Bristol’s Independent Bookshop Week 2022

Now that Bristol once more has a flourishing indie bookseller scene, Independent Bookshop Week (IBW) is a very different prospect for the city.

The 2022 edition begins on June 18, and promises to be a celebration of the diversity of the contemporary literary scene, as well as an opportunity to bring local authors and presses to the fore.

Bristol24/7 spoke to four local indies to ask why it’s important to put their sector on the map; how they think Bristol booksellers are doing; their favourite books of the year so far; and what they have in store for IBW.

Storysmith – Dan Ross

Independent bookshops are as vital and enriching to the high street as the hardware shop or the greengrocer or the pub. Bookshops provide a safe space for everyone, a necessary indulgence and an essential method for discovery.

It’s really remarkable how much Bristol’s independent bookshop scene has flourished since 2018 – we opened within just a few weeks of Max Minerva’s in Henleaze, and for a long time it was just the two of us – now with the likes of Gloucester Road Books and Bookhaus opening as well it looks like the city is in very fine health.

Each shop has its own specialisms and we all seem geographically spaced-out enough for us all to co-exist harmoniously, which makes for a good literary ecosystem for everyone in the city.

Shop exterior – photo: Storysmith

2022 has already been such a brilliant year for readers, but here are the ones we’ve been talking about most enthusiastically in the shop:

• To Paradise, by Hanya Yanagihara – truly, truly epic and heartbreaking novel in three parts, including an all-out future pandemic nightmare;
• Chilean Poet, by Alejandro Zambra – a perfect balance of literary virtuosity and meaty storytelling;  brilliant and tender writing about family;
• Ruth & Pen, by Emilie Pine – a beautifully written intermingled tale of two women who don’t know each other but face surprisingly similar concerns;
• Paradais, by Fernanda Melchor – a rampant, dazzling and troubling novel about two corrupted youths who rebel against the gated community to which they’re both tied.

Shop interior – photo: Storysmith

At Storysmith for IBW we’re very excited to be partnering with one of our favourite childrens’ book publishers, Andersen Press.

They’re the home of Elmer, as well as many other favourites, but we’re especially looking forward to welcoming Robert Starling to the shop for a special children’s event on Saturday June 18. He’ll also be installing a beautiful new window display for his picture book The Bookshop Mice.

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For news, recommendations and information about all upcoming events at Storysmith, visit www.storysmithbooks.com.

Bookhaus – Darran McLaughlin

IBW should be celebrated because independent bookshops make up an indelible part of the essential heart and soul (and mind) of a city. City Lights in San Francisco, Foyles in London, Shakespeare and Co in Paris, Strand in New York, etc. – those bookshops are part of the identity of those cities. We want to do that for Bristol.

I attended the Booksellers Association Conference in September 2021 when there was representation from the highest number of new bookshops in the history of the conference. There has been a massive upswing in independent bookshops as people rediscovered their delights throughout the pandemic, and it’s gone on from there.

Shop exterior – photo: Bookhaus

Bristol’s independent book scene is now the healthiest it has been in years. Storysmith opened in 2018 and recently moved to a bigger site. Max Minerva’s opened in 2018. Gloucester Road Books opened in 2021, as did we. Bristol no longer needs to be embarrassed about a lack of indie bookshops.

Some of my favourite books of the year so far (and I’ll include books from late last year) include Experiments in Imagining Otherwise by Lola Olufemi (Hajar Press), The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (Little, Brown), The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow (Penguin) and An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie (Headline), which we launched a few weeks ago.

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For IBW, we have a packed schedule planned. We are going to be hosting a partnership with Charco Press, because the best way to celebrate the week that we could think of was by collaborating with an independent publisher. They specialise in writing in translation, primarily from Latin America, and we will be hosting two of their translators here for an event on June 18.

On June 20 we will be hosting an event with local hero Shon Faye to celebrate the paperback release of The Transgender Issue (Penguin). This will be off site as we expect the number of people attending to exceed our capacity.

On June 22 we will be hosting the launch of A Woman’s Game (Faber) by Suzanne Wrack, the Guardian’s women’s football correspondent. And finally on June 25 we will be hosting the launch for Sink the Pink (Quarto) by Glyn Fussell, which will also be a great way to celebrate the start of Bristol Pride.

Literary event – photo: Bookhaus

For poetry, fiction and non-fiction favourites and news about upcoming events at Bookhaus, visit www.bookhausbristol.com.

Max Minerva’s – Sam Taylor

Independent bookshops reflect everything that’s great about Bristol’s independent scene as a whole. They’re routed in their local communities, support new voices and talent, and add colour and personality to their high streets.

