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Watermark’s Sarah Bagby Selected as National Book Awards Judge

Sarah Bagby, owner of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas, has been selected as a fiction judge for the 2015 National Book Awards. Bagby will serve on the panel alongside Daniel Alarcón, Jeffery Renard Allen, Laura Lippman, and chair David L. Ulin.

In addition to her reviews for Watermark’s newsletter and industry publications, Bagby spent many years as a reviewer for NPR affiliate KMUW. She also serves on the ABA Board of Directors and is a past president of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association.

Ten-title longlists in each of the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature will be revealed in September, with the shortlists announced October 14. One winner in each category will be named at the 66th National Book Awards Ceremony on November 18. Entries for the 2015 National Book Awards opened on April 1. The full list of National Book Award judges is available here.

Tattered Cover to Open in Aspen Grove This Weekend

Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store is set to open in Aspen Grove on Saturday, April 4. The store announced earlier this year that it planned to relocate its Highlands Ranch branch to the Aspen Grove Shopping Center at 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive in Littleton.

The Aspen Grove store will feature a newsstand, coffee shop, event space, fireplace, plenty of parking, and, despite its reduced square footage, the same number of books as in Highlands Ranch.

A grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, April 11. The all-day party will include author appearances, giveaways, snacks, and prizes, including a $100 shopping spree.

DIESEL Celebrates Poetry Month With Audio Newsletter

In honor of National Poetry Month, DIESEL, A Bookstore’s April newsletter featured audio clips of booksellers reading poetry from the likes of William Butler Yeats, e.e. cummings, Galway Kinnell, and more.

Each April, DIESEL, which has three locations in California, celebrates National Poetry Month by creating a poetry video each day for the entire month. This year, adding a new twist, the bookseller videos include testimonials of memorable encounters with poetry.

“Poetry can be a strange, musical, brilliant addition to our lives, tilting us toward greater appreciation, empathy, insight and pleasure. Hearing it is a great way to be introduced to a poem,” the bookstore said.