Emerging Leaders Scholarship Winners Announced

Mark Bradshaw of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas, and Angela K. Sherrill of 57th Street Books, a branch of the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago, have been named the winners of the American Booksellers Association's Emerging Leaders Scholarships. The scholarships cover the cost of registration at this year's BookExpo America in New York City and up to a five-night hotel stay at Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.

"ABA is delighted to once again support the Emerging Leaders project," said Len Vlahos, ABA's director of education and BookSense.com. "Finding ways to educate, encourage, and energize the next generation of booksellers benefits the association and all of its members."

Bradshaw, who has been on the staff of Watermark Books for the past five years, told BTW that he "very much appreciated being nominated" for the scholarship by store owner Sarah Bagby. Having attended a recent ABA Booksellers Forum and the Midwest Booksellers Association's fall trade show, Bradshaw is looking forward to attending an event on the scale of BookExpo America.

Bagby described Bradshaw as "savvy about technology" and a "committed reader, bookseller, and critic" who remained committed to the bookstore even during a stint abroad in London, while he worked on his Master of Art in Comparative Literature. During that time, Bradshaw performed web updates and wrote reviews for Watermark's site, www.watermarkbooks.com.

While at BEA, Bradshaw plans on attending ABA education sessions, meeting with reps, and roaming the floor. He's also looking forward to staying at Hotel ABA and taking part in Brooklynmania!, the series of special events based at the hotel. "I'm interested in the literary history of Brooklyn, and the literary walking tours sound great," he added. (See related story.)

57th Street Books' Sherrill, who has also been a bookseller for five years, was nominated by manager Scott McWilliams for her "education, enthusiasm, creativity, and self-motivation." Excited about attending one of the largest book industry events in the world, she told BTW, "We don't get to go to BEA often, especially when it's outside of the city. This opportunity is kind of rare."

Sherrill's plans include attending educational seminars that meet the needs of 57th Street Books, making plenty of time to network with fellow booksellers, and, of course, covering the trade show floor to check out fall titles.

After finishing her Master of Arts in Museum Studies, Sherill began working at the bookstore as a "meantime job," but now, five year later, she has visions of combining the two. "I do really enjoy bookselling and see it has a lot to offer as a potential career. I also see lots of possibilities for the two [careers] to come together.... You can tie books into museum exhibits; right now we have a Human Body window that's paired with the Museum of Science and Industry's exhibit Body Worlds 2." --Karen Schechner