes, it's probably a coincidence, but we have to say, these teachers have great taste in books!
4.17.2009
Review: A Year Without Made in China
Written by Stella Johnson
I have just finished the book A Year Without Made In China by Sara Bongiorni. The title alone made me want to read it. The book is a humorously written and educational real-life account of an attempt by one family to boycott buying goods made in China for one year. The boycott begins two days after New Years Day when the author realizes that China has invaded their lives with cheap toys, electronics, clothing and shoes. With the reluctant agreement of her husband and children, Sara starts a yearlong journey of trying to buy products--including food--produced in places other than China. As the year progresses, questions crop up such as: Should family and friends be included in the boycott? Can you buy an inexpensive pair of sunglasses made in the USA or Italy? Can you deal with a husband with no fashion sense when he wears two mismatched sandals because he can't buy a pair that aren't considered contraband? How do you handle a family that wants to boycott you when the strain of not buying Chinese products becomes too difficult? The year is pitted with challenges and, at times, pitfalls when China inadvertently sneaks into their home or when Sara circumvents the boycott by asking her sister-in-law to buy a gift for her husband for his birthday. This is a fun book and is well worth reading. It certainly gives the reader food for thought, encourages people to think carefully about what they purchase and may even give them an incentive to buy locally!
I have just finished the book A Year Without Made In China by Sara Bongiorni. The title alone made me want to read it. The book is a humorously written and educational real-life account of an attempt by one family to boycott buying goods made in China for one year. The boycott begins two days after New Years Day when the author realizes that China has invaded their lives with cheap toys, electronics, clothing and shoes. With the reluctant agreement of her husband and children, Sara starts a yearlong journey of trying to buy products--including food--produced in places other than China. As the year progresses, questions crop up such as: Should family and friends be included in the boycott? Can you buy an inexpensive pair of sunglasses made in the USA or Italy? Can you deal with a husband with no fashion sense when he wears two mismatched sandals because he can't buy a pair that aren't considered contraband? How do you handle a family that wants to boycott you when the strain of not buying Chinese products becomes too difficult? The year is pitted with challenges and, at times, pitfalls when China inadvertently sneaks into their home or when Sara circumvents the boycott by asking her sister-in-law to buy a gift for her husband for his birthday. This is a fun book and is well worth reading. It certainly gives the reader food for thought, encourages people to think carefully about what they purchase and may even give them an incentive to buy locally!
4.13.2009
Cycling for a Sustainable Future
Linda ran into a couple of bikers at the post office today and found out that they're in the area to present two very interesting workshops (see below). The two events are part of a state-wide tour called Cycling for a Sustainable Future: 350 People Powered Miles.
Tonight (Monday, April 13), Jim Merkel, Susan Cutting, S. Tyler Durham, and Ross Scatchard will be at Hazen Union from 6:30 - 8:00 presenting "Your Money or Your Life*: 9 Steps to Transforming your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence." This event is sponsored by Buffalo Mountain Co-op.
*If you click on this link, a description of the workshop can be found near the bottom of the page.
Tomorrow, April 14, catch the group at Sterling College (Simpson Hall) at 6:30 p.m., presenting Radical Stimulus, a workshop about reducing spending and ecological impact.
Both programs sound very cool, so think about checking one or both out if you have the time!
Tonight (Monday, April 13), Jim Merkel, Susan Cutting, S. Tyler Durham, and Ross Scatchard will be at Hazen Union from 6:30 - 8:00 presenting "Your Money or Your Life*: 9 Steps to Transforming your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence." This event is sponsored by Buffalo Mountain Co-op.
*If you click on this link, a description of the workshop can be found near the bottom of the page.
Tomorrow, April 14, catch the group at Sterling College (Simpson Hall) at 6:30 p.m., presenting Radical Stimulus, a workshop about reducing spending and ecological impact.
Both programs sound very cool, so think about checking one or both out if you have the time!
4.10.2009
Poetry Month Round-up
They shut me up in Prose-As when a little Girl
They put me in the Closet-
Because they like me "still"-
Still! Could themself have peeped-
And seen my Brain-go round-
They might as wise have lodged a Bird
For Treason-in the Pound-
Himself has but to will
And easy as a Star
Abolish his Captivity-
And laugh- No more have I
Poem by Emily Dickinson, from emilydickinson.org.
April is National Poetry Month, as you may know. Though I won't be writing a poem a day or reviewing books of poems myself, I'm pleased to be able to
direct you to towards some of the other blogs and websites that are taking part in the month's celebrations.
A Year of Reading is featuring reviews of poetry books and posts about various poetry related events all month.
The Imaginary Blog finds groan-worthy entertainment value in terrible poems with the Bad Poetry Friday series. My favorite, so far, is from the 7-Imp bloggers: "The Critic, the Coffee, and the Cinquain: a Poet's Revenge"
Internationally, Poetry Month gets attention from the Canadians and Brits.
Raven's Eye asks poets to write a poem a day.
Betsy Bird shares a wonderfully funny poem: "How Doth The Glib Librarian"
NASCAR fans like poetry, too.
Publishers join the fray: Knopf will send you a poem a day, W.W. Norton features Poems Out Loud, and Gale offers numerous resources for teachers, students, and other poetry lovers.
A couple of blogs with more complete round-ups:
Semicolon
Poetry for Children
A Wrung Sponge
Go beyond one month of poetry and explore the community of poets (no silly white mustache required) at gotpoetry?
4.03.2009
Review: Blueberry Girl
Blueberry Girl, by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Charles VessFirst of all, I will admit that I'm biased: I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman, so I'm predisposed to like just about anything he writes. (Not everything, though. I'm not fond of many comic book/graphic novels, so after struggling through Preludes & Nocturnes, I gave up hope of reading the whole Sandman series.) That being said, I absolutely fell in love with Blueberry Girl the moment I held it in my hands.
Gaiman and Charles Vess have teamed up before, for a couple of the Sandman comics, and for an illustrated version of Stardust. They are a perfect combination for this project, which is a picture book version of a poem Gaiman wrote for his friend Tori Amos when she was pregnant with her daughter.
Blueberry Girl is written as a prayer to the Fates to give the child a life that will make her strong, wise, and beautiful in all ways. Gaiman's rhythmic rhyme entreats the Fates (portrayed as all-seeing women who are as often fickle and mysterious as they are loving and generous in their ways) to protect the girl: "Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen, let her stay waking and wise," but also acknowledges the necessity of hard times: "Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep," and "Help her to help herself, help her to stand, help her to lose and to find."
This sweet poem is gorgeously complemented by the illustrations. Vess has painted a series of adventurous young girls playing in wild settings, surrounded by plants and animals, sky and water. His illustrations are graceful and lovely, but also vibrant and full of movement. The birds, animals, and girls found here are ready to fly, run, swim, and jump off of the pages.
Together, Gaiman and Vess have created a book that is sure to be a treasured gift for expectant mothers, newborn daughters, and girls and women of all ages.
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