Poets Bookshop, which opened in 2019 in the Bishop Arts District in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Tex., is expanding. KERA reported that owner Marco Cavazos is launching a second location, in the city's Deep Ellum district, doubling the original bookstore's footprint with a 1,200-square-foot space. Cavazos anticipates hosting a grand opening for Poets Bookshop in Deep Ellum in late March.

Poets Bookshop Oak Cliff

Cavazos said he wants to expand to do more community-centered events: "Oak Cliff and Deep Ellum are really different neighborhoods. And so that was a big appeal for me just to reach more of Dallas and have that ability to expand and keep growing."

Using money from the Bishop Arts store, selling his own books, and doing his own renovations helped Cavazos bring his vision to life, KERA noted, adding that he built half of the bookshelves, and patched and painted the walls. "Way more work than I anticipated," Cavazos said. "I did not expect to be doing so much hard work, you know, scrubbing and scraping and painting."

For the Deep Ellum store, he plans to add more tables, chairs and stronger wi-fi to encourage more in-store writing. He also hopes to host writer's groups and workshops to cultivate a local literary community.

While the Oak Cliff location carries a wide range of literature, the new store "will have a more specific selection," KERA wrote, including a banned books section, philosophy section, and activism section as the first things customers see.

"I think a big part of a bookstore, especially an indie bookstore, is to be thought-provoking, to push back where you see injustice, especially attempts to silence intellectual wisdom and diversity," Cavazos said.

Not Just Books, a bookstore and boutique, has opened at 745 East Court St., Ste. 6, Marion, N.C., "along with three other businesses all housed under one roof in a new retail and office complex," McDowell News reported. The bookstore hosted its grand opening last month. 

Describing her business as "not just a bookstore, a book boutique," owner Sheila Gamoneda said her shop features new and slightly used books, along with scented candles, handbags decorated with book-related themes, and men's wallets that are designed to look like miniature versions of books.

"I've always wanted to have a bookstore, and it started out as a used and new bookstore," she noted. "That idea developed into a boutique... we can sell handbags, journals, gift sets, puzzles, anything really book related."

Not Just Books will also host book reading and book signing events featuring local authors. 

"I just hope everybody can enjoy it and I can see where reading is coming back, so I am hoping we can introduce enough items for everybody," Gamoneda said.

Dark Delicacies, "a beacon for California horror fans," will close April 5, SF Gate reported, adding that the bookstore "is more than just a Southern California storefront selling ghoulish souvenirs. It's been a destination for film buffs, horror genre diehards and celebrities from across the macabre spectrum for decades."

"We've been open for 30 years, and I could have happily died right here," said co-owner Del Howison, "but my wife Sue wanted to have a life--whatever that is."

He and his wife, Sue Howison, married in 1995, a year after opening their first store. Recalling the early days selling at a comic book convention in a Glendale hotel, he said, "She was into horror too, mainly books, and I had DVDs and music, some comics, that kind of thing. And we did quite well. Then one day, I was driving down Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, and I saw a place was for rent. I drove home and said 'Honey, I bought our first store.' "

Jessilen Henderson

Jessilen Henderson, a bookseller and floor manager at Maria's Bookshop in Durango, Colo., has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Denver Publishing Institute this summer. A collaboration of the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, Sourcebooks, and the DPI, the scholarship includes tuition, room, and board, and up to $2,000 to cover travel and replacement wages.

"I am both thrilled and astonished to be the recipient of this incredible honor," said Henderson. "I'm unendingly grateful for everything Binc does to support booksellers. It is such a joy to feel that I can set financial worries aside and focus entirely on learning everything that the Denver Publishing Institute has to offer. I can't wait to immerse myself in this incredible educational opportunity. Thank you, Binc!"

Jennifer Johnston, the Booker-shortlisted novelist and playwright "who explored family, loss and memory against the backdrop of a changing Ireland," died February 25, the Guardian reported. She was 95.

Praised as "the best writer in Ireland" by author Roddy Doyle, Johnston published regularly for four decades, beginning when she was in her 40s. Her honors included the Irish PEN Award and a lifetime achievement award at the Irish book awards in 2012, but "she was often considered an under-appreciated writer," the Guardian noted.

Johnston's father was the playwright and war correspondent Denis Johnston, who is regarded as the subject of her 2009 novel Truth or Fiction, about an aging playwright who feels forgotten.

