Monday, September 15, 2008

Books Ink - Knight in a Shining Bookstore


I'm a bookstore addict. Give me a cup of tea, a magazine rack and a couple of bookcases and I'm in readerholic's paradise.

So imagine my excitement when I attended the reopening of Books Ink, a quaint bookstore in the Beverly area of Chicago. I was knighted to teach a screenwriting class there at the end of the month (SHAMELESS PLUG at the end of the story).

In the age of Amazon and the omnipresent chain store it's cool to see someone who is dedicated to the cause of the independent. Nearly 100 people came out. It was very community friendly affair with tables for self published authors promoting their works a host of raffles, and the chipped in services of a coffee shop. After my hunger induced visits to the cake and pasta line, I made my bookshelf rounds and was surprised to find a unique collection of books including a novel on Ira Aldridge, the Shakespearean actor who toured Europe in the 1800s; a biography by fashion editor Andre Leon Talley; a self published book on the first black catholic priest, and a children's book on Barack Obama.

It was a reminder that independent bookstores are incredible relevant and versatile, despite the competition, - a fact, that futurist, I'm sure, are boggled over.

The concept of the book on demand, online orders has revolutionized the book business. While searching online for books works great if you know what you're looking for it's totally overwhelming for browsers.

Books Ink, founded by Constance Shabazz featured mostly hard to find readers on African American life. Although most major bookstores have popular titles, rare books are still hard to come by. They are even harder to find if you don't know they exist.

Moreover, there are a watershed of self published writers looking for homes and launching pads for their work. While Internet presence is a must, a brick and mortar site can't hurt, and is a great companion tool for grassroots marketing.

But the coolest thing is that Books Ink doubles as a community resource hosting book readings, book clubs and classes (SHAMELESS PLUG: I'm teaching a screenwriting class there beginning Monday, Sept. 29th).

After doing a series of writers workshops, I've found that the need for accessible writing/book friendly classes are a must have in our communities.

So during a time when technology connects us more than ever, opportunities to bond in person are increasingly precious.

Cheers to the indie bookstore. May they continue to thrive.

Books Ink is located at 1835 W. 103rd. Call 773-445-9984 for details on Screenwriters Ink Courses.

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