The 20th Winter Institute was highlighted by the well-received inaugural Ignite conference for BIPOC booksellers last Saturday; a thoughtful, powerful keynote from Ocean Vuong on Monday; and the celebratory keynote breakfast panel on Black booksellers and bookselling on Tuesday--all of which addressed the current difficult political times. And then there were myriad panels, rep pick sessions, meetings, networking both formal and informal, all of which aimed to make booksellers better at their jobs. Tough questions were asked and discussed at the Community Forum, and overall there was a feeling that the book and bookselling community is strong and will endure and help lead the way in fighting darkness. As Brian Selznick, who worked at Eeyore's Books for Children in New York City in the early 1990s, said yesterday at the closing keynote, "I need to stay optimistic and feel hope. I need to keep moving forward. And everything that I need to know started at the bookstore.... Eeyore's showed me the true meaning of a safe space and how bookstores create community with stories.... We all have a very long road ahead of us, but we will survive. I know you've got my back, and I've got yours."
ABA staff ran a smooth show as usual, making all the challenges that go into staging a conference for some 1,600 people look easy. Congratulations and thank you!
The 21st Winter Institute will take place February 23-26, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pa. See you there!
The always-popular Galley Room.
(photo courtesy Princeton University Press)
Dennard Dayle, author of the novel How to Dodge a Cannonball (Holt, June 17), with Steve Iwanski of Charter Books, Newport, R.I.
Kenneth Oppel, author of the YA novel Best of All Worlds (Scholastic, June 3), with Timothy Otte, Wild Rumpus Books, Minneapolis, Minn.
Shelley Read, author of Go As a River (Spiegel & Grau), with Kira Quirk, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, Colo.
Emily Arrow presented her picture book Dear Bookstore, illustrated by Geneviève Godbout (Candlewick, March 11) to booksellers at a Walker Books Group dinner. She performed her tune, also called "Dear Bookstore," that inspired the book.
Binc once again played its popular "Heads or Tails" fundraising game. The winner was Emilie Sommer from East City Bookshop in Washington, D.C., who donated her winnings back to Binc, which raised $7,128 to help booksellers in need. Pictured: (from left) runner-up Lauren Tiedemann of Book Ends, Winchester, Mass.; Sommer; Binc's Kathy Bartson, director of development, and executive director Pam French; and Amy Kaneko, director of sales at Arcadia Publishing, who tossed the coin during the game.