Tag Archives: Schuler Books and Music

Schuler Books pairs up with Creston Brewery for a book, pie, beer event

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Entertainment, , , ,
Schuler Books Samantha Henrichs and Preston Brewery Roger Haight pair some beers and pies. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


Beer, pie and books. Quite the combination? Well, Schuler Books and Music with the help of Creston Brewery will be putting that combination together Wednesday, Sept. 25, as it celebrates the recent release of author J. Ryan Stradel’s new book “The Lager Queen of Minnesota.”

The Sept. 25 event is at the Creston Brewery’s Golden Age, located above the Creston Brewery at 1504 Plainfield Ave. NE. It will feature pies from the Golden Age along with a beer selection from Creston Brewery. The author, Stradel, will be there to talk about his new book.

J. Ryan Stradal’s new book “The Lager Queen of Minnesota.” (WKTV)

“This event is really the kick off of Schuler Books reaching out and being more active in the community,” said Schuler Books and Music Events Coordinator Samatha Hendricks. “We are trying to find those community partners and community events to reach new customer bases and to show people that author events can really be a unique experience.”

Henricks said partnering with Creston Brewery made sense since the brewery is always doing things in the community while consistently thinking outside of the box.

“Our [Brewmaster Scott Schultz] is good at jumping outside of the box, playing with beers in a way that you won’t find anywhere else,” said Creston Brewery Manager Roger Haight. “You’ll find rhubarb in one of our beers or cardamon in one of the others. He does a good job at coming up with something creative and that is the big focus of his brewing here.”

Beer and pie are the key ingredients in J. Ryan Stradel’s new book and the featured items at the Schuler Books’ upcoming Pints + Pies. (WKTV)

The reason for the pie-and-beer theme is because Stradel’s book, “The Lager Queen of Minnesota” uses the combination as key ingredients in the story.

Edith Magnusson’s rhubarb pies are famous in the Twin Cities, where they were named the third-best in the state and the nursing home she works at has become the hottest dinner ticket in town. Her sister, Helen, has helped build the Blotz beer brand into a dynasty. But because of a few bad decisions, such as dismissing IPAs as a fad, that dynasty is starting to crumble.

However Edith’s granddaughter Diane takes the chance to learn all about the beer business from the ground up as the IPA revolution begins. She is launching her own brewpub but needs that one key item that will give her and her new baby a slice of security.

Tickets for the event are $55 and include six pie and beer tastings, and a signed copy of “The Lager Queen of Minnesota.” There are only 50 tickets available and you must be 21 or older to purchase a ticket. For more, visit the Everbrite link by clicking here.

Schuler Books hosts national pilot program on civil discourse

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Since the 2016 elections, we have seen conservatives and liberals pretty much sparring with each other at what seems like a moments notice. But over the past year, a quiet movement has taken place with those of opposing views sitting down and just listening to each other. It is a movement that Schuler Books & Music is joining starting tonight with its program the “Open Discussion Project.”

Starting at 7 p.m at the bookstore, 2660 28th St. SE, and led by moderators, each meeting will be centered on a book of the group’s choosing. Attendees are encouraged to invite a neighbor, colleague, or friend – especially if they hold different political views. Attendees should be committed to having civil discourse where all opinions are treated with respect.

“I think people are tired of being angry and not being able to have a conversation,” said Schuler Books Marketing Coordinator Alana Haley. “You see where the political situation has ended up and I believe people just want to sit-down and have an open discussion.”

The concept is not new. In fact many have been following the “Hands Across the Hills project that brought a group of liberal voters from Massachusetts to meet with conservatives in Kentucky just to talk.

Schuler Books & Music is one of six book stores participating in the pilot program Open Discussion Project. (WKTV)

“At last year’s American Booksellers Association (ABA) conference, there was a bookstore, Quail Ridge Books (in Raleigh, North Carolina), that mentioned it was hosting a civil discourse program where it was trying to bring people together to discuss the issues that divide them,” Haley said.

From there, the discussion lead to launching the program nationally. Before doing that, it was decided that six independent bookstores would participate in a pilot program to help determine the best way to launch the national program, Haley said. Quail Ridge Books as well as Schuler were selected along with a bookstore in Washington, DC, Naperville, Ill., Concord, NH, and Pasadena, CA.

There are a few guidelines and a booklist provided by ABA. Each bookstore determines how it will operate its program. For example, the one in Washington DC, sent out invitations to a variety of panelists to talk about the books with the goal of getting a mix of conservatives and liberals, Haley said.

