Open for Shipped Orders!
Our physical store is closed, but you can still get many books shipped to you directly from our warehouse. Here's how:  
1. Only order titles with an inventory status of "Available at the Warehouse" 
2. Select the " UPS/USPS Ground Shipping" option
3. Pay with a credit card

We are happy to fulfill other orders, but will not be able to process them until at least April 7. Other options: try  Indiebound.org  or  Bookshop.org - keep it indie!
Shelf Stable: April 1
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey.
They are home.” – Anna Quindlen
Hello friends,
 
It's been a Good News day for us today: we learned this morning that Porter Square Books was named 2020 Bookstore of the Year by Publishers Weekly ! This is the first time in 10 years that a store in New England has won the yearly accolade, and it means a tremendous deal to us. ( Especially as we really respect and admire the other shortlisted stores !) Not only is this a recognition of the hard work that our staff put in on a daily basis, but it's a reflection of the incredible strength of our ties to you, our community.

The reasons that we might've been selected to win--our work with local schools via the Porter Square Books Foundation , the Be the Change and Salon series, the book fairs we put on, our Writers in Residence program , whatever else caught the judges' eye--all of this is inspired by you all. More than that, your support is what makes it possible. Our philosophy and mission all comes down to serving our reading community, to meet your needs and answer your wants and of course to slip that title you didn't know to ask for into your stack - and so you have shaped us from the start. We can't thank you enough.

A good news day is of course extremely welcome right now. We've all had a lot of Bad News days recently, and, in truth, there's still bad news happening out there, even now while we're feeling warm and loved up. Right now, we have to hop onto the islands of comfort as they appear. In the midst of the anxiety and uncertainty we're all feeling right now, allow yourself the small celebrations: the joy of being immersed in a fantastic new read; a moment of pride in the sourdough loaf that rose so tall; even a laugh that catches you by surprise. You deserve these good things. And if you don't have something to celebrate, well: here's your invitation. Share in our good news, because it is truly ours, together.

Raising a toast to you all,
Leila @ PSB
Events We Missed
Courtney LeBlanc & Brandon Melendez
Beautiful & Full of Monsters; Gold That Frames the Mirror: Poetry

We were so excited and ready kick off National Poetry Month with readings from Courtney LeBlanc and Brandon Melendez. We hope we can tempt these two talented poets back to the store on the flip side of all this!

Love isn't always pretty, yet most of us choose to remain constant in its pursuit. These poems unwrap the mythos of romance with the clairvoyance of a writer who knows the best and worst of relationships inside and out. In  Beautiful & Full of Monsters , LeBlanc dares to honestly show us how even when the best of intentions fail, we can always find beauty if we stay true to the monsters in ourselves.
In Brandon Melendez's debut poetry collection,  Gold That Frames the Mirror , nothing sung can truly be lost. Orbiting a daisy-chain of fascinations that range from heritage & family to grief, music, & mental illness, these poems want to know what "home" means, even when the answers can seem too blood-bright to bear staring at. Yet do not mistake Melendez for a poet of an uncomplicated sadness: even when he writes of deep loss, there is the possibility of wonder & joy. Drawing from a wellspring of profound bewilderment present in his images as well as how language assumes--or is assumed by--form, Melendez knows poetry, like home, is something we carry with us in our bodies. Melendez offers something like a prayer against overlooking the past & to remember where the gold came from. After all, "Anywhere can become you / once you forget / how you got there."

We're offering both Courtney and Brandon's collections for 20% off this month--and, bonus: Courtney's generously offered to send a postcard to anyone who purchases a copy of her book! Just let us know in your order comments if you'd like one.
Featured Staff Pick for Adults
Finna by Nino Cipri

  Is this capitalist hellscape the best of all possible verses in the multiverse? When an elderly customer at a big box furniture store (not that one) goes through a portal, it's up to two minimum wage workers to risk life and limb to retrieve her. Very diverting, very queer, very relatable for all people who have worked retail. --Rebecca
We are completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, congratulations, and jubilance you've all expressed at our Bookstore of the Year win!
(Aw, Marjan - it was truly our pleasure !!)
(That's Alice Hoffman , y'all!)
(Who's cutting onions in here?? We love you, Belmont Books !)
( Writer's Bone gets us.)
There are just so many people we want to thank, things we want to say, feelings we'd like to express! So, of course, we asked Bear to step up and say a few words on our behalf, and they sure delivered.
Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
Kids' Newsletter
For all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
Virtual Bookseller

Looking to get some good book recommendations, personalized just for you? Check out our Virtual Bookseller! Just fill out the form with your likes and dislikes, genres and favorites, and we'll crowdsource a bunch of great picks for you with our crack team of real life booksellers. Give it a whirl!
The Power of Preorders!
Preorders are a great way to support PSB while we're not able to actually be at the store for two reasons:
  1. They bring in income now while the store is closed.
  2. We can deal with them later!
You can see all of the books from the future we're excited about here. But you can preorder more than just what we're excited for. Any book with an inventory status (who knew you'd have to get to know our online inventory statuses so well) of "Coming Soon--Available for Pre-Order Now" or "On the Horizon--Available for Pre-Order Now," is, uh, available for preorder now.
PSB TV
Miss one of our bedtime stories? Or one of the tours of our libraries in the epic YouTube series PSB: Cribs? Good news! We've made playlists on YouTube so you can catch up on all of them.




