Creative Uses For Books Other Than Reading

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Back in the 90s, I worked at a Midwestern independent bookstore helmed by a fascinating and charismatic man.  Our store meetings and social occasions would give rise to his impassioned lectures of “the soul of the book”.  Even at that time, he knew, books and reading were under attack.  The now ubiquitous e-readers were expensive novelties, only owned by the rabid early adopters of technologies.

Now, it seems everyone and anyone has begun to forsake the musty physical charms of a real book for the convenience of the soulless machine that has any book you want, anytime you want it, right at your fingertips.  But what to do with all those pesky books you have littering your household?  Never fear, there are plenty of uses for books beyond reading! Read more

5 Facts About the Seattle 7 Writers

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The Bushwick Book Club is pretty pumped to be working with the Seattle7Writers for our  next show. Authors and collective members Timothy Egan, Nancy Horan and Garth Stein will be on hand as the Bushwick artists perform original music inspired by their work. I, being unfamiliar with the Seattle7Writers, went on a quick Internet fact-finding mission and thought I’d share those results with you here. Read more

The Poster For Our Seattle 7 Writers Event

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Here is the poster for upcoming event original music inspired The Seattle 7 Writers which is happening on January 15th at the Hugo House.  We are very excited to be teaming up with the Seattle 7 Writers for this one. Authors Garth Stein, Nancy Horan and Timothy Egan will be on hand to witness the Bushwick artists perform music inspired by their work.

Poster design by Mike Votava (that’s me!).

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New Literary Inspired Music From Anna Coogan

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I was an early member of The Bushwick Book Club Seattle, before I moved to Ithaca, NY in 2011. Before Bushwick, I hadn’t done much writing about books at all, and my first few shows were quite a challenge. Now, more than a decade into my career, I lean heavily on literature to bring new ideas and fresh­­­ness into my writing. (I used up my quota of whiskey-swilling country songs in about 2005.)

Ithaca, much like Seattle, is a literary town. The two major employers in the area are Cornell and Ithaca College, and during school sessions there are as many students as locals. There is also a lot of turn over – people constantly moving in-and-out and every spring free piles of books pop up like crocuses. There is also a huge book sale that takes place twice a year over the course of three weekends. By the last weekend, they are giving away books by the bagful — a quarter a bag. Between those two sources, I have several books that have become trusty inspiration when I sit down to write: an old volume of Scottish songs, some contemporary Irish poems, an ancient hymnal, and a book of Sylvia Plath poetry. I also found and toted home three volumes of Tolstoy, Niezche, and James Joyce, but those are currently serving as coasters. One can dream.

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