She often watched her mother, actress Shelah Richard, "on stage from the wings and helped her practice her lines. It left her with a keen ear for the music and rhythm of spoken language," the Irish Times wrote. 

"Words are our greatest joy," she said. "Whether you are speaking or writing, every single person in the world is a guardian of words."

Her urge to write came after having children. Her son Patrick Smyth told the Irish Times it was the only way "she could see of escaping the trap of domesticity and its isolation." 

Johnston's first novel, The Captains and the Kings, was published in 1972 and won the Evening Standard Best First Novel Award. Her third, and perhaps best known book, was How Many Miles to Babylon? (1974). 

In 1977, Johnston was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Shadows on Our Skin, and in 1979 she won the Whitbread Prize (now the Nero Award) for The Old Jest. Her first play, The Nightingale and Not the Lark, was performed in 1981. Later books include The Invisible Worm, The Gingerbread Woman, Grace and Truth, Foolish Mortals, and her final novel, Naming the Stars. 

Congratulations to Chevalier's Books, Los Angeles, Calif., which is celebrating its 85th birthday tomorrow, March 1, with an evening party that has a 1940 theme, in honor of the year the store was founded. Running from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., the party includes "old-timey games (board and otherwise), old-timey movies (Little Women 1994), old-timey costumes (not required but encouraged), old-timey drinks (come get lit with us!) and a Children's Wildfire Relief Raffle to raise funds for the Assistance League, which donates books to children who have been affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles." Tickets are $40, which includes a raffle ticket worth $5.

"Last week, we said farewell to Sammy, our beloved bookstore dog," Papercuts bookstore, Jamaica Plain, Mass., posted on Instagram. "Sammy was a Papercuts celebrity, welcoming customers of all ages, and bringing good-dog-energy to the store. We will share plans for an appropriate remembrance at a future time, as we know she will be missed by many."

In the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group:

Jess Deitcher is promoted to senior marketing director, Doubleday. During her 10 years at PRH, Deitcher has served as marketing director for Doubleday and for Vintage and Anchor as well as director of backlist strategy.

Anne Jaconette is promoted to associate marketing director, Doubleday.

Sierra Figueroa is promoted to senior marketing manager, Vintage. Figueroa has been with the Vintage marketing team for more than two years.

Amanda Orenstein is promoted to assistant director, strategic insights. Orenstein joined the Group in 2022.

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Noelle Brown has joined Adams Media as publicity manager.

The Casemate IPM division of Casemate Group is now the exclusive distributor for Aurora Metro Publications throughout North America, providing marketing, sales, and distribution services for both print books and e-books. The company was previously distributed by SCB Distributors.

Aurora Metro, London, England, publishes a range of fiction and nonfiction, from historical, literary, and crime fiction published under the Aurora Metro Books imprint, classic drama and plays from Amber Lane Press, to nonfiction works including biographies, history, pop culture, and personal essays that are published under the Supernova Books imprint. The new River Light Press imprint seeks to cross over trade nonfiction into academia as it focuses on social sciences and general humanities.

Casemate owner and president David Farnsworth said: "Aurora Metro is a growing and dynamic publisher, and I'm excited to have them on board with us. We look forward to lending our marketing and distribution support to see what new stories can be shared with readers across North America."

Maze Play: Ten Mazes & Seek-n-Find Games written and illustrated by Roxie Munro (Schiffer Kids).

The stage adaptation of The Hunger Games, based on the first book in Suzanne Collins's series and its 2012 film version, has set dates and a home for its upcoming world premiere in London, Playbill reported. The production was written by Olivier-winning playwright Conor McPherson, with Matthew Dunster directing.

The play will begin performances October 20 at Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a new venue built for The Hunger Games. "Planned to be in-the-round, the venue has been designed to make audiences feel like they're part of the action," Playbill noted.

"This specially designed theatre is the perfect home for Panem, allowing our world class team to create a transportive, electrifying experience that fully captures the scale, intensity, and spectacle of Suzanne Collins's world," said Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds, joint CEOs and founders of Troubadour Theatres. "Every element--from the staging to the technology--has been tailored to transport audiences right into the heart of the Games like never before."

McPherson said: "Our singular focus is to honor Suzanne Collins's achievement with a faithful adaptation that's as thrilling on stage as it is on the page. It's been a great pleasure to watch the theatrical language of this show evolving through explosive workshops under Matthew Dunster's inspired partnership with choreographer Charlotte Broom and their tireless team of young performers."

