The American Booksellers Association will be hosting Spring Forums in North Hollywood and San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon, between Friday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 4. ABA members and non-members alike are invited to attend the forums, which are being held in conjunction with the regional booksellers associations.

Each program will feature an open forum discussion of industry issues plus the new education session “Bookstores — An Inclusive Place for Dialogue and Discovery.” An ABA Board member will lead the education session at each forum, and attending booksellers will be asked to share ideas and discuss how bookstores can foster communication and create opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds to express and respond to differing views in the welcoming setting of a bookstore.

This nontraditional education session is designed to be an interactive discussion that fosters open communication and problem solving — in both large and small groups — to clarify strategies for strengthening the unique role that bookstores play in their communities.

North Hollywood, California

On Friday, March 31, ABA will host a forum program in conjunction with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association [6]. The forum will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Garland Hotel, 4222 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood.

The education session “Bookstores — An Inclusive Place for Dialogue and Discovery” will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by the open forum discussion of industry issues over lunch. ABA Board member John Evans of DIESEL: A Bookstore [7], which has locations in Oakland, Larkspur, and Brentwood, will lead the education session; ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen will host the open forum discussion.

Following ABA’s Spring Forum, SCIBA will host a “Books and Beers” Author Reception, starting at 3:00 p.m. (SCIBA members can log into the SCIBA website [6] to view the author lineup.)

San Francisco, California

On Sunday, April 2, ABA will host a Spring Forum program in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association [9] at the Thoreau Center, Presidio National Park, 1014 Torney Avenue #1, San Francisco.

From 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., ABA will present the education session “Bookstores — An Inclusive Place for Dialogue and Discovery,” led by ABA Board member Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books [10] in San Francisco. ABA’s open forum discussion, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., will be hosted by ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen. Booksellers are encouraged to bring their questions and concerns to the forum.

NCIBA will be hosting its Spring Workshop [11], a full day of education, on the same day. Registration for the NCIBA program begins at 8:30 a.m. The workshop, which runs through 4:45 p.m., includes a Rep Picks session, an Author Reception, a block of education, a Small Press Meet and Greet, and a buffet lunch.

Portland, Oregon

On Tuesday, April 4, the day prior to the fifth ABC Children’s Institute [12], ABA will host a Spring Forum in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association [13].

Booksellers are invited to join ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen, and ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter for the program, which will be held in the Multnomah Room of the Red Lion Hotel on the River – Jantzen Beach, 909 N. Hayden Island Drive, Portland.

The program will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the ABA education session “Bookstores — An Inclusive Place for Dialogue and Discovery,” led by ABA Vice President Robert Sindelar of Third Place Books [14] in Seattle. Lunch will be served during the session, which will end at 2:00 p.m. The education session will be followed by an open forum discussion of industry issues and booksellers’ concerns.

From 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Baker & Taylor, the Children’s Institute’s lead sponsor, is sponsoring a reception featuring Northwest authors in the hotel’s JB's Lounge.

For planning purposes, booksellers who will be attending the forum are asked to RSVP via the form available here [15].