Audio By Carbonatix
This past Tuesday night, The Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale was crawling with literary enthusiasts, eager to hear five authors talk about their books. People who weren’t sitting in the circle of chairs around authors Dianne Emley, Mary Anna Evans, Larry Karp, Peter Steiner, and Simon Wood were squeezing through the aisles with books in hand on their way to the register.
This is a regular scene at The Poisoned Pen, which has been a staple in old town Scottsdale for nearly 22 years. The independent bookstore hosts multiple author signings every week, and will have a horde of writers at its upcoming Poisoned Pen Conference, taking place June 24 through 26 at the store and the Arizona Biltmore.
Although The Poisoned Pen is known primarily as a mystery
bookstore, they also carry a sizable selection of books in other
genres, including fantasy, sci-fi, and Young Adult. There are also
small sections for books on history, travel, and food, but for the most
part, Poisoned Pen sells fiction. “You don’t need a bookseller to sell you a book on how
to fix your Volkwagen or how to grow tomatoes. 80 percent of what’s
published is non-fiction, but for the 20 percent that is fiction,
people really rely on advice,” says Poisoned Pen owner Barbara Peters.
And Peters and her staff are avid readers known to give great advice.
“When people come in and say, ‘Sell me a good book,’ that means
something different for every single person that asks that question,”
Peters says. “If you’re a good bookseller, you have to traingulate in
on them through a series of questions about what they’re going to
define as a good book so you can match them up with something they’ll
really like.”
Peters says she reads every book they sell each month, including the
books authors come to sign. She moderates the author signings,
introducing each author and their books and prompting discussion with
questions.
Over the years, Poisoned Pen has hosted countless signings with
prominent authors like Clive Cussler, Sue Grafton, and Rita Mae Brown,
along with nationally-known local scribes like Diana Gabaldon and
Michael Stackpole. Photos of authors hang from every spot on the
store’s ceiling. “We’re really here to facilitate human interaction.
The world is moving online, but people really like a sense of
community,” Peters says. “They want to come in and share their
enthusiasm for a book for an author, and the authors like coming in.”
Almost 20 authors will be coming in for the Poisoned Pen’s “I Came
Late to…” conference next weekend, including Diana Gabaldon, Jane
Austen mystery writer Stephanie Barron, Michael Koryta (author of the
thriller So Cold the River), Gary Phillips (editor of Orange County
Noir), Charlie Fox mysteries writer Zoe Sharp, and Edgar Award winner
Dana Stabenow.
In addition to the author signings and discussion groups at the
conference, there will be a tea tasting and a bar at the Biltmore.
Events take place Thursday, June 24 through Saturday, June 26, at the
Arizona Biltmore and The Poisoned Pen, 4014 N. Goldwater Boulevard #101
in Scottsdale. For more information, visit thepen2010.blogspot.com or
call 480-947-2974. For a complete event calendar, visit www.poisonedpen.com.
