It's a new year! And I'm glad to say that we're still here. So pleased to be bringing Introverts back for another year. If you've never been before but your resolution for 2025 is to read more and/or participate more in your local community, welcome. If we haven't seen you in a while, welcome. If you come every month without fail, welcome. As always, it's a pleasure to have you, even if you don't say a word (though most of us are actually quite chatty).

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
If you're looking for the perfect book to gift a loved one this holiday season, might I suggest making a purchase from Vanishing Ink Books and Ideas at a local holiday popup? Perhaps on December 14 at The Good Witch? Vanishing Ink is run by Allyson McCabe, a local resident with a fantastic vision for a brick and mortar bookstore here in Hastings. I had the pleasure of sitting down with her last week to talk a bit about her ideas. While the zine features some quotes from our interview, she had so many great things to say that I've decided to include it in full at the end of this blog post after the zine. Enjoy! And reach out if you know an available storefront!

Me: So, to start, can you tell me about Vanishing Ink Books and Ideas, what it is now, and what you hope it will become?

Allyson: I think that it would be really fantastic if Hastings had an independent bookstore, and I've thought that ever since Galapagos closed. And the decision to try to get one up and running came out of being an author of my own book. And my book is "Why Sinead O'Connor Matters" and just won the 2024 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award, which is like a big music award. But before that I had gone on a national book tour and I met with readers in libraries and bookstores and festivals across the country. And what I discovered was they weren't just there to see me, certainly.

They weren't just there even to talk about Sinead O'Connor, but they were there to talk about all of the issues that she tried to raise in her music and her public statements about social justice. And that's when I realized that a bookstore could be a place to buy books, but it could also be a community space. It could be a community center. Sometimes people call this a third space, a place where we could have a free exchange of ideas. And we don't all have to agree, but it's a space where we can all come together and at least have those difficult but necessary conversations.

So, my idea of a bookstore would be that there are books, but there are also opportunities for these conversations. And then the third element of it is offering workshops in our community where we can teach and learn from each other. Maybe it's about how to start a podcast or how to jumpstart your memoir, or maybe it's a kid's newspaper. There's all different possibilities, but the idea is that we're not just passive consumers of things we read, but we also become empowered storytellers.

Allee: Where are your plans to make this physical storefront now?

Allyson: I am looking for a space. There are not many spaces I discovered in Hastings that are available. If anybody knows of a space, please let me know because those that are available tend not to be advertised. It's a lot of word of mouth.

So I am still looking for a space, but in the meantime we've been popping up all around and we will continue to do that until we get a spot.

Allee: How can people help you realize your goal of bringing Vanishing Ink into physical space?

Allyson: I think just keeping the idea of a bookstore present. We can get books on Amazon, but it's not the same experience as what I'm hoping to offer with a bookstore that's community-based and community-centered. When I first started this, I thought that the hard part would be learning how to be a business. So I took an intensive entrepreneurial training course and then began raising the money. It's always good to have support, but I'm prepared to open the bookstore from the financial point of view.

But really the hardest part has been getting the space. And so that's really what I am focused on now. It's hard to do a pop-up because we can only carry a small number of books. I want to have the full availability of how I see a bookstore and also the opportunity to offer people who want books that aren't there special orders. We can get them almost as quickly as Amazon.

Allee: Excellent. Alright, what books are on your own personal to-be-read list?

Allyson: Okay, well this is front of mind right now because I'm putting in orders for pop-ups. Our next pop-up is going to be December 14th at the Holiday Market at the Good Witch. There are a number of books that have just come out that I'm super excited about. I started "All Fours" by Miranda July and "Creation Lake" by Rachel Kushner. And also, of course, "Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney. Those are big. But I'm also really excited about some kids books. So even though I'm not a kid, I'm very, very excited by a couple of kids books that have come out.

And one of them that I'm super excited about is the new book about Edward Gorey, "As Edward Imagined." There's also a book called "The Book That Can Read Your Mind." That's super fun. So those are on the kids section a couple that I can recommend for sure.

Also, "Crafting a Better World" by Diana Weymar. We had her at the last pop-up and her book is phenomenal. It's really good for people who are looking for a way to be engaged politically through craftivism.

For the first time, there was no zine distributed at TIBC :( due to the fact I've been sick for almost all of the month and did not have it in me to make them. However! I mustered up some creative energy to create reversible beaded bookmarks for this month's meeting. Enjoy -- and don't forget to vote!

Can you feel it? It's time to go apple picking, drink a seasonal latte, and curl up on the coach with a warm blanket. Whether you're a good witch or a bad witch, we can all appreciate the tingly feeling that creeps up the spine when you read a scary story this time of year. In that vein, I'll be reading a supernatural thriller this evening. If you need a last-minute suggestion for something spooky to read, check my recommendations below. Hope to see you tonight!

"Let me say, from the bottom of my heart, my bad." I have been truly terrible at updating this blog. But! I'm proud to say that the Introverts Book Club is still going strong. Though we took a brief summer hiatus, we are so back!
Whether you're returning or brand new to the chillest book club you've ever been a part of, it's wonderful to have you. Hope to see ya on October 4.
And, hot tip, you should go ahead and follow @thegoodwitchcoffeebar on Instagram for a sneak preview of our monthly zine. Speaking of, here are the most recent ones I've shared with the group:

I'm so looking forward to book swapping on Friday! It feels like an excellent way to do a little bit of spring cleaning: to clear out a book or two gathering dust on your shelf in exchange for something bright and new.

Unsurprisingly, this month's zine is focused on spring! Personally, I'm ready to say "goodbye" to my winter blues and "hello" to finally being able to drink iced Good Witch beverages iced at TIBC meetings.

See you on Friday!

Another great event! One thing that made me so happy was to see that people were bringing friends to join our Extremely Chill book club. Another thing that made me ecstatic was to see people were actually marking off books on their Bingo boards!
Our loosely Valentine's themed meeting at our February session was a success, and I'm already excited for March. One thing to remember if you plan on coming is to bring a book you're willing to part with for our community book swap!

Another thing to share featured in our monthly zine (see below) is a Spotify playlist I created that features only songs with references to books or authors. You can stream it here. Enjoy!

I'm so pleased to report that Friday's Book Club was a great success, with a total of 11 participants.

Readers made recommendations to one another, shared reading goals for the year, and discussed future events we can take part in together (book swap, anyone?). The group pored over Sally Rooney, poetry, middle grade fiction, "Infinite Jest," and dystopian sci-fi, among others.

To view the zine in booklet form, print out, cut along the edges, and follow the steps listed here.

Hope to see you next month!

I'm so excited to be starting this journey. When Megan Roe at the Good Witch reached out to see if I'd be interested in hosting a monthly event at the shop, I jumped at the opportunity. Together, we came up with something that I hope you'll enjoy. Personally, I'm very excited by the opportunity this provides to make good on two of my commitments this year: reading more books and meeting more people!
Here you'll find the "Book Bingo" challenge for 2024: a good starting point if you want to read more but have a hard time finding books outside of your comfort zone. You got this!