Some good news from the Bay Area: the GoFundMe campaign to help East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, Calif., rebuild after a July 30 fire destroyed its building reached its goal of $200,000 late last week. "Just jaw-dropping stuff," owner Brad Johnson wrote on the GoFundMe page. "All of this will go toward the immediate needs of paying booksellers their full wage and benefits, but also as we start conceiving of both a temporary spot to land and (one hopes!) an eventual triumphant return to the spot of old. It's all so daunting, but you're helping make it much more than a wish."
Johnson has now increased the campaign goal to $250,000. (The total donated is now about $210,000.) He said the move felt "weird" but makes sense because there are several upcoming fundraising events happening. A new one is being held this coming Sunday, August 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Gilman Brewing Company in Berkeley: the literary fundraiser for East Bay Booksellers features Mac Barnett, Jasmine Guillory, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, José Vadi, and Carvell Wallace, who will be reading. Also raffle items are available from Farley's Coffee, Pegasus Books, McSweeney's, Spectator Books, Transit Books, Two Lines Press, University of Texas Press, and more.
The other was scheduled earlier: today poet Daniel Borzutzky is reading from his new collection, The Murmuring Grief of the Americas (Coffee House Press), with guests Rachel Galvin and Tongo Eisen-Martin, also at the Gilman Brewing Company. The books being sold at the event have been donated to East Bay Booksellers, so purchases are highly beneficial to the store. Johnson noted that Eventbrite says the event is sold out, but there is room. "We had to set a capacity, but there will be standing capacity, too. And if we achieve that, hell, I want to see and say hi to you on the sidewalk!"