This Sunday, December 6th is Small Press Pittsburgh’s Third Annual Holiday Book Fair! In celebration and anticipation, we asked Small Press Pittsburgh’s Karen Lillis for a preview, some updates on Pittsburgh’s independent bookselling scene, and small press gift recommendations for the Littsburger in your life!
Can you tell us a little bit about Small Press Pittsburgh’s Third Annual Holiday Book Fair?
This event is an unique opportunity to benefit from the creative minds of several of Pittsburgh’s coolest booksellers gathered in one place. Pittsburgh’s smart, well-read, and hard working-bookstore owners have been a vital part the literary scene here. Some (like Copacetic Comics, Mystery Lovers Bookshop) have been in town for decades and have helped lure and nurture new writers and creators as other aspects of the scene come and go. Others are new ventures (like Amazing Books, Nine Stories) inspired in part by the literary activity here.
Nine different indie booksellers will be offering special selections of their books at affordable prices. (Vendor list here). The energy of the room will be high — turnout was great last year and we expect more this year, especially since this is the first time we’re not competing with a Steelers game. Other highlights include free parking lot, free admission, food truck, Butler Street Cookie Crawl just down the hill, and a Phil Spector holiday soundtrack (among other tunes).
What kind of books can we expect to find there?
There will be a wide variety of real books (I doubt you’ll find any sudoku or celebrity bios), hand-selected by savvy booksellers who are avid readers and sometimes writers or artists themselves. Novels and short stories, poetry and zines. Graphic novels, indie comics, art books. Books in Hebrew, books in Spanish, books published in Pittsburgh. Children’s books, nonfiction by leftist activists, classic literature, and contemporary fiction. Blank journals, LGBTQ fiction, Pittsburgh authors, indie press books from across the US, and great books on great discount. Overall, browsers can expect to find high quality, surprises, deals, and solid recommendations. You might not find one bestseller you have in mind, but if you come looking for good ideas for the readers on your holiday list, you’ll find an abundance.
[bctt tweet=”I’m going to Pittsburgh’s Third Annual Holiday Book Fair!”]How did the Holiday Book Sale start?
It started the year I began my pop up bookstand, 2013. I noticed that the bookstand sold far more books when it was not associated with a reading or literary event — when the audience was much more varied than just writers. I think in Pittsburgh (with the exception of a good book launch), most of us don’t go to a reading planning to spend money. The bookstand had thrived at outdoor art crawls and art fests. So as the warm weather ended, I was looking for indoor events where I could pop up. Soon I decided to create my own event. And I love Pittsburgh’s bookstore scene, I’m friendly with most of the booksellers here. So the idea of gathering as many of Pittsburgh’s bookstores in one place and trying to create a buzz for holiday book buying just sounded like a fun day to me. Like, Who wouldn’t want to come to that?
I love the chance to spotlight the talented booksellers of Pittsburgh, and to reach readers who wouldn’t necessarily come to a literary reading.
What’s new this year?
I’m excited to welcome a couple of new vendors this year: Nine Stories is Pittsburgh’s newest pop-up bookstore, featuring classic and contemporary literature. They’ve appeared at Open Streets in Lawrenceville and at the Garfield Art Market. I’ve been invigorated by every pop up bookstore in Pittsburgh so far, starting when East End Book Exchange was at the Pittsburgh Public Market. Otherwise I’m curious to find out more about Nine Stories on December 6.
I’m thrilled that City Books will give Pittsburgh a preview of their new incarnation, starting at the Holiday Book Sale with a selection of quality fiction and nonfiction, some Spanish language books, and much more. City Books was a beloved second hand bookshop and literary space on Carson Street for decades, but it closed in December 2014. Now husband and wife Arlan Hess (former editor of Paper Street Press) and Patrick Schmidt have bought the store and will revive it in Brookline (South Hills) in 2016.
Speaking of new owners, Mystery Lovers Bookshop (Oakmont) returns for the third year to the Holiday Book Sale, but they’re under new ownership since last year’s event: Natalie Sacco and Trevor Thomas. Read more: “Couple Returns Home To Buy Mystery Lovers Bookshop”.
This is the first year we’re having a food truck: Franktuary was quick to say yes to the event. I hope that it makes people want to come earlier or stay longer — and that a food element will continue to expand the audience for the Book Sale.
And this year the Small Press Pittsburgh stand will be having a huge sale on backlist items and gently used literature, in addition to the usual fare of contemporary small press fiction and poetry.
Are you reading anything good lately?
I just finished a David Goodis novel (Moon in the Gutter), he was a noir writer from Philadelphia. I liked watching how his fiction takes on so much atmosphere as the story moves forward. Much of the power of his novel was located in his descriptions of the city, the setting. There’s action, but then there’s a lot of walking around the city.
Vivian Gornick also does a lot of walking around the city. I’m reading her newest book, The Odd Woman and the City, and the writing is stunning. She does something only someone who’s been living with her writing can do, and it’s not easy to describe. She’s so clearly been writing her life and living with her writing for most of her adult life, and it creates a level of consciousness that is palpably different than other kinds of writing.
Can you give us five small press gift recommendations for the Littsburghers in our lives?
Hard to narrow it down to five, but here are some of my favorites from Pittsburgh authors:
Your Life Idyllic
by Craig Bernier (Black Lawrence Press)
The Laundress Catches Her Breath
by Paola Corso (CavanKerry Press)
Belief is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe
by Lori Jakiela (Atticus Books)
Raymond Carver Will Not Raise Our Children
by Dave Newman (Writers Tribe Books)
On This Borrowed Bike: Poems
by Lisa Panepinto (Three Rooms Press)
Not really small press, but I’d like to add:
People Who Led to My Plays
by (Pittsburgh-born) Adrienne Kennedy
This Sunday, the HOLIDAY BOOK SALE features indie booksellers, free parking, @Franktuary food truck, free admission! https://t.co/PtlSVGqcNT
— Karen Lillis (@BookstoreMemoir) December 2, 2015
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