Writer's Center Scales Back Books

Sad time for books at the Writer’s Center of Bethesda, Maryland. They are scaling back their bookstore. No longer a place for small press books, the Center will carry books only by their teachers and current readers. They are keeping the magazines up for sale—at least that is what they say.

The Steiny Road Poet wearing her Word Works hat went to the Center to pick up the books they found (one heavy box, one light box) and to pick through the shelves and bins of books for those that were missed (another full and light set of boxes). After all the blood, sweat, tears over 35 years, The Word Works books were easy to spot, even if it was just the spine on view. Kudos to the Center for keeping these books in such good shape. The Poet only rejected one dog-eared book. The good news is she found many Word Works books that are currently out-of-print.

The Poet also snagged books by other presses that were written by some of our deceased authors such as Robert Sargent and Hilary Tham. And books published in the Mica Press chapbook series that Word Works had a hand in their judging process.

Then there were books from authors all over the United States, like M.L. Liebler (MI) and Ruth Moon Kempher (FL). So many beautiful books. End of an era.