Schuler Books opened its program to the general public with response being fairly positive.

“We weren’t really sure what the response would be and so far it has been very positive,” Haley said. “We put it on social media and it took off with most people tagging it and sharing ti with others. There really has been no negative.”

For the first meeting, the book “Think Again: How to Reason and Argue” by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, was selected. There will be sheet available with a list of points from the book that will be discussed so anyone can participate.

The next programs, which are the third Tuesdays of the month (Feb. 19, Mar. 19, April 16, May 21, and June 18) will be focused on a book. The goal is to have those who attend tonight’s meeting to decide which books they would like to include, Haley said.

“It is an opportunity to meet with people who think very differently from you and to understand where they are coming from and why they feel the way they feel,” Haley said. “And hopefully they will do the same.”

In June, the pilot program will be reviewed with a national rollout set for later in 2019. The Open Discussion Project is sponsored by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in partnership with the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD).

Astronomer and space science enthusiast makes a stop at Schuler Books

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Nebil Y. Misconi
Nebil Y. Misconi

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) in partnership with the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA) will host a presentation by the Iraq born astronomer and space science enthusiast, Dr. Nebil Y. Misconi, at Schuler Books & Music on Thursday, May 19.

 

Misconi is an accomplished astronomer and solar system researcher. In his book “An Immigrant’s Journey into the Cosmos – a Personal Memoir,” Misconi tells the journey of an immigrant astronomer from youth in Iraq to the United States. His presentation of the same name will highlight the political history of the Middle East and the struggles of living there during religious and political unrest through to his life and accomplishments in astronomy in the United States.

 

Misconi fell in love with astronomy when he read a book about stars as a high school student in the 1960s. He could not further his pursuit in his homeland and was able to study in Turkey and later immigrated to the United States, where he went on to a career in Florida.

 

“I decided to write about my life to inspire young students on what they can do when they put their minds to it, using what our country has to offer,” Misconi said.

 

41UcMIxlUAL._UY250_Working first for the Space Institute Center at Florida Tech, and then for 16 years at the University of Central University in Orlando,  Misconi has not only inspired students and  the public with his instructional skills, but also contributed technical expertise to a number of high profile NASA space efforts, including SkyLab and the space shuttle programs. He has worked closely with notable space science personalities, including astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

 

The presentation “An Immigrant’s Journey into the Cosmos – A Personal Memoir” will take place at 7 p.m. on May 19 at Schuler Books, located at 2660 28th Street SE. The event is free. Marconi’s book of the same title will be available for purchase and a book signing by the author will take place following the talk.

Poems from the dark side: actress Amber Tamblyn presents at Schuler Books

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,

Amber Tamblyn reads from her new book "Dark Sparkler."
Amber Tamblyn reads from her new book “Dark Sparkler.”

It seems wherever comedian David Cross shall be, actress Amber Tamblyn is sure to follow.

 

Tamblyn, who has starred in “Joan of Arcadia,” “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and “Two and a Half Men,” has been touring with her husband Cross, whose “Making America Great Again!” tour is part of this year’s LaughFest lineup.

 

And the arrangement works out well for area residents as Tamblyn, who is a writer and acclaimed poet, will be at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SE, discussing her latest book “Dark Sparkler.”

 

Dark Sparkler
Dark Sparkler

“[What drew me to poetry] I think, like anybody, is being able to have a feeling that’s expressed and reciprocated — to be able to make others feel and emote,” Tamblyn said in a recent article with Boulder Weekly. “It’s also what’s powerful about acting — that you get to affect people. Writing to me, when I was younger, had the same power that acting did.”

 

“Dark Sparkler” started with Tamblyn digging into the life and death of child star Brittany Murphy. Murphy died in 2009 from pneumonia and anemia. Tamblyn, also a child star who got her start on “General Hospital,” did not know Murphy but was moved by Murphy’s death as she was the first female contemporary of Tamblyn’s to die.

 

Tamely wrote a poem about Murphy that appeared in [Pank] magazine. The overwhelming interest in that poem encouraged Tamblyn to delve deeper into the topic of the female actresses who were gone before their time.

 

In total, more than 30 actresses, both famous and obscure, are featured in the book such as Murphy, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. The poems are paired with original artwork, commissioned for the book, by David Lynch, Adrian Tomine, Marilyn Manson, and Marcel Dzama.

 

Tamblyn’s talk and book signing is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SE. Also that evening, her husband, David Cross, will be at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE. His LaughFest show is at 8 p.m. with tickets running from $39.50 – $32.50. Tamblyn’s talk is free.