Miss Prothero's Occasional Newsletter

Okay...It used to be a monthly newsletter. I will try to do better.

A Colorado Sampler

Take a sample of your arts from the literary basket!
On April 4th, Miss Prothero’s Books will host actors from Colorado Homegrown Tales. The actors will perform two short stories written by nationally-known Colorado writers.
Author Carrie Vaughn has gained acclaim for her lively “Kitty” series, a supernatural romp through the world of vampires, werewolves, and talk radio.
For their First Friday at Miss P’s, the actors of CHT will read a Vaughn short story in a different vein. The main character is the famous poet Emily Dickinson.
Author Linda Berry is best known for her Trudy Roundtree mystery series. The short story featured on April 4th is set in Ogeechee, Georgia. There is still a small mystery, but the local police force hasn’t been called in – yet.
Plan to be at Miss Prothero’s for your next First Friday (April 4).
Performances will be repeated on the half hour: at 6:30,7:30, &8:30 p.m..
Call 303-572-2260 for more information.
To find out about the actors and authors of Colorado Homegrown Tales, visit their website.

Inventory
Reduction Sale!

Mark your calendars! Miss P will be holding an in-store inventory reduction sale on April 12 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All photography, oversize, art, and rare volumes will be 50% off. All other hardbacks will be $2. All paperbacks will be a $1. Don’t forget to come in any day and check out our bargain baskets -- the buck bin, the 50 cent file, and the 25 cent tribe.

The Magical
Mystery Tour

Miss P’s Magical Mystery book tour is traveling the Southwest Borderlands. (Well, we’re traveling the borderlands in our armchairs.) If you missed the first stop (Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway), you can still add the book to your list. Book 2 is Charles Bowden’s Down by the River. It takes place in the border town of El Paso, Texas. Murder, family, and one of Mexico’s major industries -- the illegal drug trade -- are the subjects of Bowden’s book. If you’re interested in a copy, call the store to reserve your copy (303-572-2260).

The Book Club Beat

There is not enough interest or energy to keep the myth series reading group going. I had planned on treating the group to a DVD showing of select Bill Moyers’ Faith and Reason interviews. I’m still interested in hosting a group of anyone interested in watching and discussing the Moyers’ series of author interviews. If you’re interested, let me know what times and dates work for you and how many friends you can bring. I would need at least 4 committed participants to start it up and keep it going.
The next Whodunit Club meeting is March 30 at 4:30. The subject is Donna Leon’s Death in a Strange Country. Please read through chapter 24 and stop before chapter 25. Come to the meeting with your whodunit theories.
Want to see a book club or writing group of a different feather? How about a reader’s theater group? Maybe a stitch and bitch group? A creative card group? Call the store at 303-572-2260 if you have questions or need information.

Abandon Ship
Or Just Keep the Bilge Pump Going?

It’s been a tough go for the bookstore on Santa Fe Drive. Foot traffic is mostly phantom. Internet sales have gone flat. I’ve been looking for new work, new locations. It’s possible that I’ll move at the end of May. I may even go out of business. This is your chance. If you believe in the written word, the book, the independent local; then come talk to me, come trade with me, tell me how I can serve you better. Maybe you’d like to be a book seller. Would you consider trading shop sitting hours for shelf space? Maybe you’re a local writer or small publisher. How can we promote one another? I’d love to hear your ideas. I had hoped this could be a community place, not an individual prison. Let me know your opinions. What should I do? Close the door and abandon ship, or patch the bilge pump and keep it going?

The Magical Mystery Book Tour, Our Monthly Newsletter

The Magical Mystery Book Tour

Do you do your best traveling from the arm chair? Miss Prothero's Books would like to announce a new subscription book club. It’s called the Magical Mystery Book Tour. You pay for a ticket and hop on board our literary wagon. This year’s literary tour will take us through America’s Southwest Borderlands. For $100, we’ll deliver 5 new books to your armchair. Each book will connect you with a place in America you might never visit. The selection will be a mix of fiction and fact, poetry and prose, something new and something classic, paperback and hardback. Keep an open mind, pack well and be prepared for anything. The tour leaves on February 1. To reserve your place, call the tour guide at 303-572-2260.

A New Bookmark Story Series?

If you picked up a bookmark at Miss Prothero’s Books in 2007, you might have noticed that each was a segment of a small story. There were little girls, big sisters, evil uncles, mythical matrons, and fugitive characters. We’ll try a 2008 story. Cross your fingers, and maybe it won’t get too complicated. The star of the series will be a dog who wants to learn how to read. If you come up with a line for the story, you could win a free novel.

