Dear Book Lovers and Cultural Connoisseurs,
Ah, October! The month when leaves fall, days shorten, and ghosts of literary giants mingle with the crisp autumn air. (Happy birthdays to John Keats, Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Plath, Amiri Baraka, Anne Rice, Elmore Leonard, and Faith Ringgold—what a dinner party that would be.) As temperatures drop our event calendar heats up with several can’t-miss in store author appearances.
We are honored to be hosting Esinam Bediako of Detroit and Ghanaian heritage at the book launch of her debut novel Blood on the Brain, winner of the Ann Petry Award for a first novel. Her page-turner coming-of-age story deals with family dynamics, race and identity. She will be at Book Beat on Thursday, October 10. From an interview in World Literature Today, Bediako speaks about her mixed Ghanaian-American experiences growing up in the area: “It’s all a process and just keeps on being a process. I don’t think sorting out these identity issues ever ends.”
On Sunday, October 13 we will host Brad Tolinski, former editor of Guitar World Magazine and Jaan Uleszki, rock music journalist and former staff writer for CREEM Magazine at Book Beat. Together they completed MC5: An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band, begun over two decades ago by famed rock journalist Ben Edmonds (1951-2016). The MC5 was the sound-blasting band from Detroit that practically invented punk before anyone knew what it was. There will also be a Friday night signing at the DIA and a Saturday afternoon and evening celebration of the MC5 in their hometown at the Lincoln Park Historical Museum. We will be selling books for the authors Sunday afternoon at Book Beat on October 13 with Susan Whitall to help moderate the discussion and at the Lincoln Park event on Saturday, October 12 from 3-6 p.m. Online preorders for the signed MC5 book can be made at the Book Beat Gallery. On October 19 the MC5 will be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.
Wednesday, October 16 is the birthday of Detroit-born artist Ray Johnson and we are pleased to host art writer Ellen Levy (formerly of Detroit) author of A Book About Ray, a beautiful and revelatory book on this enigmatic artist-among-artists. This in-store event will also be broadcast live on Zoom with help from our friend Kira at Black Mountain College. For the past several years we’ve helped elebrate the legacy of Ray Johnson with discussions held every year around his birthday. If you’d like to attend by Zoom just send a request with your name and email and we will send you a link to the event on the morning of October 16. Online preorders for signed copies of A Book About Ray can be made at the Book Beat Gallery.
Book Beat reading groups offer two discussions this month; the Sub-Rosa group has chosen Angela Carter’s gothic masterwork The Magic Toyshop, and our international (Zoom) group will discuss Vladimir Nabokov’s Pnin -we will have Nabokov scholar Dr. Z joing us online. Both books are in stock and discounted 15% during October.
Thank you authors and friends who came to celebrate Book Beat’s 42nd anniversary last Sunday, and a special shout-out to the Street Corner Music DJs for the funky jams! Your support of the store means everything. In case you missed it, signed books by Anne Carson, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., Felica George, Monique Asher, Donald Levin, DeAnn Wiley, Rick Lieder and Wong Herbert Yee are still available.
High-fives to Ann Carson! Her latest book Wrong Norma was just announced as a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry.
As we wrap up, let’s give a final nod to those great October-born writers—Oscar Wilde, who once said, “I can resist anything except temptation,” Sylvia Plath, who reminded us that “the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt,” and Amiri Baraka who said, “Art is whatever makes you proud to be human.” With that in mind, we invite you to dive into our upcoming events and visit the new fall collection with curiosity, a dash of rebellion, and—dare we say—a bit of literary mischief. Thank you for supporting Book Beat, reading, community, and independent small business.
Until next time, L’Shana Tovah, good health to all and happy reading!
Warmly,
~Cary, Colleen and the Book Beat staff
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 13: Brad Tolinski and Jaan Uhelszki on the MC5 at Book Beat
SLEEPER ALERTS, RECENT, AND UPCOMING ARRIVALS
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui (signed first edition)
HALLOWEEN READS FOR KIDS
BOOK BEAT HOURS, CONTACT, AND ORDERING INFO
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A selection of posters printed by Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., Citizen Printer