NEW YORK, NEW YORK! BROADWAY? WELL, YES, I SUPPOSE. But, really, isn’t the romance of New York (for writers, at any rate) shoe-horned into the stacks in the city’s independent bookstores? In a series of cartoons titled, “The Endangered Bookstores of New York,” published in THE NEW YORKER in October, Bob Eckstein, writer and illustrator, celebrates New York’s independent bookstores in image and text.
New York’s Independent Bookstores: A Writer’s Paradise
There’s something magical about an independent bookstore, particularly one tucked into a busy New York neighborhood. Maybe it’s the crowded shelves, the unexpected discoveries, or the feeling that every book has been waiting patiently for just the right reader to come along.
Unlike browsing for books online, wandering through an independent bookstore invites serendipity. You might arrive looking for a particular novel and leave with a poetry collection, a memoir by someone you’ve never heard of, or a book about a subject you didn’t even know interested you.
For writers, these places offer something beyond books. They’re reminders that literature is a living, breathing enterprise, sustained by people who love stories and the people who tell them.
Gathering places for literary communities
Independent bookstores also serve as gathering places for literary communities. Author readings, book signings, writing workshops, and conversations between readers and writers help keep those communities connected. They’re places where aspiring authors can meet published writers and discover new voices. Perhaps even imagine their own books someday finding a place on the shelves.
And then there’s the atmosphere! The narrow aisles, the handwritten recommendations, the stacks of books that seem to defy gravity. Every bookstore has its own personality, shaped by the people who own it and the readers who frequent it.
That’s part of what makes Bob Eckstein’s celebration of New York’s endangered bookstores so appealing. His illustrations call attention to places that are more than retail establishments. They’re part of the city’s literary history and cultural life.
So the next time you’re wandering around New York, skip Broadway for an afternoon and go bookstore hunting.
You never know what treasures you might find!
Independent bookstores remind us why books—and the people who write them—matter. If you’re working on a book of your own and would like help bringing it to life, I’d love to support you. Visit my contact page, and let’s connect. You might also be interested in my books: Plotting Your Novel with the Plot Clock and Jamie Helps Mel Write a Novel.