Dear Book Lovers,
As spring blossoms around us, we’re thrilled to celebrate the vibrant tapestry of literary delights that April brings! From National Poetry Month to Earth Month and the delightful Independent Bookstore Day, there’s no shortage of reasons to immerse ourselves in the magic of books and community.
April is also National Reading Month, and in honor of that Mercy-USA will be operating its Lanterns for Literacy Program from March 4-April 15. Mercy-USA will be collecting donations of new and like-new elementary level books in order to assemble literacy kits for children in low-income Detroit communities. These books will be distributed to children through their schools, transitional housing shelters, and community associations based upon need. There is a donation box located inside Book Beat for anyone who would like to donate. There is also an opportunity to donate monetarily directly to Lanterns for Literacy here. Funds will then be used to purchase books at our store. Read more about Mercy-USA and Lanterns for Literacy on their website.
Mother Earth deserves a standing ovation every day, but in April, we give her the spotlight she deserves! Let’s honor our planet with a renewed commitment to sustainability. At Book Beat we made the investment and installed a new low energy LED lighting system. It may even look a little too bright the next time you visit. Come and browse our selection of eco-friendly reads, from nature writing, gardening, mushroom exploration, cooking, and sustainable living guides, come and discover new ways to tread a little lighter on this magnificent blue orb we call home.
Our newsletter this month features a post on symbolist poet Stèphane Mallarmè and the poetry card game The Glorious Lie, On The Glorious Lie: An Anti-Guide for Mallarmè Poetics.
Our repost this month is Terry Blackhawk on Emily Dickinson from 2020, by the beloved poet and our good friend.
We are sorry to report the passing of our patron, frequent guest poet and activist John Sinclair. His new book Collected Poems 1964-2024 will be issued this month by Ridgeway Press as well as a boxed set of recordings from Jet Plastic. Amanda LeClair at WDET-FM wrote a great bio on the music and activism of John Sinclair including a wonderful interview done in 2020 by Ann Delisi. A memorial celebration on the life of John Sinclair will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit on Tuesday, April 9th at 1:00 pm.
Mark your calendars and raise your bookmarks because April 27th is Independent Bookstore Day!
So, dear bookworms, let’s make April a month to remember—a celebration of poetry, planet Earth, and the power of independent bookstores to unite and inspire us all. Thank you for being a part of our literary journey!
Happy reading and happy April!
Warm regards,
~Cary, Colleen and the Book Beat staff
PS We will return with updates on Indie Boookstore Day and a new column of Tom Bowden reviews around mid-month.
A memorial window display for John Sinclair in progress.
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL 7-14: BOOKSTOCK: USED BOOKS & MEDIA SALE
Bookstock, Used Book & Media Sale, will be holding it’s annual sale April 7-14 at Laurel Park Place (37700 Six Mile Rd, Livonia, MI 48152). Hours are Monday–Saturday 11-7 p.m., Sundays 11-6 p.m. Opening day, Sunday, April 7, will be a pre-sale with $25 admission from 8:15-11 a.m. Bookstock, Used Book & Media Sale, is a community service project through which donations of books and media continue to provide enjoyment and knowledge. Proceeds from the sale support education and literacy projects in the Detroit metropolitan area and beyond. The entire process of collecting and sorting gently used books and media, organizing and staffing the sale is 100% volunteer driven. This approach to recycling used books and media in order to raise money for education and literacy is what makes Bookstock a win-win endeavor for the community. All leftover books from Bookstock are donated to non-profits and charities in our community. Book Beat is a longtime supporter of Bookstock and its previous incarnation as the Brandeis Book Sale. Read more about Bookstock and other promotions at bookstockmi.org.
TUESDAY, APRIL 16: HANNAH MOUSHABECK AT HENRY FORD CENTENNIAL LIBRARY
Tuesday, April 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Henry Ford Centennial Library (16301 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126) author Hannah Moushabeck will be presenting her new book Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine. The presentation will be followed by an author signing, with copies of her book available for sale courtesy of Book Beat. For more information, visit the Dearborn Public Library website.
THURSDAY, APRIL 18: STORYTIME GUILD LUNCHEON
Thursday, April 18 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Birmingham Unitarian Church (38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304) the StoryTime Guild will be hosting a Pirate Tea Fundraiser Luncheon. The event will feature award-winning author of numerous children’s books Rhonda Gowler Green, with books for sale courtesy of Book Beat. A portion of the book sales will be donated to STG. Attendees will enjoy a delicious luncheon of tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts prepared and served by Victoria’s Tea Salon. A “treasure trove” of silent auction items will be available to bid on. Most importantly, attendees will be supporting an important cause. This event is the main source of funds used to purchase new books for libraries and classrooms in the underserved schools where STG members read. STG will also be collecting gently used children’s books to donate to Brilliant Detroit. Tickets are $45 per person. See the STG website for more details.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24: READING GROUP
Our April reading group selection is The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke. The reading group will meet Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m online via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent on the afternoon of the meeting to anyone interested in attending. Email bookbeatorders@gmail.com to sign up. Books are expected to be in stock soon and discounted 15%. The Book Beat reading group features international works in translation, and discussions are free and open to the public. Please call (248) 968-1190 for more information. Read more on our reading group post.
