SIBA’s Wanda Jewell to Relocate; Linda-Marie Barrett Named Assistant ED

Wanda Jewell, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) since 1990, has announced her plans to relocate to San Francisco; as part of the transition, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café’s longtime general manager, Linda-Marie Barrett, has joined SIBA as the organization’s new assistant executive director.

Wanda Jewell

While retaining her position, Jewell will relocate to California in 2018 to be near family and to spend more time with her granddaughter and future grandchildren. However, she will keep East Coast hours so as to be available to SIBA members: “As my signature says, call any time for any reason!”

Of her relocation, Jewell said, “I believe this will be good for SIBA. I’ll have access to a whole new culture of bookselling. I’ll research new products, concepts, and ideas at work and bring them to SIBA booksellers. I’m investigating the possibility of sharing resources with NCIBA, as well as contacting new vendors.”

Linda-Marie Barrett

Barrett, the longtime general manager and former co-owner of Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café in Asheville, North Carolina, left the bookstore and officially joined SIBA on June 5, after resigning from her position on the SIBA Board at the organization’s last board meeting, on May 30. Her initial focus in her new position will be as a Rep on the Road Liaison to SIBA booksellers, through which she will expand on outreach she had already begun as a SIBA Board member. She will also accelerate participation in SIBA’s Frindies (Author Friends) program, and, beginning in early 2018, serve as the East Coast SIBA representative.

“Malaprop’s has been my heart for almost 29 years, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to work with Wanda Jewell, someone I admire tremendously,” said Barrett. “Traveling the territory, meeting indie booksellers, and exploring what’s working and what needs attention is a perfect match for my passion to build connections, find solutions, and offer practical assistance. I’m so looking forward to getting started!”

As always, Jewell can be reached at [email protected]. Barrett’s new SIBA e-mail address is [email protected].