PHOTOGRAPH BY PERETZ PARTENSKY, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
It’s a banner weekend for readers in St. Louis. The Greater St. Louis Book Fair coincides with Independent Bookstore Day, bringing joy to the region’s zillions of bibliophiles. Check out events, special exclusive merchandise, and more books than you could finish if you had infinite uninterrupted hours on the couch.
The Greater St. Louis Book Fair runs April 28 through May 1, with a nonprofit-only day May 2. Opening-night admission is $10, and the fair is free thereafter. Running since 1950, the event brings more than 1 million new, used, and rare books together, and the money raised benefits local literacy programs. Head to West County Center for amazing deals and unique finds.
Also, on Saturday, don't forget to visit a local bookstore. Started as California Bookstore Day in May 2014, Independent Bookstore Day went nationwide last year. This year, more than 400 stores across the country will participate, including The Novel Neighbor, Book House, Main Street Books, and Left Bank Books in St. Louis.
“It’s a celebration of independent bookstores as more than retail: as community spaces—living, breathing, thriving parts of the community,” says Left Bank store manager Wintaye Gebru. “We’re a community space; we host about 300 events a year.” Left Bank's Central West End location has a full day of activities planned, including Storytime with Miss Jonesey, a special tea blend from Maplewood's Traveling Tea, and a coloring book happy hour that will feature a print of the store. Local writer Antony John—author of Busted: Confessions of an Accidental Player, Five Flavors of Dumb, and Thou Shalt Not Road Trip—will also be on hand, lending a certain savoir faire to the proceedings, courtesy of his English origins.
Among the merchandise only available during Independent Bookstore Day: Anthony Bourdain’s Perfect Burger Print, a gallery-quality print signed by the gustatory swashbuckler himself; Draw Me!, a book with step-by-step instructions for drawing literary favorites, and The Neil Gaiman Coloring Book, with art by Chris Riddell and Gaiman quotes.
“There’s no amount of algorithms that can replace having a bookseller in your neighborhood,” says Gebru. “Amazon has never brought an author to their readers—we bring authors all the time.”
