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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE August 2011 B5 BOOKS & LITERATURE Literature is home in local shops Passionate store owners share their specialties Tamsen Maloy STAFF WRITER At a time when brick-and-mortar bookstores are on the decline, Salt Lake City is home to a few thriving bookstores. Three bookshops take center stage in the Salt Lake book world: The King's English Bookshop, Ken Sanders Rare Books and Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore. Adlipu.S<Co11.11141 AM; 9 ! :ife The King's English Bookshop: Set inside what looks like a revamped old house, The King's English is a bookstore made for meandering from room-to-room. Each room houses its own theme: mystery, fiction, nature, children's books and more. Following a painful divorce, Betsy Burton found herself reading a lot of mystery novels to keep her mind off things. She and friend Ann Berman— both friends wanted to be writers— rented the space to write and sell books on the side. Book sales took off, and The King's English was born. In September, King's English will be 34 years old. "Books are symbolic of our civilization," said Anne Holman, general manager of the store. "The way a people can understand each other is through reading about each other. Without books, it would be hard to tolerate each other." Bookstores are a significant part of the community. Burton is a co-founder of Local First, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating consumers and the government about the importance of local and independent businesses. "Bookstores tend to be the leaders of community organizing," Holman said. "We tend to be passionate people—not just about books, but about community?' The King's English is located at 1511 S.1500 East. Ken Sanders Rare Books: Ken Sanders, founder of the eponymous store that specializes in rare books, became hooked on literature early in life. "I read every book that was in the school library that was of interest to me," Sanders said. Sanders' love of books eventually led to early exploits in book peddling. "I started in grade school dealing Cal A. Presidential Blographiest' _ PresidentialBiographies RICHARD PAYSON/The Daily Utah Chronicle Local book stores close to the University of Utah like Sam Weller's, The King's English and Ken Sanders are good places for students to find books. comic books," he said. By high school, Sanders was running a mail-order book business. However, Sanders' first serious attempt at literary retail came in 1976 when he cofounded Cosmic Aeroplane Bookstore and Head shop, which specialized in used books and records. "To anybody 4o and older, it's still a legendary store in this town," he said. Sanders is also the owner and founder of Dream Garden Press, which features titles such as The Monkey Wrench Gang and a slew of poetry volumes. The press puts out what Sanders called "the unusual stuff." Sanders is currently in the process of publishing a book about Utah Phillips, the late local folk singer. "These aren't projects that ever make any money. I want to publish things that are important to me," he said. Ken Sanders Rare Books features inexpensive and used books, rare books and books on unconventional topics. The store contains sections such as vagabond, hobo, sustainability and a lot of poetry. The store is also host to poetry readings, literature gatherings and Salt Lake City's monthly gallery strolls. Sanders is optimistic about the future of bookstores. "Open bookshops will turn into something akin to sacred, spiritual places where like-minded bibliophiles come to see the books, touch the books, smell the books and interact with fellow bibliophiles," he said. "It'll become like a sacred space where you can commune with the books and your fellow book people." Ken Sanders Rare Books is located at 268 S. 200 East. Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore: Sam Weller's is a Salt Lake City icon that has been around since 1929. What began as a second-hand furniture store founded by Gus Weller evolved into a second-hand bookstore and later into the multi-faceted, nationally known store it is today. "We're the perfect store for dilettantes," said Catherine Weller, co-owner and wife of Tony Weller, the grandson of Gus Weller. 'A lot of the people who work here are jacks-of-all-trades because we deal with everything." Sam Weller's is a family-owned store, now in its third generation. "There aren't a lot of businesses that succeed generationally like that," Weller said. "A passion runs through the whole family. The passion for the store has driven the family together." With a decrease in readership in Literary readings feature local, professional talent Sam Clark STAFF WRITER Literary readings all focus on one guiding principle: poetry and literature are meant to be heard. "Poetry is, first of all, about the music of the language," said Joel Long, president of City Art. "The rhythms and the sounds of those words put together, that for me becomes the vessel for what poetry can do to the human spirit." Natasha Saje, director of the Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Poetry Series, said that students might be surprised to find that the beauty and texture of language can carry their interest just as much as any narrative. "It might be fair to say that it exists on a continuum between storytelling and concert," she said. Readings at the Weeks