Helen Hemphill with Cowboy Mike (Professor Michael N. Searles, August State University) at the Wester Writers of America Book on the SIBA exhibition floor. Wanda Jewell, Executive Director, and Nicki Leone deserve real kudos for a terrific event for authors, publishers and booksellers to come together in Mobile, AL for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance meeting Sept. 26 -28. It was the first time I had the opportunity to attend and it was overwhelmingly helpful and delightful. Finally meeting Wanda and Nicki person was fun after exchanging emails and voice mails for the past year. Helen Hemphill, author of The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones, and I enjoyed every minute of the 3 days. Each meal was a good time to get to know booksellers (some of the nicest and most committed people in the world!) from around the South and to hear delightful presentations by authors launching books. At the Friday morning breakfast everyone was presented with their own business books by Bo Burlingham, The Knack and Small Giants. The Gen Z Reader: understanding the New Reader in the Post Electronic Age panel was enlightening. Kristen McLean, Executive Director of Booksellers for Children (ABC) provided insight that was helpful to Helen and me and then she stayed on to listen in on Helen’s panel, Reaching the New Reader with Young Adult Authors panel. Lois Ruby, author of The Secret of Laurel Oaks and Kristin Cashor, author of Graceling joined Helen Hemphill on the panel. Lunch featured presentations by T. A. Barron, Merlin’s Dragon; Bailgarrad - who is funny, smart and entertaining and other accomplished authors (alas, we did not get to stay for their presentations, though) - Rick Bragg (expected to be a crowd favorite this week-end at Southern Festival of Books in Nashville) and Sarah Addison Allen. The supper on Friday night was delicious (rare steak! First time in years I was at a banquet that had steak that tasted good - not like leather!). We had to run to the hotel’s business center (where the flat screen tvs were without having to listen to live music) to watch the presidential debate with Angie Smits, VP at Southern Territory, and lots of others. Everyone was most polite in not whooping or hollering for their favorite candidate. Other highlights included the Fire & Brimstone SIBA BBQ on Saturday night hosted by Turner Publishing and Chelsea Green. Todd Bottorff, President and Publisher of Turner Publishing, did a clever Q&A with Frank Durham, author of Cain’s Version: A Novel. The next day I heard the people who attended saying that they hope the BBQ will become a tradition. The best short road-trip of the week-end was Helen’s signing at Page & Palette, the wonderful bookstore in Fairhope, AL (my new favorite town) owned by Karin Wilson, President of SIBA.
Some of our friends with whom we shared a meal or a chat in line, who are the delightful, bright and committed booksellers throughout the South own these shops: FoxTale Book Shoppe, Bookin It!, Country Bookshop, Paper Chase Bookstore, ABDebs Books & Gifts, Eagle Eye Book Shop, Park Road Books Carpe Librum and Sherlocks to name just a few.
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Julie - It was lovely to meet you at SIBA. Great write-up!