Yes, it was our first in-person WI in three years and we were all eager to be together again. But the fact that 50% of the attendees were first-timers brought a new energy to the event that I believe we all felt. I saw the future of the industry at the sessions I attended, and it was a glorious sight.

My term on this Board comes to an end in May, a six-year term which feels in many ways much longer. Those six years included the announcement that our CEO was retiring, the search and hiring of a new CEO, the COVID pandemic, movements for social justice, book banning, labor issues, fierce antitrust efforts, and a focus on recentering the organization’s values and making systemic changes that reflected those values. I am unendingly proud of what this Board has accomplished in these six years and I’m confident that the new Board will continue the work. Voting for our new slate is an important part of this process and the voting is now open. Please do your part and cast your vote.

In the running for officer positions are current Board Members Tegan Tegani of Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle, WA, for President; and for the co-Vice President positions Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys in Zionsville, IN/MacArthur Books, Carmel, IN, and Jenny Cohen of Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, OR. Also in the running are nominees Jessica Stockton Bagnulo of Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY; Holly Weinkauf of Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN; and Lisa Swayze of Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, NY. If elected by the membership, Tegan will represent our first non-owner President. We feel this is a tremendous affirmation of the steps we’ve taken to support and affirm booksellers as well as owners in the organization.

I am incredibly grateful for the years I’ve spent on this Board. As I said in the mental health panel I moderated at Wi2023 and I tell people almost daily, one of the reasons I became a licensed therapist late in life was because I was a small business owner and oversaw a staff of amazing booksellers for over twenty years; to me the work is similar. I hope the owners reading this will continue to be flexible in our thinking and remember that while most of the fiduciary responsibilities lie with us, we are still learning every day and we have so much to learn from our staff and our colleagues. I know I have learned a great deal from my fellow Board Members and I know the learning will continue. A special thank you to Kelly Estep and Angela María Spring who have served alongside me this last year or so as co-Vice Presidents, as well as to Allison and the senior staff of ABA (Joy, Ray, PK) who can never receive enough thanks for the work they do. 

Best,

Christine Onorati, current President of the ABA Board and owner of WORD Bookstores in Brooklyn and Jersey City

In July 2020, ABA’s bylaws were changed to institutionalize seats on the ABA Board for BIPOC directors and for Black directors. The ABA Board has 13 seats and a minimum of four of those 13 seats are to be held by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) booksellers, of which a minimum of two shall be Black booksellers. This change was part of ABA’s commitment to antiracism, equity, access, and representation that was added to ABA’s Ends Policies to help guide the organization.

With Melanie Knight’s departure from the ABA Board, the Board is looking to appoint a Black bookseller to serve on the Board from April 2023 – May 2024, at which time the appointed person could run for their first three-year term in the March 2024 election.

Black booksellers or bookstore owners who are interested in being considered can find out more by emailing Jake Cumsky-Whitlock, the chair of the ABA Board Nominating Committee, no later than April 1, 2023.