BTW News Briefs

WNBA Announces Children's Bookseller Award Nominees

The Women's National Book Association recently announced the nominees for this year's Lucile Micheels Pannell Awards, which recognize retail bookstores that excel at creatively bringing books and children together and inspiring children's interest in books and reading.

This year's awards to two bookstores -- one general and one children's bookstore -- will be presented at BookExpo America in Washington, D.C. Each recipient will receive a check for $1,000 and a framed piece of original art by a children's book illustrator.

This year eight stores were nominated in the children's bookstore category and 14 stores were nominated in the general bookstore category:

Children's Specialty Stores
A Likely Story Children's Bookstore, Alexandria, Virginia
Aladdin's Lamp Children's Bookstore, Arlington, Virginia
All for Kids Books & Music, Seattle, Washington
Barston's Child's Play, Washington, D.C.
Books of Wonder, New York, New York
Brystone Children's Books, Fort Worth, Texas
Wonderland Books and Toys, Rockford, Illinois
Storyopolis Bookstore, Studio City, California

General Stores
A Book for All Seasons, Leavenworth, Washington
Books and Books, Coral Gables, Florida
Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, Arizona
Iowa State University Book Store, Ames, Iowa
Just Books, Too, Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Nomad Bookhouse, Jackson, Michigan
Northshire Books, Manchester Center, Vermont
Precious Memories Bookstore LLC, Richmond, Virginia
The River's End Bookstore, Oswego, New York
Shakespeare Beethoven, Dallas, Texas
Table of Contents LLC, Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Tuesday Books, Williamston, Michigan
University Book and Supply, Cedar Falls, Iowa
The University of Arizona Bookstore, Tucson, Arizona

Bookseller Elected Village Trustee

On March 21, bookseller and political activist Margaret McLaughlin was elected a trustee of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. McLaughlin is a bookseller at the village's Good Yarns Book Shop. She joined the store shortly after Rivertown Books, Inc., owned by Chris Kerr and Sean Concannon, purchased the store last summer. She takes the oath of office April 4. This is McLaughlin's first elected office. Hastings-on-Hudson is a Westchester County community of almost 8,000 people about 20 miles north of New York City.

Citizens Plan Rally in Support of Book Passage

On Saturday, March 25, the Citizens for Local Control (CLC, formerly The Concerned Citizens About Strengthening Independent Bookstores) in Corte Madera, California, is holding a rally to protest the impending move of the 10-year-old Greenbrae Barnes & Noble to the Corte Madera Town Center, a block away from Book Passage. In a press release, CLC declared, "We oppose a chain bookstore at that location because it is too close and too threatening to our local independent bookstore, Book Passage. We don't want a big box retailer at Town Center because it will be detrimental to the small-town atmosphere of Corte Madera."

The group is asking the "Corte Madera Town Council to adopt an ordinance requiring a public hearing and a review process before a retail business covering 20,000 square feet or more is allowed to open in this town." The group also stressed, "Although the town council declined to act at this time, we will keep pushing for the local ordinance."

Scholastic Names Alan Smagler Vice President, Trade Sales

Scholastic has announced the appointment of Alan Smagler as vice president, trade sales, effective April 10. Smagler, who will report to Ellie Berger, senior vice president, Scholastic Trade Publishing, will be responsible for leading all sales efforts and managing the trade sales force for the Trade Publishing Division.

Smagler will be leaving Houghton Mifflin, where he has served as vice president, publisher of the children's book group.