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Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 3:30 PM ET
Indies Introduce is all about what independent booksellers do best: discovering exciting debut authors and sharing the best with readers across the country. You will hear about the title selection process from the bookseller panelists who curated the Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce list and many of the debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the panelists.
Monday, February 14 at 3:00 pm ET – 5:30 pm ET
Join sociopolitical comedian W. Kamau Bell and bestselling author Kate Schatz in this antiracism workshop designed to give attendees a clear understanding of systemic racism, white privilege, and Black disenfranchisement. Based on Bell and Schatz’s book, Do the Work! (Workman), this seminar will provide practical tools and real world applications booksellers can use in their ongoing antiracism work. Best known for his five-time Emmy Award-winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America, Bell has also appeared on Comedy Central, HBO, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, WTF with Marc Maron, The Breakfast Club, and This American Life. He has two stand-up comedy specials, Semi-Prominent Negro (Showtime) and Private School Negro (Netflix), and has been nominated for multiple NAACP Image Awards and a GLAAD award. Schatz is the New York Times bestselling author of Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, Rad Girls Can, Rad American History A-Z, and the illustrated journal My Rad Life. This workshop is open to booksellers of all identities and races.
Tuesday, February 15 at 3:00 pm ET – 5:00 pm ET
In this Hollaback! workshop, you will learn how to intervene and de-escalate conflict — without compromising your own safety — when you witness harassment, bias, or disrespect as a frontline bookseller. The session will be led by two global experts in harassment who will equip you with the right information on how to be an effective ally using Hollaback!'s bystander intervention and conflict de-escalation methodologies. The workshop will address current conflicts in retail spaces around customer service, including discussions around race and gender identity and COVID tensions, and participants will have practice opportunities with real-life scenarios. Exit polls show that 98% of attendees leave confident they can take action the next time they witness harassment.
Wednesday, February 16 at 3:00 pm ET – 4:00 pm ET
Led by author and expert Jason Thompson, this session will help stores be effective in their commitment to representation, equity, and access. A DEI audit checklist will help stores look at every aspect of their business — from hiring and training to signage, social media, and inventory — through a DEI lens, and a discussion of goals and metrics will help ensure measurable success. Jason Thompson is a successful and experienced diversity officer that has developed and led diversity programs in higher education, sports, healthcare, and tech. He has been quoted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, USA Today, and CNN. His education session for the ABA Board was extremely well received with some directors calling it the best session on this topic they’ve participated in.
Thursday, February 17 at 3:00 pm ET – 4:00 pm ET
The Town Hall is an opportunity for bookstore owners and booksellers to share opinions, concerns, and ideas with the ABA Board. The full board will respond to questions and comments from bookstore owners and booksellers; those who would like to send questions in advance can email townhall@bookweb.org.
The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.
Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.
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