These days, the number of bookshops across Australia is shrinking, but independent bookstore owners are refusing to buckle, and Lutruwita/Tasmania has some of the best in the country. Among these is Black Swan Bookshop, a small, peaceful haven of beautifully curated books presided over by the eloquent, generous and gracious artist, Alexander Okenyo, who renovated the space himself and handpicks each book himself.
In this episode, Alex, who didn’t read a book until he was 14, tells me why he doesn’t identify with retail, and why he doesn’t wish his bookshop was in Paris or New York. He also explains how bookshops can generate valuable communities all of their own and emphasizes the importance of offering browsing customers a decent coffee!
For this show’s Topical Chat, Kate and I think about the relationship between the art and the artist, and how to approach a beloved book when the author turns out to be a problem. And Megan of the fabulous Woman Booker Prize Club (who were featured in Episode 7) recommends a novel from Nipaluna/Hobart and one about Granada in Spain.
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