Tag: store events

Dylan Thuras, author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid

October 17, 2018
by Robin Wood

photo credit: Michelle Enemark

Thursday, November 15, at 6pm, a multimedia presentation and book signing with Dylan Thuras, co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid.

A New York Times bestseller, The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras, with co-author Rosemary Mosco and illustrator Joy Ang is a book for the young (or young-at-heart) explorer.

The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid is a passport to the world’s weirdest, coolest, and most mesmerizing and mysterious wonders, presented in a stunning, full-color illustrated journey to 100 real destinations in 47 countries on every continent.

This all ages presentation will showcase the book and introduce readers to some of the Earth’s coolest secret wonders, proving that the world is vast and there are marvelous treasures behind every corner—or even right under your feet.

Dylan Thuras is the cofounder and creative director of Atlas Obscura, and co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. He has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and Science Friday, CBS Sunday Morning, and has been featured in the New York Times, New Yorker, Associated Press, and many others. His pursuit of the unusual began as a teenager exploring abandoned buildings in the Midwest and eventually took him to Budapest for a year, where he explored Eastern Europe’s obscure and wondrous locales.

Alicia Malone, author of The Female Gaze

October 17, 2018
by Robin Wood

In collaboration with the Key West Film Festival, Saturday, November 17, at 3pm, a book launch party and book signing with Alicia Malone, author of The Female Gaze.

The Female Gaze features inspiring biographies of women who make movies. Discover brilliantly talented and accomplished women filmmakers, both world renowned and obscure, who have shaped the film industry in ways rarely fully acknowledged. Learn about the hidden figures of filmmaking and about the acclaimed luminaries of the past and present.

You may have heard the term “male gaze,” coined in the 1970s to talk about what happens to viewers when the majority of art and entertainment has been made by the one gender perspective. So, what about the opposite? Women have been making movies since the very beginning of cinema. What does the world look like through the “female gaze”?

The Female Gaze contains multiple mini-essays written by a variety of diverse female film critics, about a woman or a movie made by women that they love.

A guidebook for movie lovers who want to support women in film, highlights include:

  • The accomplishments of numerous women in film such as Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, Kathryn Bigelow, Lady Bird’s Greta Gerwig, and more.
  • The lives of these women and the struggles they faced carving a place for themselves in the film industry.
  • How these women’s unique voices shaped the films they made and influenced all the film world.

The Audacious Kwame Alexander

September 28, 2018
by Robin Wood

The audacious, Newbery medal-winning Kwame Alexander wants to introduce you to some people – both in his own work and in his new HMH imprint Versify, which showcases voices underrepresented in publishing.

Swing, co-authored with Mary Rand Hess, is Kwame’s second Young Adult novel-in-verse and tells the story of 17-year-old high school junior Noah, who seeks to make the baseball team and win over the heart of Sam, a girl he’s loved since third grade.

Kwame’s all-ages event at the store (Friday, October 12, 6pm) will feature Randy Preston on guitar and offer a dynamic, inspiring performance. Kwame is already on tour for Swing, but I caught up with him by phone and asked a few questions.

Q: What inspired Swing?

A: It was inspired by remembering how I was in high school, not being cool, liking a particular girl and being afraid to tell her. Finally, I did tell her, and I asked her to the prom – she said she’d think about it ….

[Ed note: They went. Kwame reports having a good time.]

It’s also an ode to jazz music, like Solo was to Rock & Roll.

Look for the first Versify titles coming April 2019

I also wanted to write about social justice. I believe poetry, books, can change minds, change the world. It’s kind of audacious, but I believe I can change the world. I want people to see the value in all our lives. I want people to be able to appreciate and relate to people who have different experiences from them, who are not them.

Q: What’s authentic cool?

A: For me – poetry, tennis, love poems, being a dad.

You gotta find your own authentic cool. Walt (one of the characters in Swing) says he’s looking for his authentic cool, but really he’s already got it – he is unabashedly okay with being himself – obsessed with baseball, possessed of death trivia . . ..

You have to find your authentic cool for yourself, what engages, moves you, whether other people get it or not.

Q: Tell me a little about Versify, your new imprint.

A: Book publishing is an amazing dinner party, but it’s the same people at the table over and over again and there are always some empty seats. I want the table to be packed, just full of interesting people, anyone who can entertain and empower.

Q: What are you working on next?

A: There will be a continuation of the story in The Crossover.

And I’ll be making a big announcement Oct. 13 – maybe, just maybe, I’ll give you all in Key West a hint the night before . . ..

~ Robin Wood, Associate Manager

Kwame Alexander, author of Swing

September 16, 2018
by Robin Wood

Friday, October 12 at 6pm, a reading, performance and book signing with Kwame Alexander, author of SWING. The event will also feature Randy Preston on guitar as Kwame gives one of his trademark performances from his brand new novel-in-verse, Swing.

Swing, written with co-author Mary Rand Hess, is a tale of best friends in their junior year of high school, who discover jazz, love, the unpredictable game of baseball, and a community mystery that has them facing some hard truths about social justice, all while finding their own sense of authentic cool.

This all-ages event is an opportunity to hear and meet the Newbery Medal-winning poet, author and educator Kwame Alexander. Kwame is the author of Solo, Rebound, The Crossover, The Playbook, as well as a number of other works.

Written in Kwame’s signature intricate, intimate style, Swing tells the story of 17-year-old high school junior Noah, who seeks to make the baseball team and win over the heart of Sam, a girl he’s loved since third grade.

“At some point in life, we all seek to discover our voice, who we are, and how to love,” said Kwame Alexander. “Swing follows the journey of two teen boys on the edge of adulthood who are in the midst of this struggle. This book is about love and acceptance—of self and others. And, this book is about embracing all facets of life and being present in those moments. When a reader finishes Swing, I hope they find a bit more self-acceptance and a willingness to open themselves up to others.”

A Note from Judy Blume

March 5, 2018
by Robin Wood

Hi Bookfriends,

You know me – I get really excited when I read a first novel that grabs me on the first page and won’t let go. That’s the way it was with Gabe Habash’s Stephen Florida and with our new virtual book club pick Marlena, by Julie Buntin. One of the best parts of running a bookstore is being surrounded by books and authors you may not have heard about yet and knowing that you can share these amazing books with readers before word gets out. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that Gabe and Julie are a couple!  We all agreed, we had to get them to Books & Books @ The Studios.

These novels could not be more different yet, in each, the writing sings and the characters are unforgettable. Each deals in its own way with obsession – in Marlena, a friendship – in Stephen Florida, college wrestling.  But the take is so original you feel you’ve never read this story before.

For more on Marlena, read store manager Mia Clement’s review.

If you’re in Key West, join us at 6pm on March 13, when we’ll be hosting Gabe and Julie in conversation (and you can get your books signed.) It makes a huge difference to our visiting writers, their publishers, and to us, when we bring in a good audience. You’ve been great so far.

And while we’re on the subject of events: Save Wednesday, March 21 for a special event with Tayari Jones (author of the #1 bestseller, An American Marriage) in conversation with her publisher Elisabeth Scharlatt. (Spoiler alert – they met in Key West.)

If you’re not in town, read Marlena along with us via our virtual book club and share your pictures, thoughts and questions. We love seeing where you’re reading and hearing what you think.

Once again, thanks for your support.