Atlantic Books Today MESSAGES
Editor’s message It is bittersweet that even in tragedy, beauty blooms. During the global COVID pandemic, Black Lives Matter exploded into the mainstream. Yes, it took too damn long for white people to see, to acknowledge, to listen. To amplify. But it is happening now. I hope it continues. We—all of us— need to hear Black voices. And Indigenous voices. Women’s voices. LGBTQ voices. Disabled voices. The voices that have too long been ignored. And suppressed. We at Atlantic Books Today, being all about Atlantic books and authors, decided to theme this issue around the way books can inform change. Do the authors of these books write with a change-the-world mandate in mind? My guess is, usually no.
But as the eminent Africadian poet and playwright George Elliott Clarke said in our recent online video series, “If you’re a writer, you’re an intellectual!” The act of sitting, contemplating, then polishing thoughts, emotions and story arcs into words on a page, that is laying bare your philosophy of living. And so, in books we find the deepest, most carefully conceived ideas of what it means to survive and to live well. The ways our human societies get it so wrong, and occasional inspired examples of people doing it right. It’s all right there, in every season of new books. So read. And think. Read and think about the words of diverse authors, particularly those writing about Black Matters, as Afua Cooper does in her new collection. Read broadly, diversely, and your mind will broaden. Your understanding of the world, of what different people and communities endure, and celebrate and achieve, will deepen. And from that understanding, we build back better.
CMO’s message COVIDitunity. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Mine anyway, fairly regularly of late. I love a good mashup word. I’m blessed with a tendency to “lean in” to new challenges, particularly those caused by disruption. Maybe it’s just a coping mechanism. Well, it’s served me well so far. To be clear: I am very aware that the pandemic has brought many hardships and sorrows. But I think it’s fair to say it has presented some once-ina-lifetime opportunities. It was great to sit down with our Managing Editor, Chris Benjamin, to discuss how we, the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association, and the book industry at large, are reacting to the current challenges. How we are seeking new ways to build our book-selling systems and approach back better. 4
Like many others, our industry has taken a massive gut punch from COVID. The cultural sector has always been a delicate balance of supply and demand. That balance has been heavily disrupted. However, there have been small wins. Our Time To #ReadAtlantic campaign—a one-of-a-kind digital means of getting local books into the hands of local readers— showed the increased importance that Atlantic Canadian consumers are placing on local products and supply chains. We know that the desire to read a local book is now higher than ever. That knowledge presents a unique opportunity to figure out how we can better connect readers to Atlantic books. And so, with surveys showing support from more than 85 percent of Atlantic Canadians, we are rolling out our Teal Lighthouse brand stamp as a tool to help readers find their next favourite local book. Please visit your local bookstore this fall and look for the Teal Lighthouse as you consider your holiday shopping list. Giving the gift of local books is a great way we can all help Build Back Better.