Collins added: "I'm thrilled that The Hunger Games is in the hands of gifted playwright Conor McPherson and accomplished director Matthew Dunster. Connor has done a fantastic adaptation, which is quite unique from the screenplay. And Matthew's immersive, dynamic staging gives the audience a brand-new way to experience the story."

The shortlist has been selected for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, which honors "the commitment of independent presses to fiction of exceptional literary merit." The winner of the prize, which has separate judges and prizes from the U.K. award of the same name, will be announced March 12.

A total of $35,000 will be distributed to the presses, authors, and translators. Each press included in the longlist receives $2,000. The shortlisted books will be awarded an additional $3,000 each, split equally between the publisher and author, or publisher, author, and translator, where applicable. The shortlisted books and their independent presses are:

Like a Sky Inside by Jakuta Alikavazovic, translated by Daniel Levin Becker (Fern Books)
Melvill by Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden (Open Letter)
Lesser Ruins by Mark Haber (Coffee House Press)
The Case of Cem by Vera Mutafchieva, translated by Angela Rodel (Sandorf Passage)
Your Absence Is Darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton (Biblioasis)

Founder of the prize and jury chair Lori Feathers said: "After enthusiastic debate and discussion our Prize jury made the difficult decision to advance these five remarkable books from our longlist. We celebrate the small presses, languages, and perspectives that this shortlist represents."

A Zoom party celebrating the longlist with publishers, authors, and translators took place on February 19. To view it, click here.

Sally Page is the author of the international word-of-mouth sensation The Keeper of Stories. She lives in Dorset in the U.K. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor, and her youngest daughter is the novelist Libby Page. After studying history at university, Page worked various jobs, including running a market research company and a flower shop--which, in part, inspired her new novel, The Secrets of Flowers (Blackstone Publishing, February 25, 2025), a heartwarming story about a grieving woman who rediscovers herself by uncovering the lost story of the girl who arranged flowers on the Titanic.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A hopeful story about how flowers can connect and heal us. The book also reveals that the Titanic was "a ship full of flowers."

On your nightstand now:

A bit of a strange mix! I have a proof copy of Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda. The wonderful thing about being an author is that you get sent new books to read. This story particularly appealed as I adore stationery, so much so that I once set up a fountain pen business. Alongside this is A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver. I have often come across her poetry and wanted to read more. And finally, Want, a collection of female fantasies, gathered by Gillian Anderson. Truly fascinating and at times not a little surprising.

Favorite book when you were a child:

When I was about nine or 10, I read the poignant and otherworldly When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson. Anna is a little like Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden--awkward and pushing people away. During the book, Anna learns to connect with people, but there is a very satisfying twist in the tale. It takes place on the wild and beautiful coast of Norfolk, and is one of the reasons the book I am writing now is also set there.

Your top five authors:

Donna Tartt: you may have to wait a while for a new book, but it is so worth it.

Amor Towles: I started with A Gentleman in Moscow, but I think my favorite is Rules of Civility for its New York setting.

Libby Page: How could I not mention my daughter's books?! Particularly Mornings with Rosemary.

I love Anthony Trollope books for the sense of history and the tongue-in-cheek humor. For the same reason, I would also choose the Georgette Heyer books set in Regency England. The first was my dad's favorite author, the second my mum's, so they always make me think of them.

Book you've faked reading:

I was supposed to read George Eliot's Middlemarch for college, but in the end just watched the TV series. Thank you, BBC!

Book you're an evangelist for:

I love Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead and encourage everyone to read it. The language is exquisite for its imagery, pathos, and at times, humor. I then go on at length about David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, which is well worth a visit after reading Kingsolver's book as the parallels are so thought-provoking and again, at times, humorous.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Courtesans by Katie Hickman. The title--combined with an image of woman in a beautiful Edwardian dress, looking over her shoulder--intrigued me. I have a great love of history; I studied it at university, and each of my books, which are contemporary, has a historical thread running through the narrative. Courtesans tells the true stories of four women who became famous courtesans in their day. It is perhaps no surprise that my first novel includes the tale of such a woman.

Book you hid from your parents:

The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I was quite young when I stole this off my Dad's bookshelf and I thought he might be shocked at me reading the sex scenes!

