By Connie Goodman-Milone
A Treasured Gem in our Literary Community
Books & Books was founded by Mitchell Kaplan in Coral Gables in 1982. They now have stores in Coral Gables, Bal Harbour Shops, Grand Cayman, Miami International Airport, Suniland Shops, Coconut Grove, and The Studios of Key West. Books & Books in Coral Gables was a literary home for the South Florida Writers Association for several years. We held monthly Authors Showcase events at the Suniland store until the pandemic hit. Many of our members’ books can be found on their store shelves.
Valued Sponsor of a Wonderful Cause
Books & Books sponsors the Junior Orange Bowl Creative Writing Contest. The awards ceremony was among the last events in the Coral Gables store in early March. Our very
own Jonathan Rose has moderated the Famous Last Friday Poetry Reading at Books & Books in Coral Gables. Mitchell Kaplan is a co-founder of the Miami Book Fair, and SFWA has had a booth at the Miami Book Fair for years. SFWA members participate as presenting authors and as Friends of the Fair.
The Challenge Ahead
The coronavirus pandemic has posed an immense challenge for independent bookstores. Like many businesses, Books & Books had to close its doors in March. They went from a physical store to an online store for several months. They are now open for business with new hours. The Café at Books & Books in Coral Gables is open, too. Just as we need Books & Books, this book shop needs us.
How You Can Help!
There are some meaningful ways we can support Books & Books. We can purchase books there instead of Amazon whenever possible. We can buy gift cards. The website is www.booksandbooks.com. Books, journals, and gift cards can be purchased online or with a phone call.
Books & Books recently had a fundraiser with tees and totes to support the bookstore. For the love of Books & Books, I bought a baseball shirt and purple tee with their legendary logo. Many friends of Books & Books shared this campaign across social media. We need to share the love and spend some money at Books & Books.
The role of Books & Books in the literary community is incomparable. It’s essential to support independent bookstores like Books & Books through these changing times. Let’s do our part to keep this literary gem going.
This article previously appeared in the Author’s Voice, September 2020
Comentários