Our Christmas Village Experienced a Building Boom!

There is no mortgage crisis in the world of the imagination. If you visited Miss Prothero’s Books during the month of December, you may have noticed our Christmas village. It consisted of five buildings and was perched precariously under the book press. Yesterday, we noticed that two tiny buildings had been added. Maybe we need to watch our customers a little more closely. Or maybe we need to just accept the wonderful gift. To the anonymous elf responsible for the random act of kindness, thank you.

The Book Club Beat

The Myth Series reading group meets again on January 20th at 4 p.m. We’ll be discussing Alexander McCall Smith’s Dream Angus. Angus is the Celtic god of love. He’s also been known to send a dream or two your way. Call the store if you want to join the group or need to find a copy of the book.

The next book for the Whodunit Club is Donna Leon’s Death at La Fenice. No stopping place has been determined, but we’ll have a page or chapter number ready for you before the meeting on January 27.

The club will also have another author visit in February. Manuel Ramos, the creator of Denver Detective Luis Montez, will stump the group on February 24. Ramos has picked his first mystery, The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz, as the topic of discussion.

Call the store if you’d like to be added to the Whodunit E-mail list. If you’d like a copy of the next Whodunit books, let us know no later than January 11.

As always, if it’s your turn to host the neighborhood book club and you just can’t face clearing off the table or sweeping the floor, you’re welcome to meet at Miss P’s. We’ll stay open late for you. We may even wash the windows.

Merry Christmukkahanalia! The Monthly Newsletter

Merry
Christmukkahanalia?

Miss Prothero’s Books will greet the winter season with a very special reading on December 7 at 6:30 p.m. We’ll begin with Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Patron saints Sally Ortiz and Charles Nichols will lend their voices to the task. Who knows? Miss Prothero may put her book down long enough to join us. We’ll also have some old friends read new work. Nancy Jarrell will read her children’s story, The Light in the Cave. Bob Cooperman, Gianina Opris, and Dee Galloway will warm us up with meditations and poetry. J. Marie Judy has a story or two. And, of course, there will be cookies and good cheer.

Something Special
for that
Someone Special

Need a gift? Our rare and gently used books make a thoughtful surprise. Have an artist on your list? How about Art on the Line; The Victorians, British Painting from 1837 to 1901; Laure Meyer’s Black Africa, Mask, Sculpture, Jewelry; or Andre Breton’s What is Surrealism? Need to fill a literary stocking? We have a very nice copy of Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems, The Earthly Paradise by William Morris, and The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks. Maybe your holiday list has a clever child or pun-loving adult who would appreciate a complete set of Lemony Snicket? Know someone who owns a lovely, but out-of-control dog? We have Marley and Me, Smarter Than You Think, and The Puppy Owner’s Manual.

An Idea Past Its Time

Maybe buying local and used isn’t green enough for you. Maybe what you need is your own private library that isn’t really your own private library? Miss P will experiment with private library subscriptions in 2008. For $100, you’ll receive a year’s worth of search and borrow services. That means unlimited borrowing rights and 12 special orders or searches. For $120, you can add meeting and reading services. This means we’ll close the store for your group/gallery opening/private party/open mic night. Subscriptions will only be available in January 2008. To pre-order a subscription, call us at the store (303-572-2260).

Rainbow Rewards

Miss P. is now a Rainbow Rewards Merchant. If you’re a consumer member, use your credit card at our store and earn 2% cashback on your purchase. 1% of your purchase will be invested in after school programs. Not a member? Visit rainbowrewards.com.

The Book Club Beat

Both in-store book groups are taking December off, but will come roaring back in January. The Myth Series Reading Group will take on Alexander McCall Smith’s Dream Angus. Their next meeting is January 20th at 4 p.m. The Whodunit Club will read Donna Leon’s Death at La Fenice. No stopping place has been determined, but we’ll have a page or chapter number ready for you before the meeting on January 27.

Give Peace Poems a Chance, Our Monthly Newsletter

Give Peace Poems a Chance

Gianina Opris of Denver and Debbi Brody of Santa Fe will hold a writing-words-of-peace workshop at Miss Prothero’s Books on November 3, 2007. Participants will spend two hours consciously raising the collective unconscious through visual imagery, guided writing and word mining. They will leave with a minimum of one “peace piece” and will have the opportunity to share their work at an open reading later that day. There is a $5 suggested donation to cover the visiting writer’s costs. The workshop is from 2-4 p.m. The open mike begins at 5 p.m.

