News - Regional

The ABA Booksellers Forum scheduled for Wednesday, January 28, at McIntyre's Fine Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina, was cancelled due to snowy weather conditions up and down the East Coast. "The location of the forum required that booksellers would have to drive, and given the icy weather conditions blanketing the area, we reluctantly decided to cancel the forum and plan to reschedule sometime in the spring," said ABA COO Oren Teicher.

The American Booksellers Association continued its 2004 Booksellers Forum schedule on Thursday, January 15, in Chicago, where ABA staff met with booksellers in the Great Lakes region. The ABA Booksellers Forum, held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association, was hosted at the Allerton Crowne Plaza, the Hotel ABA/Chicago for BookExpo America (BEA) 2004.

The first Mountains & Plains Independent Bestseller List, published in a cooperative effort between Book Sense and the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA), debuted this week.

The American Booksellers Association kicked off its 2004 Booksellers Forum schedule on Friday, January 9, in Tampa, Florida, with a gathering of booksellers from the Southeast Booksellers Association region. The forum, at the Hillsborough County Public Library, was the first of 16 scheduled over the next four months in various locations around the country. (For a complete forum schedule, click here.)

This season's second ABA Booksellers Forum held in conjunction with the Southeast Booksellers Association will take place on Wednesday, January 28, at McIntyre's Fine Books at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, North Carolina (near Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill). Representing ABA at the forum will be CEO Avin Mark Domnitz and COO Oren Teicher.

On Tuesday, January 6, six independent booksellers, the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA), and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) joined publishers and magazine distributors in filing a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of a new Michigan law that makes it illegal to allow a minor access to any material that is "harmful to minors."

by Scott Foley

It didn't happen again this year, either. Susan Stamberg didn't call me from National Public Radio to solicit my opinion about great new holiday titles. Every year about this time I'll depart on occasional reveries, imaginary conversations with NPR hosts. Occasionally, I'll even jot down a list of the books I'd mention were such a windfall to come my way.

Booksellers in the Southeast will have two opportunities in January to meet with representatives of the ABA Board and senior staff to discuss issues of concern and share ideas, as well as get an update on the association's past activities and influence future plans. ABA's first forum of 2004 will be held on Friday, January 9, at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa, Florida.

This week, ABA sent e-mail invitations to booksellers in the Southeast and Great Lakes regions (including booksellers in Wisconsin) to attend the first two ABA Booksellers Forums of 2004. In conjunction with the Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA), ABA will hold the first forum of the winter season on Friday, January 9, at the John F. Germany Public Library in downtown Tampa, Florida.

On Friday, January 9, ABA will hold the first of 16 Booksellers Forums scheduled for various locations across the country over the next four months. The forums provide booksellers in every region an opportunity to meet with senior ABA staff and Board members to share ideas, to discuss industry issues, and to receive updates on various association projects. Data gathered at the forums is invaluable to the association as it shapes future programs and initiatives to the benefit of all ABA bookstore members.

Although the colors of New England's foliage may have peaked, the enthusiasm of booksellers attending the 30th annual New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) trade show in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 24 - 26 continued to grow throughout the show. The Rhode Island Convention Center was the sole venue for all programming including NEBA's annual meeting, an ABA open forum, and presentation of the 2003 New England Book Awards.

This weekend ABA staff will be conducting educational programming and Book Sense gift card demonstrations at the New England Booksellers Association's (NEBA) 30th Annual Meeting & Trade Show and at the Southern California Booksellers Association's (SCBA) Authors Feast and Fall Seminars. The NEBA trade show will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, at the Rhode Island Convention Center from Friday, October 24, to Sunday, October 26.

The New England Booksellers Association's (NEBA) 30th Annual Meeting & Trade Show and the Southern California Booksellers Association (SCBA) Authors Feast and Fall Seminars will take place next weekend. NEBA's trade show will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, at the Rhode Island Convention Center from Friday, October 24, to Sunday, October 26, and SCBA will hold its authors feast and seminars on Saturday, October 25, at the Westin Hotel in Pasadena, California.

The Upper Midwest Booksellers Association (UMBA) held its 2003 fall trade show from Friday, October 10, to Sunday, October 12, at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minneapolis. All education programming was free, and the number of bookstores represented was the highest in years.