Independent Bookstore Day

We can’t wait to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with you again, Houston!

Independent bookstores aren’t just shops; they’re places for community, thought, and conversation. We’re thrilled to be a part of the indie bookshop scene in the US and Texas! What better way to say thank-you than a day-long party? Join us on April 27 for literary activities and refreshments.

Storytime with the Bellaire Nature Center

10:30am

Last March the Bellaire Nature Center brought their bunnies to Story Time. Now, they’ll be bringing some slithery friends for a morning of sssssnacks, sssssstories, and  sssssuper good time!

Inprint Poetry Buskers

12pm-2pm

Join us for a collaborative afternoon of poetry-writing with some of Houston's finest! Thanks to our longest-running community partner, Inprint, these poets will have typewriters set up and ready for poetry-on-demand. 

Summer Art Happy Hour with Sarah Welch

3pm-5pm

We'll be celebrating the artistic prowess of this summer's featured artist, illustrator Sarah Welch! Gaze upon our lovely painted windows, seasonal bookmarks, and postcards with summer programming. Chat with Sarah. Themed drinks will be available.

Indie Press Spotlight: New Directions with Barbara Epler and Philip Boehm

7pm-8pm

We are thrilled and honored to host Barbara Epler, president and publisher of New Directions Publishing. She will be joined by translator Philip Boehm for a conversation about New Directions, translation, and his two newest books for NDP: MALINA and THE FOX AND DR SHIMAMURA.

Barbara Epler joined New Directions as an editorial assistant after graduating from college in 1984. She became editor in chief in 1995; named Publisher in 2008, and in 2011 became president.

Philip Boehm has translated more than thirty novels and plays by German and Polish writers, including Herta Müller, Christoph Hein, Bertolt Brecht, and Stefan Chwin, among others. For these translations he has received numerous awards, including fellowships from the NEA and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He also works as a playwright and theater director, and is the founding Artistic Director of Upstream Theater in St. Louis.