The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association held its annual meeting Wednesday night, celebrating the association's 40th anniversary; the new member bookstores that have joined in the past year; and the anniversaries of member booksellers and bookstores. MIBA members also looked forward to resuming in-person events next year, and the night concluded with the presentation of the Midwest Bookseller of the Year Award.
"The last two years have been hard," said Carrie Obry, MIBA's executive director for the past 10 years. "It's been so hard to do virtual programming without our in-person meetings. I am filled with joy at the prospect of meeting again next year."
Obry told attendees to circle the dates for the upcoming spring meeting, to be held May 23-24, 2022, in Bayfield, Wis., and the next Heartland Fall Forum, scheduled for October 12-14 in St. Louis, Mo. She added that this was the year that MIBA expanded its board of directors from seven to nine people, adding Riley Jay Davis, events manager at Next Chapter Booksellers, St. Paul, Minn., and BrocheAroe Fabian, marketing manager with Sourcebooks. Obry said she now "can't imagine our board without Riley and Broche."
Kate Rattenborg Scott, president of the MIBA board and owner of Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa, reported that despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the organization is "working successfully within this new reality and doing very well financially." In the past year, MIBA invested in its new management platform, staff raises, and holding the venue in St. Louis for next year's Heartland.
Since its last membership meeting, MIBA has welcomed 30 new bookstore members, with 16 of them founded in the last year. "In my time I've been on the board, we've never had these kinds of numbers," remarked Scott. "This is extraordinary."
Angela Schwesnedl, co-owner of Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, Minn., continued the tradition of the previous winner of the Midwest Bookseller of the Year Award presenting it to the new recipients. This year the award went to Gretchen Treu, Wes Lukes and their team at A Room of One's Own in Madison, Wis. Schwesnedl called the store "a staunch defender of trans rights and a vocal advocate for queer, trans and BIPOC people everywhere," as well as an inspiration "for how to handle everything life throws your way," while making it look like it's "still possible to have fun."
Treu noted that for a group of "mostly anxious, introverted Midwesterners, an award feels actively awkward and uncomfortable," but in this case there is a "really special feeling from a group of our peers and colleagues in our industry telling us hey, you're doing exemplary and important work." They've tried their best to "put good out in the world" whenever they can, and "having that best appreciated" by friends and colleagues is "immense." --Alex Mutter