Gianina Opris is a native of Lima, Perú who lives in Denver. She holds a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Naropa University, home of the Disembodied School of Poetics, and she teaches fifth grade in the Denver Public Schools. Her work has been published in various journals, including Bombay Gin. Gianina has presented her poetics/multi-media productions in Colorado and Cuernavaca, México.

Debbi Brody is the author of Portraits in Poetry (Village Books Press, 2006), as well as a self published chapbook, FreeForm. She is widely published in regional and national poetry journals and anthologies. She leads workshops for ages 12 through 85 throughout the Southwest. Debbi and her husband own and operate Canyon Road Contemporary Art in Santa Fe.

Give us a call at the store (303-572-2260) if you need more information.

Last Chance to See

We’ll be holding a closing for our altered book show on November 2nd at 7 p.m. This is your last chance to see what happens when artists and “ordinary” people recycle and reuse a book. Don’t miss Alicia Bailey’s elegant “Spark of Life”, Mia Semingson’s exacting book of etiquette or Claudia Roulier’s altered tintype album. Follow Yolanda Chichester on her pilgrimage. Take a peak at Caitlin Parker’s nest. Watch the vision of Michaela Manalo and Amanda Barnes take root and bloom. Gwynnie Frey’s alteration will give you wings. Don’t forget to check out Rawson Monroe’s Dr. Seuss alteration. It was voted by our judges as Best of Show. You can also vote for your favorite. We’ll announce the People’s Choice Award on the 2nd. Need a little prodding? Check out these pictures.

Alicia Bailey

Mia Semingson

Rawson Monroe

Michaela Manalo


Claudia Roulier


We’re Building a Day of the Dead Altar!

Miss Prothero’s Books and book artist Deborah Horner are building a Day of the Dead altar out of mass market paperbacks. If you have a garage full of pulps, pocketbooks or mass markets that need a good home, please consider donating them to the project. We’re looking for paperbacks that are approximately 4 1/4” wide by 7” tall. We’d like to get as many as we can by October 20. If you want to bring some in after that date, we won’t bite you. (Okay, Nan might bite you...but her teeth are getting bad. It shouldn’t hurt much.) The altar will be unveiled on November 2nd at 7 p.m. You’re welcome to bring something that pays homage to your favorite dead writer, reader, printer or binder on the evening of the unveiling. Call us if you need more information. For Capitol Hill neighbors and First Unitarian members, Nan is happy to make pick-up arrangements.

The Book Club Beat

The next Whodunit Club meeting is October 28 at 4:30 p.m. The group has the privilege of hosting Dolores Johnson, author of Taking the Wrap. We have no more copies of the paperback edition, but there are copies left in the library.

What happens when Pete the Panhandler is found dead outside of Miss Prothero’s Books? What did he die of and who’s to blame? Could the murderer be Sister Ellen Akunin, the Russian nun? How about D. A. Dogleash, society matron and scorned wife? Or maybe Hank “Hillie” Snitzen, ex-manuscript librarian?

On November 18, the whodunit club will find out when it is treated to an original mystery dinner. The dinner begins at 4:30. All parts are currently spoken for, but there is room for kibitzers. Call the store if you’re interested.

It was a dark and stormy Sunday, but the myth series reading group met on October 14 anyway. Bless their hardy souls! The next meeting is November 11 at 4 p.m. We’ll talk about Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad. We’ll also discuss Gania Barlow’s short story “Clytemnestra” If you’re on the group list, we’ll make sure you get a copy of the story. If you’re not on the list, why not? Give us a call. We’ll take care of you.

Altered States in the Outer Limits, Our Monthly Newsletter

Altered States

Our altered book exhibit will open October 5. We’ve seen a few entries and hope there are a few more on the way. If you’re still busy altering, hurry up! The deadline is September 30 at 6 p.m. If you want to see some nicely recycled books...if you’ve always wanted to see what will happen when you fold, spindle and mutilate a book...the reception begins at 7 p.m. on the 5th.

And don’t miss out on a super First Friday in the art district. October 5 - 12 is Arts Week in Denver. That means the Santa Fe shops will be hopping during October’s art walk. In fact, the district will be busy all weekend long. There will be live music, a beer and wine garden and street performers. There will be Plein Aire painting in the alleys and the unveiling of the World’s largest vinyl print. For a list of city-wide events, visit the Denver Convention and Vistor's Bureau website.

