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Independent Bookstore Day marks fifth year
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A celebration of independent bookstores is marking its fifth year.
Independent Bookstore Day (or Indie Bookstore Day) began life in 2014 as California Bookstore Day before expanding into a more nationally-oriented event the following year.
IBD lands on the last Saturday in April – April 27 this year. It’s a time when many bookstores will feature special items, author signings and other events as they participate in the festivities and embrace the joys of the indie bookseller. You can find out more at www.indiebookstoreday.com.
If Independent Bookstore Day seems reminiscent of last weekend’s Record Store Day, there’s a very good reason for that. The initial California celebration was actually inspired by the ongoing success displayed by Record Store Day.
In honor of Independent Bookstore Day – and independent bookstores everywhere – we thought it appropriate to chat with some of the folks at Downtown Bangor’s beloved bookstore The Briar Patch about what draws someone to the book business, what a bookstore can mean to a community and even a reading recommendation or two.
Briar Patch owner Gibran Graham and bookseller Abby Rice were kind enough to answer a few questions ahead of the celebration – The Briar Patch will have a number of IBD-exclusive items on hand from 10 a.m. on – and share with us some of their thoughts.
(Please note: The Briar Patch is only one of the many quality independent bookstores that are scattered all over our state, each of which possessed of its own unique character and a similar devotion to the business of the printed page.)
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A decade of ‘Yes, and…’: Improv troupe The Focus Group marks 10 years
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BREWER – One of the region’s entertainment mainstays is turning 10.
Improv comedy troupe The Focus Group is marking its 10-year anniversary with a celebratory performance. “Our Big Dumb Decade” will take place on April 19 at the Next Generation Theatre in Brewer – the longtime home of the group. The show starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $5.
The show will feature members of the group both past and present, as well as a number of special guests who have shared the stage with the Focus Group at various times over the past decade.
(Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, the writer of this story – and this note – is a founding member of The Focus Group. He is also not even a little bit sorry to be taking advantage of his position to promote this auspicious anniversary.)
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Mainers making musical magic
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Chalk it up to Maine’s long winters, or the fact that much of our state is rural in nature, but there seems to be an unusually high percentage of extraordinarily talented musicians in our state.
You’ll find them literally everywhere - from Stockholm to South Portland – populating each town, city and village in between. Some are doctors, bankers and lawyers; some work on the farm, teach in our schools or work at the supermarket; some rely solely on music to pay all of the bills.
They each possess a distinct set of skills usually honed from a young age that were sometimes (but not always) inspired by a family member, a friend or simply a passion to learn.
I reached out to six acclaimed Maine-based musicians all over the state to discover who they are, what they do, why they do it, and how it makes them feel. I asked them all the same questions (more or less) but got a wide array of responses.
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