2/18: Rebel Readers / Quartez Harris / Poets Against Racism & Hate

From our friends at Poets Against Racism & Hate USA:

"We’re so pleased to help facilitate an appearance by PARH USA member (and talented poet) Quartez Harris and the Rebel Readers Book Club at Loganberry Books in Shaker Heights, OH. Co-founder Debbie Allen will join Quartez to discuss his compelling collection, We Made It To School Alive" (on February 18th at 3 pm).

 
Follow Poets Against Racism & Hate USA at https://poetsagainstracism-usa.org.

Coming Early October in the Land:

[Shared from the Literary Cleveland newsletter:]

Thrity Umrigar & Karan Mahajan

Wednesday, October 4 at 7pm at CCPL Parma-Snow

Spoken Word: Poetry Open Mic Nights

Thursday, October 5 at 7pm at Kaiser Gallery

Literary Citizenship Seminar

Saturday, October 7 at 4:30pm virtual with Ashland University

Con Tu Variety Show

Sunday, October 8 at 10pm at Dunlaps Corner Bar

Indigenous People's Celebration

Monday, October 9 at 8pm virtual with Ashland University

Poetry ~ Cathy Barber & EF Schraeder

Wednesday, October 11 at 7pm at Macs Backs-Books on Coventry

Broadsides & Ephemera featuring Judith Mansour

Thursday, October 12 at 7pm at Loganberry Books

Cris Harris & Mary Quade

Saturday, October 14 at 7pm at Macs Backs-Books on Coventry

Celebrate Indy Bookstores!

• Cleveland.com celebrates Cleveland's wonderful independent bookstores!

Loganberry Books - Photo by Stu Spivack

Mac's Backs - Photo by GL

Appletree Books - photo by Lute Q.

... and the Cleveland Scene also celebrates https://photos.clevescene.com/where-to-find-the-best-independent-bookstores-in-cleveland/!

Forget Black Friday- We Have Small Business Saturday!

Forget "Black Friday"-- we have "Small Business Saturday" (or, for the book version, "Indies First").  

Save your black Friday money for some of our local independent bookstores-- Mac's Backs Books On Coventry, Loganberry Books, Appletree Books, or your favorites around town (and, if you're further away, don't forget Learned Owl in Hudson, Main Street Books in Mansfield, and the Wooster Book Company in Wooster.)

Saturday Nov 26 they will ALL have events going on featuring local writers! And it's a good day to stroll Coventry, or Larchmere, or Cedar-Fairmont (or, why not all of these?) to check out the quirky local stores to get a start on your Christmas list.

Mac's Backs Small Business Saturday:

This year Small Business Saturday is November 26th. Mac's will be featuring specials throughout the day, sweet treats and raffling some cool stuff.

• Portrait photographer Laura Wimbel will be at Mac's between Noon-1p.m. to sign copies of Faces of Cleveland 
• Terry Pluto will be signing The Comeback: LeBron, The Cavs and Cleveland (and the rest of his books!) between 1-2 p.m. 
• Artist Dakarai has just published a book of collages and he will be signing between 5-6 p.m.

Shop Small is a nationwide movement to celebrate small businesses every day and to help communities thrive. While Small Business Saturday is highlighted as a special day when we can show our support as a nation for small business owners and our communities, the Shop Small Movement is a year-round campaign to celebrate and support small businesses every day.

Loganberry Books Indies First:
Larchmere Holiday Stroll Friday, November 25, 2016, 10:00AM—8:00PM

Now in its 45^th year, the Larchmere Holiday Stroll is our kick-off to the holiday season!  The dozens of shops on Larchmere represent the gamut from fine antiques to thrift, high style to barber shops, Brazilian fine dining to Michael Symon’s favorite dive --  but not a single store here is a chain store! Browse the boulevard to see what’s new (Ipanema Market, Whiplash Studio, Fasi's Cultural Experience, Poisonberry Bakery, Grey's Pie Shop), and enjoy treats at each (hot mulled cider and cookies at Loganberry).  Traditional horse and buggy can help you traverse the 10 blocks on Friday and Saturday, 12-4pm.  And at Loganberry, enjoy the sweet sounds of guitar maestro Brian Henke, 12-2pm. We’ll be open until 8pm! 

Indies First Saturday, November 26, 2016, 10:00AM—6:00PM 

Now in its 4^th year, the national Indies First event celebrates the quirky, bedrock resource that independent bookstores bring to their local communities. Gathering grounds for people to talk to their neighbors, find inspiration and relaxation in books, to explore other viewpoints, historical and international perspectives, and classic children’s lit, independent bookstores are all different and yet all the same.  Greater Cleveland is fortunate to have half a dozen indie bookstores, so check us out on Indies First, and enjoy our special offerings, too.  At Loganberry, we’ll have free tote bags (while supplies last), refreshments, customer appreciation gifts, and local author book signings.  You can ask the authors for book recommendations, too! Here’s the author schedule: 

·         11:00-12:00 Tricia Springstubb, Every Single Second

·         12:00-1:00 Nikki Delamotte, 100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die 

·         1:00-2:00 D.M. Pulley, The Buried Book 

·         2:00-3:00 Laura Wimbels, Faces of Cleveland 

·         3:00-4:00 Joanna Connors, I Will Find You 

Small Business Sunday, November 27, 2016, 12:00PM—5:00PM

 If we still have Shop Small tote bags in stock, we’ll keep on giving them away on Sunday, too, and you get American Express extra points until the end of the year.  Sundays are generally a little quieter, so we scheduled the children’s activity for Sunday.  Join us for a Very Bear Affair with author Dave Cockley (Those Rockin’ Cleveland Kids) at 1:00, and bring your teddy bears if you’re so inspired!  Dave will have many bears, including Benjamin Bear, for games and photo opportunities. 