One Book, One Denver

We applaud this year’s One Book, One Denver pick. Nick Arvin is a hometown hero, and his Articles of War is a wonderful read. If you’re following the Ken Burns documentary on World War II, this is the perfect companion. If you’ve been following the Iraq war, this book is a springboard to conversation. What are the stories of Iraq? Why don’t we hear them more often? Has technology changed what it means to be brave? What do we teach our young about war? Does it match the reality?

Miss Prothero is interested in hosting a One Book, One Denver discussion. Are you free October 20 at 2p.m.? Let us know.

We Want You!

Miss Prothero will have a live reading of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales on December 7 at 6 p.m. We’ll continue reading Christmas-Posada-Solstice-Hanukkah-Ramadan stories until we close at 9 p.m. that evening. Call us at 303-572-2260 if you’d like to be a celebrity reader or if you have a story to nominate.

The Book Club Beat

The next Whodunit Club meeting is September 30 at 4:30 p.m. Walter Mosley’s A Red Death is under the magnifying glass. Dolores Johnson, local whodunit writer, will be leading the group on October 28 at 4:30 p.m. The book she’s chosen is Taking the Wrap, her second to last Mandy Dyer mystery. Miss P had paperback copies, but they’re all gone! If you get your copy from the library or find your own, give the store a call and we’ll let you know the stopping place. On November 18, the club will be treated to an original mystery dinner. Loyal club members will get first crack at the starring roles, but we’ll make provisions for kibitzers. If you’re not a loyal member and want to kibitz, give us a call.

The myth series reading group will start again on October 14 at 4 p.m. The subject of the discussion will be Jeanette Winterson’s Weight. This is a story of Atlas and Hercules, of choice and coercion. If you’d like to join us and need more information give the store a call at 303-572-2260.

Is it your turn to host the neighborhood book club? Why not host the group here? We may even clean the windows for you!

Ready for Halloween?

Miss Prothero is always ready. If simple is your idea of costuming, how about dressing up in one of Miss P’s Ts? You can have your favorite beverage in an evil uncle stein. Check out our full line of discriminating reader apparel at Miss P's Ts.

AND! If come to the store on October 30 or 31 dressed as Miss Prothero, we’ll give you candy and a free book! Don’t know what Miss Prothero looked like? Our current copy A Child’s Christmas in Wales has some interesting Edward Ardizzone illustrations. We also have a Dylan Thomas biography. It’s got pictures of the man and of the people he knew and loved.

Call for Mass Market Paperbacks

We’re hoping to build an altar out of mass market paperbacks for Day of the Dead. Have any to donate to the project? A mass market is a typical airport book. It’s about 6 3/4 inches tall and 4 1/4 inches wide. Call us if you want to add a few of yours to our altar.

Did You Bookmark Those Bookmarks?

Have you ever noticed Miss Prothero’s bookmarks? Each is part of a single story. We have just concluded the 2007 story series. We’re wondering if we should do a new story for 2008 or just forget bookmarks altogether. Do you use bookmarks? Are bookmarks just another piece of paper? Do you just dog ear your pages and cat tail your spines? So who needs bookmarks anyway? If we don’t hear from you, we may discontinue the bookmarks altogether.

All the News That's Fit to Cut and Paste

Here's the monthly newsletter I was moaning about.
If you have any questions about any of the events, please call the store at 303-572-2260.

Our First Year?!

September is our anniversary month! We hadn’t really thought about it until we had to pay the business insurance. Now I look up at the header for this newsletter and see “Issue 12”. Hmmm. 12 months?! We’ve been in business a whole year?

We’re celebrating with a full calendar of events.

On September 7, we have the twin pleasure of hosting a book signing and art opening. Author J. Marie Judy will be on hand to autograph copies of Life on Torrez Road, a Northern New Mexico Family History. It is a labor of love that Judy’s sister, Joanne Dulmaine illustrated.

Joanne will grace our walls with some of those illustrations and with her acrylic art work. The reception begins at 6 p.m. Hope to see you there.

On September 9, we’ll host a book signing fiesta with Denver’s own Frank Amadeo White. White grew up in the San Luis Valley and may be best known for his Southern Colorado Milagro tours. Frank’s new book, La Garita, explores the valley he loves. The fiesta begins at 4 p.m. Frank is threatening to bring some bizcochos. Don’t miss it!

