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This year's ABA Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon was a festive affair bringing together hundreds of indie booksellers and more than 40 authors whose works they nominated to the Indie Next Lists.

Maxwell J. Lillienstein, a prominent constitutional law attorney, partner in a New York City law firm, and former general counsel to the American Booksellers Association, died on May 13.

This year's Indies Choice Book Award winners explain how independent bookstores have helped shape their careers while providing some memorable experiences along the way.

The results of balloting by ABA bookstore members to elect three board directors and to ratify the board's selection for president and vice president are now official. Elected to serve three-year terms as directors beginning June 2010 are Sarah Bagby of Watermark Books in Wichita, Kansas; Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas; and Tom Campbell of The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, North Carolina.

Jean Hesket Barnes-Wood, founder of the former Jean Barnes Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and co-founder of Wood 'N' Barnes Publishing & Distribution, passed away on Sunday, April 25.

In 1961, Jean Barnes started the bookstore to fill the needs she and her fellow parishioners at Disciples of Christ Church in Oklahoma had for books addressing psychology and "humanist" topics.

 The American Booksellers Association's Day of Education, sponsored by Ingram, will feature an impressive lineup of booksellers and publishing executives at the forefront of the industry, as well as representatives of small business advocacy groups, ABA staff, and others, including Google's Tom Turvey and Verso Digital's Jack McKeown.

Due to BookExpo America's move to a shortened, mid-week schedule, the Day of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 25, at New York's Javits Convention Center.

Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, is up for approval by membership for a second one-year term as ABA vice president/secretary. This year's board ballots must be submitted electronically by midnight on April 26.

Bruce Feiler not only credits independent booksellers with helping him achieve a career as a writer -- "I am the kind of author who is still writing today, 20 years after I wrote my first book, because of independent bookstores," he said -- but also sees clear parallels between bookstore communities and the type of community he describes in his new book, The Council of Dads