Poetry Series are free and open to the public and are generally held at Westminster College. The poetry series brings acclaimed writers to Utah, and its focus on novelty truly makes it unique. "My first criterium for choosing them is that they've never been to Utah before," Saje said. Near the U, there is the Art Barn, located in Reservoir Park, which features the Guest Writers Series. "It's a great opportunity to hear nationally known writers to read from their work," said Kim Duffin, assistant director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council. "They get cAnne ,Nwman Sutton 'Weeks Westminster College hosts regular readings as part of their twenty-first annual Anne Newman Sutton Weeks poetry series at 7 p.m. All readings are free and open to the public and are followed by book signings. City clIrt First Three Wednesdays Every Month Salt Lake City Library City Art is a local organization providing a forum for literature enthusiasts to hear and present poetry, short stories, memoirs, and other works. Readings programs are followed • by an open reading session for audience members to share their own work. Guest Writers Serzes Thursdays 7 p.m. The Art Barn 52 Finch Lane (Reservoir Park) The Guest Writer's Series is a joint effort between the Salt Lake City Arts Council and the U English and creative writing departments. The series brings in contemporary writers for free readings that are open to the public. Readings are followed by a meet and greet with the writers. a chance to meet with the writers." Duffin said the main goal of the Guest Writers Series is to introduce students to some of the best writers in the literary field. Readings are scheduled for Thursday nights at 7 p.m., with a luncheon conversation the following Friday. This season's Guest Writers Series features W.S. Merwin, Pulitzer Prize winner and the 17th Poet Laureate of the United States. Merwin will be reading Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at the City Library. City Art is another grassroots program designed to give a wide range of writers, poets and other artists the opportunity to present their works. "City art brings in some national figures...Opening the reader's horizons are far as what can be considered good writing and recognizing good writing," said Klancy de Nevers, treasurer for City Art. Readings are held at the City Library the first three Wednesdays of every month. Following each reading, there is an open-mic session. These sessions, de Nevers said, makes City Art a great place to share your own work. "Come, and bring something to share," she said. "You can stand up and read one poem or a paragraph, or a joke and get some reactions." So, whether you're looking for something free to do on a weeknight, hoping to meet serious writers and poets or presenting your own work before an audience, community literary readings offer the perfect venue. s.clark@chronicle.utah.edu general and an increase in online book sales, Sam Weller's is downsizing and the store has found a new location in Trolley Square. Despite the move, Catherine and Tony are both excited about the future. "I'm really excited to craft a store for the next century," Weller said. "It's the beginning of a new era." From the look of these three retailers, the world of bookstores will continue to evolve as technology and readership change, despite fears of being run out of business by technology. Local bookstore owners are certainly optimistic. "It's a vale of poverty to work in a bookstore, but in exchange you get a life of riches," Catherine Weller said. Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore is located at 254 S. Main Street. t.maloy@chronicle.utah.edu FILM continued from Page B2 student wouldn't benefit from being in a competitive, year-long program that takes them from concept to completed script while being closely mentored by professional and established industry writers? Even though I have never so much as thought of taking up screenwriting, just hearing about the opportunity suddenly left the writer in me itching to try it out. And that's really what the Salt Lake Film Society is all about: providing opportunities. It gives moviegoers a chance to see traditionally less-accessible art-house cinema and filmmakers an opportunity to succeed. All this would seem to indicate that the Salt Lake Film Society is indeed broad and inclusive in its mission, but I'd rather go on thinking that the Society was made exclusively to provide me, Michael Brey, with Saturday afternoon movie marathons and a career in screenwriting. It certainly feels that way. m.brey@chronicle.utah.edu THEATERS continued from Page B2 The Tower Theatre is located in the Ninth and Ninth community at 876 E. 9oo South. The 21-or-Older Experience: Brewvies Cinema Pub is a collaboration between theater and restaurant: watch a movie, grab a beer, eat a meal. Brewvies is for those 21 and older, so be sure to bring an ID. Brewvies screens two current Hollywood films at a time. In addition, Brewvies holds special film series including "Incredibly Strange Movie Night!" which is held the last Tuesday of each month, and "Film Buff Night" every Monday at io p.m. In addition to the film, the menu holds a variety of interesting dishes including a Sundance pizza, Creole burger and classic fish 'n' chips as well as an assortment of vegetarian options. Brewvies Cinema Pub is located at 677 S. 200 West. t.maloy@chronicle.utah.edu |