April 25th is National Bookstore Day! Come out and celebrate! We will be having an all-day raffle for a $100 gift certificate, Book Hop Bingo kickoff, discount gift coupons for the month of May, and are giving out a free Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., letterpress bookmark and a Readers Vote! print to each customer while supplies last. We will be open late that day and from 6:00-8:00 PM, we will be hosting an informal author’s meet-and-greet soirèe with some special dishes for your gastronomical pleasure by Chef Viana. Some of the local authors and artists will be stopping by to celebrate, speak and sign books including:
• Detroit Journalist Casandra Spratling has written a new story “Biking Detroit” for Black Summers: Growing Up in the Urban Outdoors (2026) published by Wayne State University press. Casandra will be here to sign her story and offer an early preview of this unique anthology blending nostalgia with struggle and resilience. Later this June, we will be hosting a Black Summers book event with the book’s editor Desiree Cooper and co-author friends at the Oak Park library.
• Artist and Author Wong Herbert Yee will be signing his newest book: Mouse and Mole Happy Earth Day! (2025) Mouse saved the apple seeds after baking an apple pie. Like Johnny Appleseed, she plans to plant them. It is her way of celebrating Earth Day. Mole wants to help celebrate Earth Day too. He dashes into his hole and returns with a sack of acorns. Come join best friends Mouse and Mole on their latest adventure! Mouse and Mole Happy Earth Day! is the eighth book in the award winning early reader series.
• Tracy Gallup is an artist, illustrator, and the author of ten books. She will be on hand to sign copies of her books including her most recent one: My First Book of Zen (2025), an early picture book that sows the seeds of inner harmony, compassion, gratitude, and a lasting love for the natural world.
• Author Anita Fitch Pazner‘s latest book is Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and The White Rose Resistance, a book about a true historical moment of war and protest. The White Rose Resistance was the German student movement that used the power of the written word to speak out against the Nazis during World War II. They worked in secret to distribute leaflets condemning the government’s actions at a time when doing so meant putting your life at risk. This is a great middle school reader by the author of The Topsy-Turvy Bus.
Chef Viana from Simple Goodness Detroit.
• Chef Viana Rickett will prepare some delicious and creative vegetarian hors d’oeuvres from Book Beat cookbooks for the after-hours. Chef Viana is a Culinary Institute of America grad, a Food Lab alum, and owner of Simple Goodness Detroit.
Stay tuned, more authors may be droping by… hope to see you soon!
Happy Bookstore Day!
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Letterpress READERS VOTE! prints and Bookmarks