By Juliet Suess

Have you heard of Willy Vlautin? If you haven’t yet, and are in the Bay Area this weekend, the Naked Bookseller recommends you stop by Green Apple Books on Saturday.

Mr. Vlautin made a name for himself in the Nineties as frontman of Portland-based Richmond Fontaine. With its clear alt-country bent and lyrics that have sparked critical comparisons to Raymond Carver, it’s no surprise that Vlautin is also a writer.

Like any literary troubadour worth his salt, Vlautin is visiting San Francisco for what promises to be more than your usual book reading and signing.

“Willy is a great reader and speaker,” Kevin Ryan of Green Apple Books told us, “And as value added, he will be bringing his guitar, and he blends reading and guitar picking in a way that turns a regular old author reading into a transformative event.”

Author of three previous books including Motel Life, his new novel The Free is the number one Indiebound book for February.

“Several of us here have been big fans of Willy’s since his first book, and always look forward to his next one,” Ryan of Green Apple Books said. “He’s gotten outrageously glowing quotes from Ann Patchett and Ursula LeGuin, and it seems that this is poised to be his breakout book.

In addition to his four novels, Vlautin has released has released nine studio albums with Richmond Fontaine.

Green Apple Books was founded in 1967 by Richard Savoy. On his first day of business, he logged $3.42 in receipts. Starting in 1999, three individuals (Kevin Hunsanger, Kevin Ryan, and Pete Mulvihill) started a gradual buyout of the business. It has been voted the best bookstore in the Bay Area perennially by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, The San Francisco Weekly, and others.

Their recommended books this month include: Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, Flappers by Judith Mackrell, and An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine.

How LARB Helps Independent Bookstores

Through our Naked Bookseller Program, we want to collaborate with independent bookstores to tell their stories, and broaden their reach so that fans of a store can support it no matter where they live. Learn more here.

By Juliet Suess

Milwaukee, Wisc.

Woodland Pattern began as a center for arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has become a center for intellectual discussion on not just books but all art forms. This independent bookstore prides itself on creating a forum for learning about contemporary literature.  In fact, Woodland Pattern is the only arts organization in Milwaukee presenting contemporary literature to the public on a continuous basis. The staff hopes to promote a lifetime practice of reading and writing to the entire community.

Woodland Pattern gets its name from a passage in Paul Metcalf’s Apalache: “South of Lake Superior, a culture center, the Woodland Pattern, with pottery but without agriculture…” according to their webpage. It was originally founded as a non-profit organization and became recognized nationally as a cultural hub because of the work of its volunteers.

The center houses both a bookstore and an art gallery that regularly hosts readings, art talks, exhibits, and more. The bookstore holds over 25,000 books and specializes in small presses. Woodland Pattern offers a valuable alternative to chain bookstores and school curricula.

Employee reviews emphasize multicultural literature and poetry.  While major bookstores upsell popular, mainstream literature, the staff at Woodland Pattern endorse books that add something new to the literary scene.

Woodland also puts on large-scale events that celebrate culture. Next to come is the 20^th Annual Poetry Marathon & Benefit on the 25^th of January. The Marathon is 15 hours of poetry readings from mainly local artists, although there are also readings of fiction, song performances, and other types of performances. All performers are asked to raise at least $35 in pledges in support of Woodland Pattern’s 2014 operations and programming in literature and the arts.

“The annual Poetry Marathon is the living embodiment of Woodland Pattern’s community legacy. Go to it. Take part in poetry history.” Nick Demske, curator of the BONK! performance series in Racine and author of Nick Demske (Fence Books, 2011) said of the event.

Because of the hard work and enthusiasm of the Woodland Pattern staff, the Niedecker Conference became a reality. Lorine Niedecker is a contemporary poetess, who died in 1970. The conference celebrates Neidecker’s 100^th birthday and the contributions she made to the realm of poetry. These sorts of events set Woodland Pattern apart from mainstream bookstores: the emphasis is taken away from money and is placed on education and celebration of great writing.

Recently, Woodland put on their November Anniversary Gala at the Milwaukee Art Museum, which might be of interest, too. Alison Knowles of Fluxus “fame” was the featured performer. “It was pretty great,” Robert Baumann, director of marketing and membership at Woodland, said.

Woodland also just sold the archives to the Special Collections University of Wisconsin (Madison): over 25 years worth of photos, sound recordings, publications, correspondence, bookstore records, and other ephemera documenting Woodland Pattern’s growth as a literary nonprofit, according to Baumann.

At Woodland, it’s not just about books; it’s about art and learning. Woodland Pattern brings history to life through its selection of books and art. It is a testament to what bookstores should be about: love of literature.