Lit City – by Lynn Rosen
Red hair, sir, in my opinion, is dangerous.
I enjoyed reading an article about red hair by Joyce Corrigan in the September issue of Marie Claire magazine. Corrigan mentions that red hair is rare (less than 2% of the population) and apparently it's trendy on fashion runways this season. She talks about what...
Checking out the competition
I was at the checkout counter at Barnes & Noble. (Why was I shopping at Barnes & Noble? I knew you were going ask me that! I was cleaning, and I found an unused gift card from long ago. I figured I might as well use it!) So, back to my story... I was at the...
Local Talent: Playwright Michael Hollinger
As part of our new "Local Talent" series, playwright Michael Hollinger came to visit Open Book Bookstore to chat with us about his creative process. This smart, dynamic playwright had two plays opening in Philadelphia this season alone. He's prolific and his plays are...
Julie Slavet reads books about nature
Julie Slavet is Executive Director of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc.(TTF). They will be hosting an event with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and other books on February 28th. I spoke with Julie about her work and about why...
Author Dara Horn’s Eternal Life
Dara Horn began her talk at Open Book Bookstore about her new novel, Eternal Life, by mentioning the comedian Mel Brooks. "You know the 2000-year-old man, right?" she asked. The audience nodded. "Well, this book is about the 2000-year-old mom." Despite Horn's jokes...
Visiting the Big Box Bookstore B&N
My car is at the mechanic. Why am I telling you that in a blog that purports to be about books? While the mechanic worked on the car, I needed somewhere to wait. I said I would bring my computer along so I could do some work, but where could I sit? He suggested that...
Long Live the Indie Bookstore
In an article in The New York Times on December 28th, it was announced that bookstore chain Book World, based in Wisconsin and with 45 stores, is liquidating. The Times used this opportunity to bemoan the fate of brick & mortar bookstores and to predict their...
The writing life of Laurie Halse Anderson
As part of our ongoing series of writing workshops, bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson taught a writing class last week at Open Book Bookstore. Halse Anderson, who is known for her bestselling children's books, from the raw and powerful young adult...
Meet the Running Press Editorial Team
Our new "Meet the Publisher" series at Open Book Bookstore was inaugurated recently by the fantastic editorial team at Running Press, a publisher located right here in Philadelphia. We were pleased and grateful to have in attendance four senior members of the team:...