Canadian bookseller Sheila Koffman, owner of Another Story Bookshop in Toronto, died September 15. She was 72. On Facebook, the bookstore posted: "It is with a heavy heart that we are letting you know our beloved Sheila, the founder of Another Story Bookshop, passed away yesterday. She was surrounded by friends and family. She was a bright light in this community and we will miss her dearly."
Now noted that Koffman "helmed the store through its three decades with a fierce commitment to social justice and an equally ferocious determination to make the store an activist hub."
"She was passionate about the cause," said store manager Laura Ash. "She lived and breathed the bookstore and its politics. She had a bigger-than-life personality but always stepped back to give other people space."
Anjula Gogia, who assisted Another Story with in-store programming, said, "She made sure there was an exceptionally curated list of books teachers and kids could use--books about equity, bullying and Indigenous experience.... She was my comrade. She got it. She ran a business but stayed true to her politics. She kept her commitment in terms of the people she hired and the writers she stocked.... She was still ordering books just a few days before she died. The world of bookselling will be diminished without her starry presence in it."