Winter is coming, but it’s still sunny here. This is what I do know about the literary community. It is a generous and resilient being, even when faced with a complete reckoning of sorts. Authors, publicists, publishers, book sellers and readers all fall into this extraordinary cohort of people that will not be stopped.
Although opportunities to celebrate and discuss new works and ideas have changed verges, rest assured, these people remain steadfast in pragmatic action. The sharing of books and ideas has not missed a beat. It is continuing and gathering strength.
I know that the Readings events program will not be back in our shops for quite some time. It will be winter before we can all meet under the same roof, but that doesn’t mean we have stopped acknowledging the work of our wonderful community. Not even for a single heartbeat have we closed our eyes. Not for a single second have we considered being quiet. Rather, we have decided that now is the time to yell from our roof tops, now is the time to raise our glasses to writers that can create worlds where there was nothing before, to poets that can give voice to an emotion with which we were previously unfamiliar, and to journalists that take us to other people’s reality.
Right now is the time to shout as loud as possible with admiration. Now is the time to show all of these courageous creators that they are not alone.
We have various authors celebrating their book releases online and we have booksellers singing, writing, discussing and sharing there too. We have conversations we want you to hear, on the Readings podcast and elsewhere. We have so many books we want you to read. We have so many starting points for discussions that must be had. We may all be coming to terms with a new landscape, but really the important things have stayed the same. We at Readings are here. We will be here.
Stay safe. See you soon.