SATURDAY, APRIL 27: INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY
We will be open Saturday, April 27 from 10-8 p.m. celebrating Independent Bookstore Day. We’ll be having a bookstore raffle with many specialty items—with a top prize $100 gift certificate.
Michigan artist and illustrator Rick Lieder will be signing his new book The Mighty Pollinators from 1-2 p.m.
An evening poetry memorial for John Sinclair will be held from 6-8 p.m. Guest poets and friends will read from Sinclair’s poetry or their own and remember his life. We will have copies of Sinclair’s books and recordings available. (Author(s) and guests TBA).
We will have a new edition of our “Cool People Read” t-shirt printed on comfort soft all cotton fabric printed in silver ink as well as a new Destroy All Monsters t-shirt and a beautiful two-sided MI Book Hop bookstore tote.
We will once again be participating in the Michigan Book Hop! Win Prizes! Pick up a bookstore bingo card at MI Book Hop and support Michigan Indie Bookstores.
TUESDAY, APRIL 30: FRIENDS OF THE GPPL ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting for the Friends of the GPPL will take place on April 30th at 7:00 p.m. at the Ford House (1100 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236). Members will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks and presentations from the Friends, the Grosse Pointe Public Library, and keynote speaker, Colleen Cambridge, author of Mastering the Art of the French Murder. Friends membership and RSVP required. Please RSVP by April 12th to events@gpfriends.org.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1: FRANK UHLE AT HUNTINGTON WOODS LIBRARY
Wednesday, May 1 from 6:30-7:45 p.m. cultural historian Frank Uhle will present his recent book, Cinema Ann Arbor at the Huntington Woods Library (26415 Scotia Rd, Huntington Woods, MI 48070). Cinema Ann Arbor will be available to purchase courtesy of Book Beat, and copies are also currently available in-store. You can read more about Uhle and his work here. This event is free and open to the public, though capacity is limited. Registration is recommended.
SATURDAY, MAY 4: SUB-ROSA READING GROUP
Saturday, May 4 at 6 p.m. join us for the launch of the Sub-Rosa reading group, a new book discussion group focused on feminist, surrealist, and obscure fiction, written (mostly) by and about women. Meetings will take place in-store, and a reminder will be sent out the day before the meeting. To sign up, call (248) 968-1190, email bookbeatorders@gmail.com, or message us on Instagram. The first selection is The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks. Books are currently in stock and discounted 15%. Read more about this book on our Sub-Rosa reading group post.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9: TRACIE MCMILLAN AT OAK PARK CITY HALL
Wednesday, May 9 at 6 p.m. author and journalist Tracie McMillan will present her new book The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America. The event will take place at the City Council Chambers at Oak Park City Hall, and is hosted by the Oak Park Public Library. Copies of the book will be available to purchase courtesy of Book Beat. Watch for more details and RSVP information in the coming weeks.
NEW AND RECOMMENDED POETRY SELECTIONS
Wrong Norma
Anne Carson
New Directions
Published here in a stunning edition with images created by Carson, several of the twenty-five startling poetic prose pieces have appeared in magazines and journals like The New Yorker and The Paris Review. As Carson writes: “Wrong Norma is a collection of writings about different things, like Joseph Conrad, Guantánamo, Flaubert, snow, poverty, Roget’s Thesaurus, my Dad, Saturday night. The pieces are not linked. That’s why I’ve called them ‘wrong.'”
The Collected Poems of Delmore Schwartz
Ben Mazer (ed.)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
This book brings together all of Schwartz’s poetry for the very first time, from his groundbreaking debut collection to his unpublished late work, which he kept writing until his death. Accompanied by Ben Mazer’s illustrative notes and introduction, The Collected Poems of Delmore Schwartz offers readers the long-awaited opportunity to rediscover one of the most influential and original poets of the twentieth century. As Mazer writes in his introduction, “It is the poems that count now. And it is the glory of the poems that survives here, awaiting new life.”
This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets
Kwame Alexander (ed.)
Little Brown
A breathtaking poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander. Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker, and Nikki Giovanni.
You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World
Ada Limón
Milkweed Editions
Published in association with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a singular collection of poems reflecting on our relationship to the natural world by fifty of our most celebrated contemporary writers.
FROM OUR BACKROOM GALLERY
The Wicking of the Broken Heart: Selected Poems by Robin Eichele
Patti Smith: Devotion (Why I Write) signed, first edition in dust jacket
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Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise!
~Wallace Stevens
Are there any book signing events coming up for local authors?
Hello Theresa,
Yes, author events are noted in the newsletter and we are having a multiple author event on 4/27 from 6:30-8 pm to honor National Poetry Day, Indie bookstore day and the memory of John Sinclair. Hope to see you soon!
Best wishes,
~Cary c/o Book Beat