April Staff Picks
Are you missing out on our recommendations, pining for our Staff Pick display?? Our April crop of staff picks is now live on our website! We'll feature titles throughout the month, but you can browse the full list at the link below. As ever, all staff picks are 20% off - so go crazy!
Need some inspiration?
It's April, and it's National Poetry Month!

I'm a believer that we all have a little poetry in us, waiting to be tapped into. It's not about being a master of the craft - it's about letting yourself feel delighted, stymied, in awe of the ability of words to convey movement, imagery, rhythm, feeling - in such a myriad of ways. If you follow any poets on social media, you might've already heard of the "30 for 30" challenge - write a poem every day of the month - even better if you're willing to share your progress. It's very much about writing practice, without any expectation of perfectly polished final results, so you can dial the pressure way down. A favorite of mine, Sarah Kay , posted a great thread of resources on Twitter.
A few of Sarah's poetry writing prompt suggestions include:

And the Pittsfield, MA-based WordXWord festival has a 30x30 challenge " that, essentially, asks you to take your mind to the poetry gym, everyday for a month." They'll be running daily prompts on their website here , plus there's a Facebook group you can join for support.

Keep Sarah's words in mind with this - she's been performing her poetry for many years , since she was a teen, and she still finds it difficult! Don't beat yourself up if you can't make it happen every day, or try challenging yourself to read a poem a day if writing one seems like a lot. (The Academy of American Poets' Poem-A-Day can help with this.) That's pretty inspiring, too! - Leila
Meaghan Reads "The Speckled Band"
Meaghan, in blue-sideburned splendor, reads Arthur Conan Doyle's self professed best Sherlock Holmes tale: "The Speckled Band." Don't forget to tune into our LIVE nightly Bedtime Story, 8:45pm on Instagram!
Support Cafe Zing baristas!
Although Cafe Zing is its own business separate from ours, we really don't see it that way: Zing workers are part of the Porter Square Books family. They keep us well supplied - very well supplied - with caffeine, kindness, and some great tunes. Sometimes they give us staff picks; sometimes we give them exact change because we've bought the same, perfect, comforting, delicious beverage twice a day five days a week for how long, now?

They're our family, and they could use a hand. If you are able, please considering donating to the Cafe Zing GoFundMe; 100% of proceeds go to baristas. What might you have spent at Zing over the past weeks if it we were in normal times? If that $10 is still in your wallet, consider putting it in their tip jar. We love you, Zing!
Featured Staff Pick For Kids
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Much like me, the last thing Norris wanted was to move across the country, leaving his friends (and his hockey team) behind to go to high school in Texas. It's hot, it's sticky, and it might as well be another planet. Guess he better find a way to make the best of it...or escape. This book charmed me, in spite of my resistance to go back to the land where football and church are the same thing.  --Caleb
We want to hear from you!
Lots of bookstores are doing really creative things as we figure out how to sell books while our storefronts are closed. Some stores are selling mystery bundles, where you pick a certain value ($50, lets say) and a genre, and the store sends you a bundle of books. Another store has set up a fund where you can donate some money and the store will send a free book to someone else. We've been thinking ourselves about creating a subscription service of books selected by specific libromancers. Would you like to see us do any of those things? Do you have other ideas? Reply to this email to let us know!
Audio Book Of The Month
Deacon King Kong by James McBride

“Deacon King Kong is a quintessential New York story. Set in the Brooklyn projects in 1969, a perpetually inebriated deacon called Sportcoat aims a gun at the neighborhood’s main drug dealer in the public plaza and pulls the trigger. Incredibly well-constructed and hilarious at times, McBride’s story entwines a number of storylines that are kickstarted by this central event. The local Italian gangster, the veteran cop, the meddling churchgoers, and the drug pushers all have their own agendas, hopes, and dreams that are affected. And though Sportcoat doesn’t remember his actions and is always under the influence of gut-rot moonshine, I couldn’t help but root for him as I was reading this. His delightful ineptitude and absence of clarity made this book impossible for me to put down. If you’ve never read McBride before, this is a great introduction.”
--Stuart McCommon, Novel.
See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
We'll get out our next issue as soon as we can. In the meantime, don't forget about all the other places you can catch up with us from afar, on
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220