In prepartion for our October altered book show, we’ll host Nancy Missbach of Tangerine Book Arts on September 21. She’ll give an informal lecture on the art of folding, spindling, mangling, cutting, pasting, revising, and recreating a book. Her talk is free, open to the public and begins at 7 p.m.

On September 23rd, we’re honored to host a poet who has won a Colorado Book Award and a novelist who is about to win one. Robert Cooperman, the poet, won his award in 2000 for In the Colorado Gold Fever Mountains (Western Reflections, 1999). Bob is a busy man. He published two books in 2006 (The Long Black Veil, Higganum Hill, 2006 and A Killing Fever, Ghost Road Press, 2006). He has another book, A Tiny Ship Upon the Sea, forthcoming from March Street Press.

Teague Bohlen, the novelist, teaches fiction at the University of Colorado at Denver. His work has been seen in outlets nationwide, nominated for the Pushcart Editors Book Award, and won the Martindale Prize for Fiction. The Pull of the Earth, his first novel, has been on the local bestseller list and is a finalist for a Colorado Book Award.

Bob and Teague will begin reading at 4 p.m. Don’t be late!

One or Two Things We’ve Learned

After a year in business, we’ve learned one or two things. I’ve learned that I’m a pushover. I have bowed to the pressure of new books. If you want me to order a special title and you’re not in a hurry, I will order from Baker and Taylor whenever I can justify it. As soon as I have ten titles that are ten sure sales, I’ll place the order.

I’ve also learned that I can’t keep printing a monthly newsletter. It’s too expensive -- on me, the earth, and on the store’s budget. We’ll continue to email news, but paper updates will only be printed and mailed by chance. If you want to keep in touch, let us know your email address or pay us a visit now and then.

The Book Club Beat

The next Whodunit Club meeting is August 26 at 4:30 p.m. Ruth Rendell’s Sins of the Fathers is under the magnifying glass. Jean Abrams, this month’s club leader, has instructed all comers to stop reading at Chapter 16. Dolores Johnson, local whodunit writer, will be leading the group in October. The book she’s chosen is Taking the Wrap, her second to last Mandy Dyer mystery. Paperback copies should be available through Miss P’s in September.

How about one more try at the myth series reading group? If you’re interested in story and the part it plays in religion and culture, give Miss P a call at 303-572-2260. The Whodunit club meets on the last Sunday of the month. How about the 2nd to last Sunday?

Is it your turn to host the neighborhood book club? Why not host the group here?

Building an Altar to the Book

Miss Prothero’s Books and Tangerine Book Arts are sponsoring an altered book show. Here’s how it works. Come to Miss P’s, pick the perfect tome from the “alterable” shelf, then fold, spindle, cut, paste, revise and recreate. When you’re done, enter your books into Miss P’s Annual Altered Book Exhibition. Need a little push to get started? Nancy Missbach of Tangerine Book Arts will teach an altered book workshop on September 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. If you want more details, stop by the store to pick up a brochure. You can also call the bookstore at 303-572-2260 or Tangerine Book Arts at 303-623-1331.

Read Hard Die Free

Miss Prothero has opened a Cafe Press T-Shirt Shop. We’ve created two Ts, two book bags, two coffee cups, and one cap. Check it out at --

http://www.cafepress.com/MissPsTs

If we can put together an order of 10 items or more, Miss P’s will pay the shipping and do the ordering. Christmas is coming. Buy something for that someone who has almost everything.

Jesus Christ of Loveland

I've been sitting at the computer for the past hour. (It's time for the store's monthly newsletter...and I hate writing it.) I looked up once and saw that it was raining. I looked up a second time and saw that it was not.

A white-haired gentleman stood in the doorway by framed by the sun.

"Come out," he said. "We have a rainbow."

I came out. I wanted the distraction. I was not sorry. The rainbow was gorgeous.

"Come across the street," the white haired gentleman said.

I went across the street. I wanted the distraction. I was not sorry. The rainbow was huge. It was huge and gorgeous.

Then the white haired gentleman pulled out his bible and started talking a science only the mad could understand.

I was polite. He was polite. We shook hands.

"Are you Miss Prothero?" he asked.

"No," I answered. "I'm Nan."

"I'm Jesus," he said and he pulled out his driver's license to prove it.

Jesus Christ of Loveland, Colorado.

I'm not kidding.

He walked down Santa Fe.

I came back here to post this and close up shop.