On Demand Education Sessions

Celebrate the representation of Black girls in middle grade and young adult science fiction and fantasy stories as well as the Black female authors who create these characters and works. Authors Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, and Tracy Deonn will be in conversation to discuss the fandom, world-building, stories, and characters that inspire and excite them as artists and readers.

Pre-registration required. Registration is closed. Join bestselling and award-winning authors Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds in conversation on the history of racist ideas in America and how to better navigate these complex realities. Reynolds and Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, March 2020) delivers a timely YA reimagining of Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped From the Beginning. Through his work, Kendi has explored how racist ideas were developed by some of the most brilliant minds in history to justify and rationalize the nation’s deeply entrenched discriminatory policies. But while racist ideas have always been easy to fabricate and distribute, they can also be discredited. Jason Reynolds’s remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning also offers the tools needed to combat these ideas. With Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Kendi and Reynolds have come together to deliver an energizing narrative that speaks to young people and shines a light on the many insidious forms of racism—and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

In the 1960s and 1970s, scores of Black bookstores opened in the U.S. Founded by activist entrepreneurs, these indie stores served as a refuge and intellectual center for communities in search of books by and about Black people. This Wi15 keynote event will be a wide-open conversation about the history and vital position of Black bookstores in our communities and in our industry with pioneers of Black bookselling and publishing, moderated by Professor Joshua Clark Davis, author of From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press). Speakers include: W. Paul Coates, Black Classic Press (Baltimore, MD); Shirikiana Aina Gerima, Sankofa Video Books and Cafe (Washington, D.C.); Judy Richardson, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (Atlanta, GA); Nati Kamau-Nataki, Everyone's Place (Baltimore, MD).

The panel brings together respected booksellers, Shirikiana Gerima, Ramunda Lark Young, and Hannah Oliver Depp, to examine the intersections of race, literature, and entrepreneurship. The panelists will explore the importance of their contributions to the bookselling eco-system, activism, and what is required to create diverse, equitable environments. Panelists: Glory Edim, Well-Read Black Girl, Founder (New York, NY), Shirikiana Gerima, Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe (Washington, D.C.), Ramunda Lark Young, MahoganyBooks (Washington, D.C.) , Hannah Oliver Depp, Loyalty Bookstore (Washington, D.C.)

One of the most anticipated and talked about books of the 2020, American Dirt, touches on issues of immigration on the southern US border, the politics of our current world and ultimately a mothers fierce love for her son. Javier Ramirez, co-owner of Madison Street Books (Chicago, IL) and Jeannie Cummings, author, will engage in a conversation about the work and the impact it has already had in the industry and indie bookselling community. Panelists: Jeanine Cummins, author, Flatiron Books, Javier Ramirez, Madison Street Books (Chicago, IL),

An independent bookstore's backlist exemplifies the independence of the store as an institution, as well as the creators of the book space, and its customers. It is through this curation, experiences and learning opportunities are created that reflect a bookstore's community and propels the business and its community forward. This session will provide insight into how to serve a community by going beyond the classics and the methods and challenges faced in curating a backlist representative of the bookstore's culture. Panelists: Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Booksellers and Publishers (San Francisco, CA) , Derrick Young, MahoganyBooks (Washington, DC) , Rio Cortez, Schomburg Shop (Harlem, NY), Clarissa Hadge, Trident Booksellers (Boston, MA), Alena Jones, Seminary Co-op Bookstore (Chicago, IL)

In this session, a panel of diverse publishers will share their experiences in publishing, including how the industry is changing, where it still needs to grow, and efforts bookstores can take to raise awareness, lift voices, and support authors of color.

This year, the American Booksellers Association is partnering with Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim to bring book club meetings to independent bookstores nationwide with the goal of amplifying diverse voices and supporting emerging writers of color. Booksellers are invited to sign on to serve as ambassadors and host Well-Read Black Girl book clubs in their stores throughout the year. Learn more about the partnership.

Representation matters. #OwnVoices matters. As bearers of knowledge and information for children, it is imperative that a bookstore’s inventory reflects the experiences of all kinds of people to cultivate cultural awareness and engender empathy in youth. One step toward a more inclusive collection of books is to conduct a diversity audit on your store’s inventory. This session will teach attendees how to:

• Assess their inventory
• Conduct an audit
• Identify where attention needs to be focused
• Use an audit to inform the ordering process

Bookstores are important fixtures in every community. They serve as places to gather, to find and research new ideas, to explore new worlds, and to find refuge. But bookstores can also be intimidating for people who are underrepresented by the makeup of a store's staff That’s why it is important for a store to not only reflect its immediate community but also the larger community. In this session, HR leaders will share with attendees:

• The importance of hiring a diverse staff
• The impact a diverse staff has within the store and on the greater community
• How to find great bookstore employee candidates outside your store’s community

Recently, children's literature has been the subject of debate as readers respond to content related to race, class, culture, individuality, and identity. Authors are self-selecting to delay publication of their books, publishers are canceling titles, and review outlets are retracting starred statuses. There is immense pressure from all sides of the industry to do the right thing, but what is the right thing? This session is designed to be a discussion led by bookselling peers that will begin with a contextual overview of the issues surfacing in kids' books. Attendees will discuss the implications of these issues and how booksellers can productively talk about race, class, culture, individuality, and identity without alienating customers, authors, and each other.

