Yes, It is True

As some of you already know, and as many of you may have heard, Tammy and I have decided to close Jackson Street Books at the end of the month (though we will be available some dates in June as we pack up). We have sold our home in Seattle, and are purchasing one in Hoquiam, which is on the Washington coast, and just off Hwy. 101.

There are a number of reasons why we made this decision. The most obvious one is that we just haven’t had the sales we need to sustain ourselves and make a living. In fact, we probably should have closed earlier than this, but we kept thinking we would turn the corner and start making a little bit of money. Alas, it never happened. We think we have great customers, and if you are seeing this, you have, in some way, either through your purchases or other support, kept us going these past four years and we are very grateful. There just aren’t enough of you, though.

It is fashionable for independent bookstores to blame business failures on Chain stores and Amazon, or other on-line competition. We won’t do that. Chain stores and on-line affect all of us, some more than others, perhaps, and level the playing field. Those institutions have their place, and are part of a changing world of commerce. But we would ask all of you to continue to support your local independent bookstore… and other independent retail businesses. They really serve us well, and many fine people make their living at them.

Tammy and I, although we regret not making Jackson Street Books work here, are excited by our impending move. We have found a house that will more than adequately store our books, and we will continue to sell books on-line through www.abebooks.com and www.biblio.com. We will also probably set up an alternate website that can accept payments, but that will wait until after we move. Currently we blog at jacksonstreetbooks.blogspot.com if you care to check in on our adventures. We will also now find the time to do the things we enjoyed doing before we started this venture, like gardening, and baking.

And, of course, any excuse for a party! We will have a going away party at the end of the month to which you are all invited. We will send the details in our next (and, sniff, last) newsletter.

Community Service

We've met some truly wonderful people over at Second Life, and a couple of them are Hypatia and Zathras Afarensis. Hypatia asked us to be involved in her book drive and of course, we quickly agreed. Here's what she is doing:

The University of South Dakota student chapter of the Northern Plains Association for Educational Communications and Technology is sponsoring a book drive for the Loneman School District in Oglala, SD on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The students are exploring Internet-based communications such as blogs, Facebook and Second Life for Community Service Programs.

Loneman serves about 335 children from pre-K through 8th grades. The school is working hard to increase language arts scores in all grade levels. Our goal is to fill the libraries and send at least one book home with each child for the summer break. New and used book donations are welcome. Oglala is in Shannon County and is part of the Lakota Nation. All students are Native American. The district has Median Household Income $17,368 with an average of 4.8 persons per household. The Prior HHS Poverty Guidelines and Federal Register References lists the poverty threshold for a family of four at US $20,444.

We'll be sending packages off to the project, and would be happy to send a book for you. Contact us to order a specific title. New books that we have in stock will be discounted 30% prior to our move.

We've even gotten some ink over at Kos! How cool is that? Let's rock this book drive!

I love NPR

Really I do!

But when the most pressing issue is that Dubai is getting a strap-on?

My pledge dollars can go elsewhere.

We can change the world

Thanks Dave vE for reminding us!

The Virgin Project

The Virgin Project, Real People Share Real Stories by K.D. Boze & Stasia Kato (Girlie Press, $25.00)

The first temptation is to approach this book with a sly snicker. So, go ahead and get that out of your system now. It would be a shame to dismiss this earnest volume out of hand. Kevin Boze and his cousin Stasia Kato interviewed attendees of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival to solicit these true stories. You can still submit your story on their website. First names have been changed and yet, you'll find yourself recognizing these people. Some stories do produce smiles and laughs, but many also show a darker side to the circumstances of the "de-flowering". A few these accounts start out lightly, hesitantly, and then suddenly the remembering is too much, one woman rips off the sign she's been wearing around her neck and declares herself a "victim" no more. It becomes obvious as you read these accounts, how empowering the telling of these stories can be. What might have seemed a light hearted chuckle has become very human by the time you finish this graphic anthology.

Kevin and Stasia's drawings give a special lilt to the pages. While celebrating the joy of the human body in all its forms, they can also portray cringe worthy teens awkwardly caught by the folks mid-tryst.

K.D. Boze will sign copies of the Virgin Project next Saturday, April 19th between 2 and 4pm

I wanta give a shout out!

One of the most amusing people I've found on myspace is Gay Bigfoot.

he's the D00d behind Golden Gals Gone Wild!


nuff said!

LOLberta!

Scrolling through old photos, I captioned this tonight. Those of you who were there, know what I'm talkin' about.