It's Independent Bookstore Day this coming Saturday! We'll be open 10-6. We would love to see you!
This year, we are delighted to have author and artist Astrid Sheckels joining us at 2pm in our upstairs book room. Our space is fully accessible with a ramp and elevator and we have plenty of space for everyone, too. Astrid will plan to read from her children's books, which include the Hector Fox and Sea Dogs series. She plans to be available to sign books and also often paints or draws during her events!Â
Many of you already know Astrid from her books or may have visited her studio in Greenfield during her open studio days. For me, I have had the pleasure of hearing about her work directly from children. Several times, I have had children themselves request her work. They know her from her school visits and in one memorable case a child told me that our stocking Ms. Sheckels's work was how he knew we were a good bookstore.
If you are unfamiliar with Astrid's work, how exciting it is that you get to discover it! Her characters seem to inhabit some woodland grove that you've always known. The writing of her books is clear, warm, and readable; and her visual storytelling is outstanding, making her work awake and vivid with her choices. Even her scenes of daily activities--and many of them are relatable activities even though they are enacted by woodland creatures--are suffuse with magic. Moreover, it feels like a magic of community, with everyone deeply connected and the world itself deeply connected. It is the sort of work that I reflect on when I'm in the garden just this time of year! This flower here, who will find it? This stream, what adventures shall we find here? In this way, Astrid's work also has a deep community of nature with our work at Roundabout: we support hidden groves and secret passages.Â
As we did last year, we'll also celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with complimentary tea, hot and iced, throughout the day. Â It is sort of the beginning of iced tea season! Â Perhaps stay awhile and enjoy conversation or quiet browsing. Children are the obvious audience for the reading and event, but it is a great event for visual artists and we always welcome elders and all your loved ones. Sometimes coming to a bookstore is where I get the chance to visit with the people I brought with me, too, my own child and my own parent.Â
We'll be giving out free bumper stickers and vinyl stickers, too; as well as a T-shirt raffle. Looking forward to the day!  Come over any time or stay all day.  We'll be here 10-6!
-RaymondÂ
