Dear Readers,
Thank you everyone who came out and made Independent Bookstore Day a resounding success! We’d especially like to thank photographer Rick Lieder for stopping in to sign his latest book and Amos Kennedy who surprised us with his gift of a handprinted book quote we gave away to the first 50 attendees. In the evening, the store was packed for an evening of poetry and discussion on the work of John Sinclair, including appearances by George Tysh, Peter Werbe, Bill Harris, Robin Eichele, M.L. Liebler, and Leni Sinclair. It was a mini Artist Workshop reunion! Below is a video of Peter Werbe and Tino Gross who did a reading of John SInclair’s classic “Poem for Waren Springfellow.” Thank you to all who spoke and attended.
May is full of events here at Book Beat and around town, including the first meeting of our Sub-Rosa reading group. Check out all the happenings below!
Read small press book reviews, author interviews, and indie recommendations from our resident bibliophile Tom Bowden in his column i arrogantly recommend…
Thank you for your continued support.
Happy reading!
—Cary, Colleen, and Book Beat Staff
UPCOMING EVENTS
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. The Sub Rosa June selection HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector is in stock now.
MAY 9: TRACIE MCMILLAN AT OAK PARK CITY HALL
Thursday May, 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. New York Times bestselling author and Michigan native Tracie McMillan will present her latest work, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America, at Oak Park City Hall (14000 Oak Park Blvd, Oak Park, MI 48237).
This event is brought to you by Oak Park Public Library in partnership with Book Beat, with books available to purchase at the event. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
MAY 11: BOOKS ON THE LAKE
May 11 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Grosse Pointe Public Library presents Books on the Lake, an annual event with regional and national authors. This year, keynote authors include Bonnie Jo Campbell (The Waters, Once Upon a River, Q Road) and Brendan Slocumb (The Violin Conspiracy, Symphony of Secrets). Tickets are $40 per person and include a brunch buffet. Books will be avialable to purchase courtesy of Book Beat. Read more about this event and purchase tickets online here.
MAY 13, 14, 15: ILAN PAPPÉ ON GAZA IN CONTEXT
Al Nadwa Freethinking Society, in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace-Detroit (JVP-D), Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), and Peace Action of Michigan invite you to three opportunities to hear presentations by Ilan Pappé, one of the world’s formost historians on the middle-east region and Israel-Palestine. Each presentation will be unique. Pappé’s many books will be able to purchase at each event courtesy of Book Beat.
These events are free and open to the public, with registration available online along with more information about each event.
Monday, May 13 6:30-9 p.m. Q&A at 8 pm
Bint Jebail Cultural Center
14201 Prospect Street #Bldg. 2 • Dearborn, MI 48126
Tuesday, May 14 6:30-8 p.m.
Followed by Q&A & Reception
Unitarian Universalist Church
4605 Cass Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
Wednesday, May 15 7 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
22331 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI 48220
MAY 19: KRISTEN REMENAR AND MATT FAULKNER
Join us Sunday, May 19 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Book Beat for the book release of Squirrel Needs a Break, a new children’s book by author Kristen Remenar and illustrator Matt Faulkner, and sequel to Groundhog’s Dilemma. Books will be available to purchase at the event, along with other titles by Remenar and Faulkner.
This event is free and open to the public. If you have any questions or would like to reserve a book, please call us at (248) 968-1190 or email us at bookbeatorders@gmail.com. Read more about this event here.
MAY 29: READING GROUP MEETING ONLINE
The Book Beat reading group selection for May is The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares. We will meet virtually online via Zoom on Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. The Zoom link will be sent on the afternoon of the meeting to anyone interested in attending. Email bookbeatorders@gmail.com to sign up. 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.
Books are not currently in stock, but expected May 9 and discounted 15%. A notification will be sent when books are available.
MAY 30: MICHIGAN NOTABLE BOOK TALK AT HENRY FORD CENTENNIAL LIBRARY
Thursday, May 30 at the Henry Ford Centennial Library (16301 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126) Michigan Notable authors RS Deeren (Enough to Lose) and Ghassan Zeineddine (Dearborn, Hadha Baladuna) will present and discuss their latest books. Books will be available to purchase courtesy of Book Beat. Read more about this event here.
JUNE 2: FARMINGTON AUTHOR & BOOK FESTIVAL
Join us for the second annual Farmington Author & Book Festival on Saturday, June 2 from 10-6 p.m. at Memorial Park in downtown Farmington (33430 Grand River Ave., Farmington, MI 48335). FAB Fest brings the community together to celebrate stories and storytellers from right here in Michigan! The festival offers free admission to author readings, book signings, discussions, workshops, and more. Wander through the book marketplace offering publications by local authors and publishers. FAB Fest is a collaboration between KickstART Farmington and the Farmington Community Library.
This year’s keynote presenter is poet, teacher and activist Carolyn Forché. At 5 p.m. Forché will offer a keynote poetry reading and talk, a Q&A session, and a book signing, with copies of her book available to purchase courtesy of Book Beat. Read more about this event here or at the Farmington Community Library website.
SLEEPER ALERTS, RECENT AND UPCOMING ARRIVALS
The Collected Poems 1964-2024
John Sinclair
Ridgeway Press
John Sinclair’s Collected Poems 1964-2024 arrived within a week of his passing, and was edited and proofed with an introduction written by Sinclair in late January of 2024. The book was designed by Sinclair’s right-hand commrade at Radio Free Amsterdam Steve “The Fly” Pratt and published by Ridgeway press in a limited first edition of 150 hand-numbered copies with a forward written by M.L. Liebler. Photographs from the covers of each book and recording begin selections taken from the book or record. The three full-length poetry books; Fattening Frogs for Snakes , The Book of Monk, and Praise Songs for John Coltrane are not entirely included. The book runs 557 pages, with many poems collected here for the first time. The purchase of this book helps to support the Detroit Writers Guild.
Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, a Life
Richard King
Anthology Editions
Travels Over Feeling collects the extensive ephemera found in Russell’s New York Public Library archive, along with pieces from the personal collections of those who were closest to him. Combining unseen visual material–handwritten scores, lyrics, photos, letters, and drawings–with new texts by King and extensive original interviews with Arthur’s collaborators, contemporaries, family, and friends, Travels Over Feeling paints a portrait of Arthur Russell unlike any which has come before, revealing a true picture of one of the most distinctive artists of the last fifty years.
“Arthur Russell is one of the most soulful musicians I’ve ever met or played with. This brings him back to life in a way that very few books are able to do.”—Laurie Anderson
A Book of Days
Patti Smith
Random House
NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
With over 365 photographs taking you through a single year, A Book of Days is a new way to experience the expansive mind of the visionary poet, writer, and performer. Hopeful, elegiac, playful—and complete with an introduction by Smith that explores her documentary process—A Book of Days is a timeless offering for deeply uncertain times, an inspirational map of an artist’s life.
3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool
James Kaplan
Penguin Press
From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists–Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans–who came together to create the most iconic jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue.
“[Kaplan is] a master biographer, a dogged researcher and shaper of narrative, and this is his most ambitious book to date…he shows his instinct for juggling and connecting multiple stories and characters without taking his eye off the big picture…a compulsively readable work of fine synthesis and perspective…a superb book.”—Los Angeles Times
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“Spring drew on… and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.”
– Charlotte Bronte