Tom Hallock, associate publisher at Beacon Press, shares his impressions of the American Booksellers Association's recent Winter Institute, an annual symposium for bookstore owners and employees. "Like any good publisher I had come to Winter Institute to promote our books and authors," he writes. "I came away in awe of the vision, values and commitment that are transforming this organization and its members." Specifically, he says, some of the independent booksellers who came to the Institute represent "the vanguard of Americans who are reclaiming their downtown areas, restoring the environment and creating community." (Tova Beiser, the promotions manager at Brown University Bookstore, shares Hallock's enthusiasm for the environment-friendly and community-driven business solutions touted at the Institute.) It's said that a panel discussion between authors Bill McKibben, Stacy Mitchell, and Michael Shuman on the power of local economies was videotaped, possibly for BookTV; I wouldn't mind getting a look at that myself! (Or the rest of the events, for that matter—better get my act together for next year...)

Lori Kauffman also filed extensive reports from the conference for her Brookline Booksmith blog, including the message she took away from Danny Meyer's keynote presentation: "Service is a one-size-fits-all method of fulfilling expectations, while hospitality is a dialogue, a one-on-one method that makes someone feel heard and recognized."

(photo by the ABA's Dan Cullen, found through the Omnibus blog)