1511 S 1500 E Salt Lake City · UT

My family moved around ALOT when I was growing up so the local library and books were my constant friends. Being able to have that still, as an adult, is a very special calling. After a quarter century of bookselling, I feel like the luckiest person in the world. We've been in business since 1977 and are working with our fourth generation of families; it's humbling and fantastic at the same time.

29 Stowe St, Waterbury · VT

I love that books that open people’s minds to new perspectives and information, and that I get to have a small part in that. Matching a reader with a new book is fulfilling. The last few books I’ve really enjoyed include The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden; A Mother Always Knows by Sarah Strohmeyer; Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer, We Will Be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo, Women Without Kids by Ruby Warrington, and Sir Patrick Stewart’s memoir, Making It So. Right now my TBR pile includes The Apple by Sally Coulthard, Florenzer by Phil Melanson, Rope by Tim Queeney, and Erased by Anna Malaika Tubbs…So many great books coming out this year!

414 N College Avenue · Indianapolis · IN

I love getting to see people get excited about books. Whether it is our booksellers or patrons of our store, seeing the emotions and the human connections that books evoke brings me a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment.

183 Chiswick High Road · London

Jane Austen has been a constant in my life, but the novels of Graham Greene, Jeanette Winteton, Anthony Burgess, George Simenon, & Eric Ambler. Fiona Macarthy biographies, H E Bates short stories, and always always Winnie the Pooh. Cookery books (Simon Hopkinson, Nigel Slater, Elizabeth David), the poetry of W B Yeats, Grayson Perry.

5400 Cahuenga Blvd. · North Hollywood · CA

Readers are a diverse, smart, funny, curious group. As a writer, I love working in a used bookstore because of the constant flow of research materials coming through, many of which are scarce and hard to find. And since the Iliad has two shop cats (Zeus and Apollo), I get to be around delightful non-humans as well!

110 S. Main St. Salisbury · NC

I love hearing kids walk in, screaming with excitement. I love how impressive our store appears the first time you walk in. Kids will ask if we are a library, follow my dog around the store, and hopefully leave a little more passionate about chasing the feelings they got visiting the books we have. Raising a community of readers is a total thrill for me.

124 Chautauqua Ave · Lakewood · NY

My reading tastes have evolved over time. Chuck Palahniuk and Kurt Vonnegut will always hold a special place in my heart for their absurd social commentary. Ray Robertson and Andre Dubus III are writers that I really got into during the pandemic. Their writing is raw and honest and surprisingly beautiful. Over the last couple of years, I have fallen into the world of "Women's Fiction". Authors like Catherine Newman, Alison Espach, Emily Austin, and Hannah Pittard have become must-read authors for me.

The creative process is important because it allows us time to look, take in, distill; and ingest the visual world. As an artist and art educator, above all, I want to inspire my students to understand what it means to notice and wonder. Whether I am sharing images of the magic of the sunset, or asking my students to notice the subtle bend of a flower’s stem, or the gentle spirals in a seashell, I am constantly taking the time to encourage my students to pause and take notice. Exploration is essential to art making and allows us to express ourselves and our individuality. I also believe that these skills are easily transferable to other aspects of life. By encouraging risk taking and exploration, we gain confidence and learn how to solve problems. Through the creative process we learn how to work through obstacles and find alternative solutions, and we can begin to understand that there is not one way to make art, just as there is not one way to approach a challenge

I was going to upload images of my sculpture but I’m not certain if you deal with 3D works of art. I was curious to see your invite on Instagram because I have spoken on a handful or podcasts on the topic of creativity, so I was interested. Cheers.

Once, long ago, I asked a taxi driver to tell me the worst thing about his job. I expected him to complain about the long hours or mechanical problems. Waiting to stop at a red light before answering, he said, ’The worst thing about my job is that I never hear the end of the story. People enter my taxi halfway through their conversation and leave without finishing it.’ I often think about that taxi driver and how the fragments of a story inspired me the most. I want my work to feel open-ended, like a snapshot of a much bigger tale, a springboard for one’s imagination to go on an unexpected ride.

What stands out most about this project is the appreciation that is being expressed towards artists of all backgrounds and generations. The non discriminatory nature of this project truly allows us to resonate with each other in a non judgmental manner, thus further examining what it truly means to make art and put it out into the world.

Below the window is a city, but there’s only enough space for two
in the hotel room. There aren’t any dreams, it’s too hot to sleep
anyway. I’m putting down word after word. Letters. Quotes. A
traveller’s diary. The forgotten roads travelled to be closer to my
loves. Trust always comes later, as well as the discovery that I’d
missed it. Not only the street, but the entire continent.

The desire for beauty has accompanied man at all times. It found its expression in paintings, frescoes, sculptures, literature, and other works of art. Each generation made its contribution and gave rise to a new direction in creativity. For any person, art is an integral part of his life. We sometimes do not notice this, involuntarily admiring all the beauty that surrounds us. Works of art inspire, shape thinking, and also answer questions that many would be afraid to ask themselves. Art opens up new perspectives for society and also allows us to understand the physical and metaphysical world around us. It allows society to grow and develop.

My inspiration behind Tulip Tapestry is how complex and beautiful fallen petals can be, the juxtaposition of the delicate, still vibrant tulip petals in their curled and withered state, with the mould dust adding a layer of complexity, is representative of nature’s cyclical rhythm, offering a deep appreciation for the beauty in decay. How hidden beauty can be found in unexpected places.

Expanding and contracting like a nova
To a nebula of red alarm,
A blinding point of unstable giants—oxygen and gas—
The anointing molecules,
A cross of ash
And chrism of lips
I can press to my forehead, now, imagining it.
And—Isn’t that a kind of joy,
When you hold it
To your mind like that?
That sad, beautiful star
Falling through the universe, flashing
Before it dies—bright stroke
That once spit you, human,
From its convoluted core
And lit a torch to the future
Like lovers rapturing do, licking
The lap of death, flaming
Oblivion with burst light,
A final streak, a slash
Of seed against the black
Before they disappear completely?

Living in a diving bell
how much can any creature know?
I watched minnows drift past.2
In their aluminum armor
saw my fangs, my four sets of eyes.
It was like being visited
by a stranger, my reflection a ghost
who appeared occasionally,
a bit lost, expectant.