"I always loved spending time at Midtown Scholar. It is one of my favorite bookstores in the world. It's a converted old theater with cozy wooden walls, several floors of books, a stage, a balcony filled with little tables and a coffee shop. Midtown Scholar is also one of poet Kate Baer's favorite bookstores. So on a rainy day last week, we met there to talk."
"BAER: I don't believe blurbs. Maybe I shouldn't say that. I don't believe blurbs as much because now I see how burbs are exchanged. DETROW: Yeah. BAER: And it's not that they're not authentic all the time. It's that there are lots of networks in publishing, just like in every industry. And so I'm not as much picking up a book and saying, oh, they said it was good, so I know it's good. It's more - I think it's more of, like, a subjective..."
"We head up to the balcony to talk with her about her latest book of poems, "How About Now." Sitting in the poetry section, her name and her books are prominently featured alongside other heavyweights. BAER: It never ceases to amaze me that I get to share shelf space with incredible poets like Ada Limon, Sharon Olds, Wanda Coleman, all these wonderful poets. It's incredible and it's such a privilege."
Midtown Scholar is a converted theater with cozy wooden walls, multiple floors of books, a stage, a balcony of small tables, and a coffee shop. Browsing habits favor new releases first, then poetry. Blurbs are viewed skeptically because networks in publishing influence how blurbs circulate, making recommendations feel subjective. Shelf placement beside poets like Ada Limon, Sharon Olds, and Wanda Coleman is described as an incredible privilege. The new collection of poems grapples with middle age and vulnerability. The poem "Tacenda" depicts typed secrets and mixed family reactions to revealing personal material.
Read at www.npr.org
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