Visit any of Bristol independent bookshop and you’ll find a haven of like-minded, literature-loving people; shelves of titles and authors you’ve not heard of before; calendars of events; and owners who are passionate about their shop and the city as a whole. You don’t get that online or in WHSmith.

Bristol’s indie book scene is booming and you could easily spend a few days trawling through the literary treasure troves that now spread across the city. Every store has carved out a niche for themselves while reflecting Bristol’s independent spirit. Secondhand bookshops, discount bookshops, neighbourhood bookshops, city centre bookshops: all independent, all contributing to their communities.

Shop exterior – photo: Max Minerva’s

If rumours are true, the scene is set to grow further over the coming months and I’m hopeful that Hidden Corner (an art space and bookshop in St Paul’s supporting writers of colour and the LGBT+ community) will return over the next year. They’ve been much missed since being illegally evicted last summer.

In terms of my personal reading recommendations for this year, The Cold Millions by Jess Walter feels like an instant addition to the canon of The Great American Novel, to sit alongside the likes of The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath and Beloved.

Based on the true events of the Spokane free speech riot of 1909, The Cold Millions follows the Dolan brothers as they find themselves drawn from their lives of low-paid jobs and jumping freight trains, into the politics and protest of the suffragette Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Outrageous characters and rip-roaring adventures turn timely commentary on workers rights and inequality into classic storytelling.

Shop interior – photo: Max Minerva’s

And then I’d point to Grimwood by Nadia Shireen, which is anarchic, gloriously silly fun. A pair of fox cub siblings, Ten and Nancy flee the city and head for the peace of the countryside. But they end up in Grimwood, where instead of tranquility they find thieving eagles, riotous rabbits and a cast of characters that would be at home in any Monty Python sketch. I defy anyone, regardless of age, to avoid crying with laughter at this work of comic brilliance.

For IBW, we’ve got two great events lined up. On June 20, we’re hosting Emma Stonex and talking about her ghost story/love story/locked-room mystery/psychological thriller, The Lamplighters.

Then on June 21, we’re joined by food writer and founder of Bristol charity 91 Ways, Kalpna Woolf, and Miranda El Khazen of Shorrk to discuss the role of food in the community – how it binds us, educates us, provides opportunities, and helps to give a place its identity.

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Information on all forthcoming literary events, as well as new releases, pre-orders and reading subscriptions at Max Minerva’s can be found at www.maxminervas.co.uk.

Gloucester Road Books – Tom Robinson

IBW is a great excuse to celebrate the bookshops that bring such richness to our communities. Happily, Bristol is in a much better state of health when it comes to independent bookshops than it has been for some time.

We have been on Gloucester Road for just over a year now and have been wonderfully supported – proof (if proof was needed) that Bristol is still more than capable of sustaining a robust ecosystem of independents. Of course it is the differences between us that make independent bookshops such exciting places to explore.

Shop exterior – photo: Gloucester Road Books

The approaches to bookselling in the various indies across Bristol vary massively, which means different books to browse, different opinions, and different kinds of events to attend. We also make sure our selections change with high frequency, so walking in from one week to the next will likely yield new discoveries and recommendations.

Some of our favourites so far this year have been Seven Steeples by Sara Baume, published by Tramp Press; Aftermath by Preti Taneja, published by And Other Stories (we have a fantastic event in July with Preti and Mona Arshi, author of Somebody Loves You – which was one of our favourite books of last year), Pure Colour by Sheila Heti, published by Vintage; an/other pastoral by Tjawangwa Dema, published by No Bindings (a really fantastic Bristol-based small press); The Trees by Percival Everett, published by Influx Press; and Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.

Shop interior – photo: Gloucester Road Books

For IBW 2022 we are working with Little Toller, a wonderful small publisher of books about place and the natural world, based in Dorset. We’ll have a fantastic selection of their titles on display, and a selection of goodies to give away when you buy one of their books from us.

We also have an event in the shop on the Wednesday evening of that week (June 22 from 6.30-8pm) with one of their authors, Davina Quinlivan, who will be in conversation with Pippa Marland about Davina’s terrific new book about place and migration, Shalimar.

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All upcoming literary events from Gloucester Road Books will be listed @gloucesterroadbooks; tickets are available via www.eventbrite.co.uk.

Independent Bookshop Week 2022 runs from June 18-25, across independent bookshops nationwide. Visit your local independent bookshop to find out more.

Main photo: Gloucester Road Books

Read more: Gloucester Road Books hosts inaugural literary event

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