Divisive political commentary and ongoing reports of cultural and social misconduct continue to be highlighted in both national and local media. Because bookstores are both unique meeting places and businesses, many booksellers are struggling with how to navigate the resulting personal and professional pressures. What are the questions that owner/managers and staff should be asking that can lead to fruitful discussions and solutions? If you have found yourself thinking about this and discussing it with colleagues, please join the conversation. Facilitated by a professional moderator, this is an opportunity for booksellers to participate in this important discussion.

As part of the pilot program of the Open Discussion project, five independent bookstores will be launching reading groups in the fall of 2018 with the goal of bringing liberals and conservatives together to discuss the issues that divide them. The Open Discussion Project is sponsored by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in partnership with ABA. NCAC and ABA are inviting booksellers to join the Open Discussion Project when it goes national next year. A panel of booksellers who are participating in the pilot will discuss their experience.

What if everyone read James Baldwin? He’s one of our most acclaimed 20th century thinkers, his writing exploring countless facets of American society and diving into subjects like sexuality, politics, marriage, police brutality, the Church, race, and love. He observed and critiqued humanity in a way that still resonates with so many of us in 2018 because his words and voice are timeless. Baldwin's groundbreaking work has inspired generations of fervent readers and fans, but what if we could widen that audience? Spread Baldwin's texts even further? Sell his work better, recommend him more frequently alongside other literary giants? We believe we can. Join the National Book Foundation for its new Author in Focus program featuring the work of James Baldwin, a four-time National Book Award nominee. The Foundation will be joined by two dynamic authors at Winter Institute as they help to answer the question of why James Baldwin's work has, does, and will always matter. This event was made possible by the Ford Foundation and Velvet Film.

Join your colleagues for a discussion on creating events and opportunities to highlight women's voices in the store and larger retail community. Hear from booksellers who are fostering women entrepreneurs, cross-promoting with women-owned businesses, creating dynamic in-store programming, and more. ABA members know that a diverse business district promotes a thriving local economy, and they are finding ways to ensure their stores, their communities, and their business districts are as dynamic and profitable as possible.

Never has there been a greater need for diverse and international voices in the American market. In this session, panelists will discuss practices they have brought back to their stores from their experiences with Bookselling Without Borders, a fellowship program that sends U.S. booksellers to foreign book fairs as part of a book industry professional exchange program. Among other things, the Bookselling Without Borders program seeks to help booksellers develop concrete ideas for increasing sales of diverse and international literature in the indie market.

A Refugee Book Drive will be held during Wi14, beginning on Tuesday at the Welcome Desk, then moving to the Galley Room for the remainder of the Institute. Spanish-language books are being collected to benefit parents and children from Central America and Mexico. Organized by Denise Chávez (Casa Camino Real Bookstore, Las Cruces, NM) and administered by Border Servants Corps. Genres and subject suggestions are posted here on BookWeb.org. Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their homes or their country, either because of war, economic or societal problems, their political or religious beliefs, or natural disaster.

While digital accessibility should be at the forefront of every IndieCommerce site, ADA guidelines can be difficult to understand, decipher, and put into practice in a real and meaningful way. In the webinar booksellers will discover how to implement the guiding principles of digital accessibility by learning how to decode the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (the federal standard for digital accessibility) as well as how they can put some of those guidelines into practice on their IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites.

ABA’s webinar on ensuring ADA website compliance was run by Art Frick, who has been designing and developing websites and multimedia collateral for a variety of companies, organizations, and institutions since 2004.

Making hiring decisions for a diverse sales force often requires a new and different approach to hiring — including looking outside your normal sources for candidates and fostering relationships both in the store and in the larger community. Mecca E. Santana will be joining Marc Villa (Politics and Prose Bookstore) in a discussion on how to make your store more diverse and inclusive. Mecca is the Vice President of Diversity & Community Relations for Westchester Medical Center Health Network in White Plains, NY. Prior to this position, Ms. Santana served as the Chief Diversity Officer for the State of New York, and was responsible for the promotion of workforce diversity and inclusion, while also leading new initiatives to increase Minority & Women Owned Business (MWBE) procurement opportunities.