NCIBA Fall Discovery Show

Some 325 booksellers gathered this weekend in Burlingame, Calif., for the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's Fall Discovery Show, which executive director Calvin Crosby described as lively, engaged and featuring a constant "hum of excitement." 

"I heard from six different people that our show was 'buzzy,' " reported Crosby. "People were always talking to each other."

City Lights' Paul Yamazaki with Andy Weinberger, owner of Readers' Books and author of the novel An Old Man's Game.

With a merger between the NCIBA and the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association likely on the horizon, the show may prove to be the last NCIBA show as such. Crosby said the merger with SCIBA was a continuous topic of conversation and noted that when the merger talks began, there were members who were opposed. But now, he continued, "everyone sounds excited or says they're excited or has ideas," and during the association's annual meeting, an informal poll showed that the majority of members were in favor of the merger.

Crosby said the associations are looking at the merger as a chance to "change the regional identity" and an opportunity to assess all the things that the NCIBA and SCIBA have done historically and find ways to combine and improve those practices. The possibility for a fresh start, he added, is inspiring people.

The regional was also the final NCIBA show for retiring American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher, who received a spontaneous standing ovation during the annual meeting. Crosby remarked that "as we all jumped to our feet," it struck him that when Teicher became CEO, the relationship between the ABA and the regionals "wasn't this friendly." He added: "That standing ovation really shows what Oren has done in his tenure as CEO with the regionals."

Tribute to the Tuckers: (l.-r.) Calvin Crosby, Margie Scott Tucker, Michael Tucker, Ann Seaton

NCIBA members also said farewell to Michael Tucker and Margie Scott Tucker of Books Inc., who are retiring in October. Ann Seaton, the NCIBA's operations director, presented the Tuckers with an original work of art featuring remarks and remembrances about them gathered from NCIBA staff.

With the Global Climate Strike beginning on the same day as the show, NCIBA brought in Coral Honey, a personal Zero Waste Coach to offer advice on how to reduce waste at work and home. The association also banned single-use water bottles at meals, opting instead for water pitchers, and Ingram sponsored reusable water bottles for attending booksellers.

For the first time, the NCIBA held a silent auction to raise funds for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Many of the items up for auction were made by NCIBA members and staff, and the auction raised around $2,700. Crosby noted that, afterward, several frontline booksellers who are artists approached him about getting involved with the next such auction.

Mutha Chucka's Drag Queen Storytime, with help from Shelf Awareness's Kristianne Huntsberger.

Other highlights included a Drag Queen Storytime with Mutha Chucka, who kicked off the trend when she began reading at Books Inc. some six years ago; a "Mythbusters" session about the romance genre that saw huge attendance; a reconfigured exhibition hall that met with a lot of enthusiasm; and fantastic author talks, including one from Saaed Jones that brought many in the audience to tears. --Alex Mutter

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