Book that changed your life:

I have loved so many books and relish the memory of the impression they made on me, but there isn't one single book that stands out among so many wonderful writers. So, in honesty, I would have to say my first book, The Keeper of Stories, completely changed my life. I was an unknown author, approaching 60, who had written five books but could not get a publishing deal. Rejection was just part of what I experienced week in week out. I did take heart from hearing the author Elizabeth Stout interviewed, who when she was facing yet another rejection, told herself, I will just have to write better. When eventually I did get a small publishing deal, I don't think anyone imagined it would be the amazing success it turned out to be--driven by reader word of mouth and now published in 30 countries. Today I am part of the Blackstone list and am looked after and supported as never before. This means I can concentrate on writing for my living, which is a dream come true.

Favorite line from a book:

" 'Oh! my Daddy, my Daddy!' That scream went like a knife into the heart of everyone in the train, and people put their heads out of the windows to see a tall pale man with lips set in a thin close line, and a little girl clinging to him with arms and legs, while his arms went tightly round her."

Who doesn't love this line from The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, which I still reread at Christmas or when I have a really bad cold? Old children's books are often the best medicine.

Five books you'll never part with:

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I have a huge soft spot for the steady, gentle, and unlikely hero Gabriel Oak.

The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page. It is difficult to choose just one of Libby's books, but this one made me cry--in a good way!

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. When my mum died, I inherited her complete collection of Georgette Heyer books. In the back of this one I found she had written something. I was surprised as my mum never wrote in books. Looking closer I could see it was my daughter's name, and I realized this was the only thing she must have had on hand when she heard she was born and wanted to try out her name.

Still Life by Sarah Winman. A joyous, hopeful book that needs to be savored and reread for its wonderful prose and characters.

Color: Travels Through the Paintbox by Victoria Finlay. A quest by artist and writer Victoria Finlay to reveal the secrets and history behind each color. It is fascinating to read plus I have kept it as a reference book.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. There is something wonderful about loving a book that is also so well regarded by the book world. I can't say I have always found that with Booker Prize winners!

Colum McCann's Twist is a haunting portrait of "a chameleon, a charlatan, a con man," painted by a narrator whose own existence in midlife provides a meaningful counterpoint. Invoking Conrad's Heart of Darkness, McCann delivers this utterly contemporary story with his customary intelligence and graceful style.

"Struggling novelist and occasional playwright" Anthony Fennell leaves his Dublin home to research a piece of long-form journalism. He boards a Belgian-owned vessel whose crew is charged with repairing an undersea cable in a canyon four kilometers below the ocean surface off the African coast. But Fennell has no hint of the mystery he'll need to untangle, a puzzle that revolves around John A. Conway, veteran chief of the mission to fix the vital communications link that stretches from London to Cape Town.

Among his other nautical skills, Conway is an expert in the risky art of free diving. Before they set sail, he introduces Fennell to his partner, multitalented actress Zanele Ombassa, raised in South Africa's townships, and about to embark for England with her seven-year-old twins to appear in a performance of Waiting for Godot, reimagined as a metaphor for climate change. They seem well-matched only in their shared aloof demeanor, and she becomes equally intriguing to the writer.

Once aboard the ship, Fennell gradually realizes the difficulty he will encounter in penetrating to Conway's essence, as the taciturn chief and his crew go about the exacting business of locating and fixing a cable that represents the "great expansiveness of global information, the world unfurling through a wire," even as it amounts to "such a paltry thing--an inch and a half wide, a roll of metal and plastic and glass." But just as they're about to complete their assignment, Conway, whose eventual death is announced early in the novel, vanishes, leaving Fennell with only the "shards of the broken things to put back together again."

As he attempts to unearth Conway's story, Fennell muses about the missteps in his own life--his heavy drinking, divorce, and estrangement from his teenage son who now lives with his mother in Chile but with whom he's trying to reconnect. "Mine has been a lifetime of dropped connections," he writes, an apt summary of a self-perception that somehow links him to Conway despite the obvious differences in their lived experience.

"Between fact and fiction lie memory and imagination," Fennell observes. "Within memory and imagination lies our desire to capture at least some essence of the truth, which is, at best, messy." That's an eloquent benediction for a story that, at its heart, reveals the frequent elusiveness of that truth and the often unbridgeable gap in any attempt fully to understand another. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: A writer attempts to unravel the mystery of the enigmatic chief of a mission to repair damaged undersea cable off the African coast and winds up painting a haunting portrait of a con man.