Appletree books Small Business Saturday:

Support your local favorite independent bookstore and other small businesses as you shop for holiday gifts! Joining us for the day will be:

• Susan Rich, designer and owner of Hazelmade, creator of notecards, one-of-a-kind greeting cards, calendars, tea towels, and more
• Marsha Everett, jewelry designer and author of the historical novel, Matthew Brayton, Indian Captive (Windjammer Adventure Publishing).

• About Indies First
• Indie Bound

Great Bookstores in Cleveland

Cleveland.com features 13 Great Independent Bookstores in Cleveland (and surroundings).
For bonus points, visit them all!

Edible Books this Saturday!

at Loganberry:

11th Annual Books 2 Eat
Edible Books Festival
Saturday, April 4, 2015, 12:00PM
~ annual event ~

Booklovers, bookbinders, cooks, and craftspeople of all ages are invited to participate.  Actual books displayed with the edible entry are encouraged.  Prizes include Most Literary, Most Appetizing, Best Binding, Best Pun, and of course, Best of Show.  Here’s the time table:

• 12:00  artists should deliver their creations and set them up
• 1:00  all entries must be here, and Voting opens
• 2:00  Prizes awarded, immediately followed by eating the books!

It is free to participate and enjoy the show.  Voting and Eating privileges cost $3 and ensure future festivals.  The International Edible Books Festival started in 2000 and has been gaining popularity each year.  Loganberry Books and Strong Bindery have co-sponsored the Cleveland event since 2004, and give out hand-made miniature book pins to all contest entrants and book awards to contest winners.  Why do we do all this? Because it's a lot of fun.  I hope you’ll join us.

• Check out Loganberry Books' facebook page
• Books2Eat festival facebook page

Indies First Celebration at Bookstores Around Town This Weekend

November 29 is the "Indies First" celebration: a nationwide bookstore extravaganza.  Need to start your shopping for holiday gifts? Skip the black Friday malls-- you can get your gift-shopping done, and meet local authors at the same time. 

Joanna Connors writes about the Indies First Celebration, pointing out that bookstores all around Cleveland are participating:

Mac's Backs – Books on Coventry
1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-2665, macsbacks.com
Mac's Backs will have holiday refreshments and nine local (or native) authors on hand throughout the day on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Each author will hold court for an hour, signing books and suggesting titles, starting at 10 a.m. In order of appearance, they are: Deanna Adams, Anne Trubek, Ben Small, Jane Turzillo, Les Roberts, Shelley Costa, Tricia Springstubb, Joyce Brabner and John Paulett.
Loganberry Books
13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-795-9800, loganberrybooks.com
Loganberry will host authors on Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 29, during the Larchmere Holiday Stroll. Starting each day at noon, authors will chat and sign books for an hour each. On Friday, look for (in order of appearance): Suzanne McGinness, Les Roberts, Jennie Jones and Derf Backderf. Saturday, look for (in order): Tricia Springstubb, Laura and Barney Taxel, Gail Ghetia Bellamy and Charlie Mintz.
The Learned Owl
204 N. Main St., Hudson, 330-653-2252, learnedowl.com
On Saturday, Nov. 29, The Learned Owl will offer refreshments and special deals on featured titles. Author Nancy Christie will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m. And you can enter a raffle to win a Christmas Story Leg Lamp, with proceeds going to the Hudson Food Pantry.
Appletree Books
12419 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-791-2665, appletree-books.com
Appletree will give away special Indies First tote bags, emblazoned with the motto "Shop Small," to purchasers.
Fireside Book Shop
29 N. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls, 440-247-4050, firesidebookshop.com
On Friday, Nov. 28, from 1 to 3 p.m., local author Sandy Philipson and illustrator Jenny Campbell will sign the new chapter book, Wings. On Saturday, Nov. 29, from 1 to 3 p.m., local editor Laura Gorretta will sign the revised version of Chagrin Falls: An Ohio Village History.

• Letter from Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.
• Indies First: What's happening?

The Great Bookstores of Cleveland

Sam Allard, in Cleveland Scene, writes

Where to Find the Gospel of the Written Word in Cleveland

I remember Booksellers. I remember when Joseph Beth opened in Shaker Square. It's been a cold winter for bookstores all over, but handful of quirky independents have weathered the storm. 

Wouldn't today be a good day to go visit a nice bookstore?

Mac's Backs.  Photo by GL

Books so good you can eat them. Really.

The Lorax, by the Winslow Girls, youth entry, 2014 winner, Most Literary

Sometimes there's a book that's just good enough to eat... and then there are edible books.

That's not an April Fools joke.  This  Saturday, Loganberry Books on Larchmere is sponsoring the Edible Books Festival.

Saturday, April 6, 2013-- set-up begins  at noon, with viewing and voting at 1:00, awards announced and books consumed at 2:00.

Make your own edible book, and win!
Or just go for the show.  Viewing is free, but there's a $3 fee for voting and eating of the Edible Books. Oh, and hey-- it's a bookstore, so you can buy non-edible books (the paper kind) while you're perusing the edible kind.  What could be more cool than that?

• Edible Books Festival Flyer
• more pix of edible book entries
• Check out Loganberry Books' facebook page

Loganberry Books and Strong Bindery
13015 Larchmere Boulevard, 
Shaker Heights, OH 44120
216.795-9800 

Directions

--if you miss it this year, mark your calendars: Loganberry's been having an edible book festival on the first Saturday of April every year since 2004, so mark your calendars for next year!

---

Update:

• photos from 2013 Edible Book festival
• photos from 2014 Edible Book festival
• 2015 Edible Book festival: Saturday, April 4, 2015