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Red Door Books & Art Opens in North Carolina

Red Door Books & Art opened in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, at the start of May, reported the Times News. The store offers new and used books for adults and children, as well as a weekly story time for kids.

A meeting space and courtyard are still under construction; when complete, the bookstore will be able to host classes, musical events, comedy events, and more.

Artwork on display includes paintings, pastels, and prints, as well as clay sculpture, pottery, paper sculptures from North Carolina artists, primarily from the central part of the state, where the store is located.

Book World to Open New Location in Illinois

Book World Inc., a family-owned business that includes 44 stores, is seeking to open a new store in the Junction Shopping Center in DeKalb, Illinois, reported the Daily Chronicle. The 17-storefront shopping center was once home to the Junction Book Store, which closed in 2002.

Before the store opens, a special-use permit is needed to add signage to the shopping center’s existing sign. If approved, the store could open by fall in a 7,000-square-foot space between a laundromat and a Japanese restaurant. The new location would offer hardcover and paperback books for both kids and adults.

“We feel that without this signage, we wouldn’t be able to open and operate a successful store at the Junction Center,” company representatives wrote in a letter to city officials.

Book World first opened in 1976 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and now has stores in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Bookshop Santa Cruz Marks 50th Anniversary With Inaugural Writer Residency Sponsorship

In recognition of its 50th anniversary this fall, Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California, is partnering with the Wellstone Center to offer a sponsored, two-week writer residency. The residency sponsorship will be offered annually through 2020.

Run by Sarah Ringler and bestselling author Steve Kettmann, the residency provides the winning writer with accommodations in Wellstone’s Zen Suite, overlooking the Santa Cruz Mountains, and evening meals for 14 days. The writer will also receive a consultation session with Bookshop Santa Cruz buyers to discuss their project in relation to the marketplace.

The residency is open to any author working on a fiction piece, and preference will be given to a California writer or an author working on a book that takes place in California. Preference will also be given to writers with a previously published book or with a literary agent or contract for their book.

Applications, including a cover letter, resume, project description, and writing sample, can be sent to [email protected]. Applications are due June 20 and a winner will be notified by July 17. The residency will take place between September and December 2016.

Keene, New Hampshire’s Toadstool Bookshop on the Move

Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, New Hampshire, will relocate to the city’s downtown from the Colony Mill Marketplace, where it has been for more than 30 years, reported the Keene Sentinel. The bookstore also has locations in Milford and Peterborough.

The bookstore, along with a new café, will open in the downtown location by the end of July.

“We’ve been looking for perhaps a better location for us to be in,” owner Willard Williams said. “We consider Main Street a vital part of Keene, and representative of the kind of business we have.”

“Kill the Bill Event” Draws LGBTQIA Support in Asheville


Malaprop's Linda-Marie Barrett with author Sara Gruen (Photo courtesy of Jon Mayes)

Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café brought a host of authors to Asheville, North Carolina, on May 18 for an event called “Kill the Bill,” which aimed to support the LGBTQIA community of North Carolina and oppose House Bill 2. The controversial law requires certain public bathrooms and changing facilities to be designated for use by males or females based on their biological gender.

Held at the Asheville Community Theater, the event was the first in the store’s series of Authors for Action events, which seek to pair authors with area nonprofits to amplify a cause. The proceeds from the Kill the Bill event were directed to the ACLU of North Carolina, the Campaign for Southern Equality, Equality NC’s Turn Out! campaign, and Tranzmission.

Authors appearing at the event included Waylon Wood, Jake Bible, Jamie Mason, Lori Horvitz, Terry Roberts, Sara Gruen, Joshilyn Jackson, Wiley Cash, Mary Laura Philpott, Beth Revis, and Charles Frazier. Additionally, Gruen read letters from Jodi Picoult, Alanis Morissette, and Jenny Milchman, who urged authors to continue to visit North Carolina bookstores in spite of House Bill 2.